Instrument Panels...

check out

FSM Mag October 2001 Vol. 123, No. 10

Paint Grey
Clear gloss
Dark Wash
A bit of colour where you want
2-part epoxy glue drops for the glass on the instruments,applied with a tooth pick.

It works a treat.

Neil

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I am digging the whole use of just drilling out the holes, I have started to do this and it seems like it is working really well. Yeah I am pretty sick and twisted, helicopters is the only thing i really ever feel like touching, The needle one sounds really good too if you want to add details to make the instruments look older or more chipped. Thanks for all the insite!

Hi All,

Thank you very much for the compliments

Another method I use, although very fiddly the end result looks good:

Print the panel onto high gloss photo paper. Cut out and soak, as though it was a transfer. Take a deep breath and using a new blade, peel the top layer away from its backing. I tend to file/scrape all the detail off the kit panel too. Dry your pic' and fix onto the panel using a small amount of PVA glue. Be patient, it really is worth the effort.

Regards.
Pops

Hey POPs..
Kool...
Thanks

LOVE THIS SITE, POPS!!!!!!

Randie

that site is awesome!,
its gonna really healp me with my 1/35th Pave Hawk!

Thanks Pops!!!!

Willickers!!

Thanks Pops!! That is a real cool site!!

Its in my Favs!!

Sick and Twisted , that you are.

But, coming from someone who has 17 on the shelf waiting to be built, who am I to talk.

Further to Rotorhead's excellant idea, you may find the following useful:
http://gra.midco.net/mlgould/
The alphetical index is very comprehensive.

I tend to drill out the kit panels and glue my pic' behind. Using gloss photo paper gives a better finish, I think.

Hope this is of some use to you.
Off to see my therapist now.
Pops.

A simpler way to do it that works great for smaller scales; download images from the web, scale them and arrange layout in an image-manipulation program like PhotoShop or PaintShop, then print them on normal paper. They look great behind a photoetched set of bezels or whole instrument panel.

There is a site in Russia IIRC that has pre-designed panels for loads of helos. If I can find the link again, I'll append this message.

I have mainly dry brushed my instrument details and used a coulpe two or three haired brushes to put some red and green range markings on some. Then the clear gloss for the glass face. I have also used the dials from decals or aviation magazine adds behind a drilled our front panel with a piece of thin acetate for the glass sandwiched between. I have read you paint the panel white add a little color details, paint it flat black or grey. Then using a fine needle scratch away the top coat to have the white and color markings show through. I haven't tried this technique yet.

Yup! Krusty.....your sick and twisted!

There is nothing wrong with that....I think?

I like to build almost everything but cars.....my first loves were WWII aircraft....then SCI-FI.....in fact when I'm done with my 1/35 Coast Guard helicopter ( see USCG colors thread ) I'm going to build the 1/35 scale Harkonen Ornithopter from the 1984 DUNE film. ( another lucky ebay find )

INSTRUMENTS you say?

Yep....on 1/35 and smaller scale's starting with a flat black dials is a good start and then dry brushing or carefully painting the raised details 'if any' would be 2nd.....then after all that a few hours later or the next day... use a paint brush and goop a good amount of a CLEAR GLOSS coat over each dial to give them that glass look.
That works pretty darn good!

On 1/24 I like to use copied art work ( or decals ) placed behind drilled out gauges and squeeze in a thin piece of clear styrene for the glass....this can be done in 1/32 scale as well. Some panels may need to be thinned down so that the dials are not so deep.

Hope that helps!

I have noticed that i really only like building helicopter models, does any one else have this bias or am i just sick and twisted?