I am just finishing up the cockpit of the Hasegawa 1/48 A6M2 that I have been working on. This is only the second airplane I have ever built so everything is box stock. I just realized that all the detail I tried to put into the cockpit is going to be covered up. I mean you can still try to see some of it but for the most part a lot of the stuff is not viewable with all the parts in place.
This leads me to the question…Do you guys detail everything anyway and cover it up thinking at least you know it’s there? Or do you not waste the time and leave the covered parts undetailed knowing no one will ever see them?
I am somewhat torn between the two. Even with the very amatuer job I did trying to make the inside look good, I still am proud that it turned out the way it did. Keep in mind I am leaps and bounds behind most of you in terms of my model building abilities. Still I can see improvement from my other endeavors.
On the other hand. If no one is going to see it, why not spend the time detailing more visable parts of the plane? I could work on the weathering effects or something similiar and saved time on the overall model.
What are your thoughts on this?
Thanks
Ben
If I really like the detailing job I did on the cockpit/interior I look for ways to keep the canopy/doors open.
I’ve even seen some of the modeller’s here illuminate their interiors. I know Pierre illuminated his A380, and someone else (forgot who) illuminated his F117, and another (again forgot who) illuminated the interior of their 1/48 C-130 Gunship.
If you are proud of it, that is what is important. I was proud of my B-29, so I did
a cutaway, even though I’ve done better jobs on interiors since then.
You are right on the exterior. That’s what grabs the eye and entices people to look further in awe. Then the detail of the cockpit and interior gets the jaws dropping.
If I am proud of my cockpit, I always keep the canopy open. But lately I’ve become obsessed with engineering ways to make the various types of canopy open and close, to keep dust out. Once dust gets in a busy cockpit, you can forget about getting it out. Sliding canopies can usually be modified to close pretty easily, and then slide open when showing off the inside. But clamshells are quite different, and then you have the type found on the F-84F. So, if anyone has any suggestions, pass 'em on. And as I solve these various problems, I’ll do the same. One thing is pretty essential, though. You must start with the thinnest vac-form canopy you can get.
I’ve done that several times; I think many, if not all, of us who have a few or more builds under our belts have done it. And each of us has a different take on ‘why’…
My viewpoint is this: Each model you’ve built with great detail work on the interior, whether you can see it or not, serves as a practice session for that future build where all your great work will be seen…
Fade to Black…
I detail the cockpit depending on my mood at the time and what the final resting place of the model will be. If it’s strictly a shelf sitter for my collection, I don’t go far beyond what the kit offers in the box. If it is for public display, I’ll add more detail. Most of my builds have closed canopies, just personal preference, but I still like to finish the interiors to some degree.
Regards, Rick
I agree with BlackWolf. I see it as good practice for things to come. Also, it is not so much feeling good about what I know is done inside and can’t be seen, but the disappointment I would feel knowing there was stuff undone inside. (Of course all of it is done to the best of my ability and pales compared to many interiors I have seen on this site.)
Leon
Leon
I would be interested in seeing if any after market cockpit detailers try and release a kit for the Testors 1/72 B-2 Stealth Bomber. The reason I say this is because you cannot see any of the controls once the kit is assembled. The canopy is in a fixed positioned so it’s not like one leave it open either.
This will give you an idea of my thoughts on the subject.
http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=24336 [swg]
(Scroll down to the bottom to see what is now hidden.)
Hawk, the canopy is fixed because the crew enters the cockpit from hatch on the bottom of the jet.
Ben, like the others said, it’s good practice, but you could always be ready for it to fall off the shelf, canopy pop off & everyone say, “hey, look at all the detail in there!!” [:p]