What is the most economical way of detailing cockpits for 1/72 scale? Any feedback, reference or guides would be appreciated.
Thanks!
A few good paint brushes, some model paints and the Mk 1 eyeball is the cheapest most economical way to detail a 1/72 cockpit.
One tip I found useful is cutting masking tape into thin stripes and use as belts. You can use a tiny piece to build up the buckles too, but a dot of black and some silver was good enough for me. What level of detail are you after? Since I often build old Airfix kits with barely no interior it’s easy to do simple joysticks and instrument panels, and some easy seat enhancements like the belts, and for ejection seats thin wire for ejection handles works just fine. At least if the canopy is closed.
My [2c]
Azgaron
I’m mostly looking to detail the dashboard of the cock pit, the kits I have has nothing to offer but three raised circles, want to be able to detail the sides as well.
Thanks.
Ok, then my tips wasn’t of much use to you [:)] I guess you need some good reference pics, maybe some good drawings, some plasticard and some scratchbuilding skills [:)] Is it WWII era planes? or what?
Hope someone with greater skill/knowledge can help you out! Then perhaps I can learn something too.
Azgaron
Actually your tip was very helpful, especially regarding the seatbelt. I thought maybe it might be possible to do seatbelts with colored tape or electrical tape? I hope we can continue swap or share infomation as we go along. It seems that most of the information out there or in the forum is for the 1/48 scale.
Thanks again.
I guess colored or electrical tape will be as useful. Yes, swapping and sharing tips is one of the great advantages with internet and forums like this. I think 1/48 is a more popular scale to detail, mainly course it lies between the small 1/72 and the large 1/32. I’ll ask around and see if I can find some more useful tips.
You’re welcome!
Azgaron
What can be done for 1/48 can be done for 1/72 if you got the eyes for it. I don’t happen to have the eyes for it. Heck, I barely have the eyes for 1/35, 1/32 scale!!
It really depends to what extent you want to detail and how much you want to spend. You can check this site out or this one. You can get all the interior detail you want. It’s all up to you.
Dutch,
Do you have access to vacume seal aluminum foil? The kind that used as a vacume seal for cans of coffee (not tin), I have used this to make seat belts and buckles with great results. It’s thin like Photo Etch but more flexable and easy to work with. Can be cut with scissors or hobby knife. It can also be used to make scratch built detail same as PE would do.
There are a lot of good reference photos at uscockpits.com
All the suggestions are great, and will have to try it all. This is my little pet project, I trying to built a WW 2 era air force of a fictional country call the Empire of Pacifia. Using some planes from Italy, Soviet Union and hopefully Sweden if I can ever find any! My best bet would be to get detailed kits of the planes I have. Any feedback or advice is always welcomed and always feel free to e-mail me.
A pilots figure also fills a cockpit nicely. When painted good it it gives the impression of a detailed cockpit.
You can detail a cockpit using scrap plastic, metal/copper wire etc.
Most instrument panels can be sanded down, at the back, so it’s possible to thin them down, to about half their thickness. Drill out the holes, for the instruments, then glue some white plasticard onto the back of the panel. Paint the whole face, including inside the holes, black, and, when dry, scrape away some of the black, in the holes, down to the white, to give the appearance of needles, and dials. Fill the holes with gloss varnish, and you have instant instruments.
Edgar
That sounds like a useful tip! But I think it requires some patience and a keen eye [:)]
Azgaron
That is a very interesting tip. Will definately have to try that. That way I can customize my own.
Thanks
72nd - the gentlemens scale! good choice. heres a few things that I use the most. find an old school electrical cord and strip it. instead of two solid copper wires, older plugs used hundreds of extremely fine copper wires (I have never found wire this small except on smaller electric motors - another source). the uses are endless for a 72nd cockpit, and even better for wiring up a 72nd radial engine.
Invest in a set of tamiya extra fine drill bits. for 10 bucks you get one of the smallest drill bits available at a reasonable price (I have a couple smaller ones but I cringe just thinking what I forked over for them). The uses are endless -especially for your instrument panel.
Buy a bag of .OO5 sheet styrene - and replace all the wheel doors with it. If you scaled out most kit wheel doors they would be a foot thick - then use your thin wire to snake a brake line down the landing gear strut. simple things like this go so far in vastly improving any small models appearance. have fun with it and just think how many more 72nd models you can fit in your cabinet than 48th…
72nd aires radial - I love these kits! there’s the ignition wire I’m talking about
OHHHHHHHH! That is fine work! Any more tips you can give me I would appreicate it. Are there any good websites out there that also will be of any help?
I also wanted to mention. How about 1/72 scale machine guns? Any tips on how to detail that?
If you will send me an email, seperate from the forums, I will email you a chart that I put together. It has different gun barrel sizes, and there respective hypodermic tubing sizes, in 1/72, 1/48 and 1/35 scale.
I can’t figure out how to send it to you using the email icon on your post. That is why I am asking that you email me off-board. Anyone else who might be interested let me know.
I got a boatload of general building info from this guy Here
- He’s one of the best there is - his models are posted all over the net including ARC and on the largescale site.
I’ve also got a little Aeracobra build article going on this forum with lots of pics - I’m trying to do daily posts to help myself stay consistant and finish! It should be right up your alley - OOB witha few simple mods. One of my huge problems is finishing things, and the cockpit tends to be the biggest hold-up. I get so hung up there the model never gets closed up… something to consider- to much detail that may not get seen. That can be found here:
Lastly - on any A/C especially in 72nd if the cockpit will be displayed open- buy the Vac form replacement canopies and learn how to use em’. Just like the wheel wells, nothing detracts more from a model than thick canopies. Cheers, J