Hey fellas i have this huge doubt, i have seen models in which the intruments are so neat, the needles are visible and you can even see the numbers or the red arcs or green arcs i have been trying to duplicate something like this, my eyes are tired and i am going blind so please fellas can you tell me how do you guys do it??[:(]
thanks in advance
Regards
that was my problem long time ago . …than i realized that they are just putting eduard and similar sets inside pits … I always tought that thoose instruments are home made but nope … look at this …just eduard 
My advice is too just do what you think is good. If you try too hard, all the fun is taken away. I find I am more happy without the super detailing, but if I feel like it I will do it. Just be happy with what you do![8-]
It’s not all Eduard, different panels need different approaches. For some I use dry brush techniques followed with finer detail work done using a very fine (2 or 3 hair) brush to add red or yellow rims on dials and to color buttons. For others I utilize decals like Reheat where individual faces are cut out with a punch and placed into the dials then sealed with a drop of Future to give it a glass look while others really are from Eduard [:D] or a combination of several techniques.
This one is a combination of decal faces, dry brushing, picking out details with a fine brush and sludge washing. I spent about a week on this panel.
This one uses some Eduard PE plus painting techniques and took a couple days.
Many kits will have seperate decals for the intrument panel, I’ve used lots of methods before including cutting out the individual dials from the decals and dropping then into the bezels on the kit dashboard, fiddley but rewarding.
This one for the rear cockpit of a 1/32 scale F-4 was done the hard way. It’s the kit panel, no PE or decals. I sprayed the whole thing gray for the background, then on each instrument I put a drop of thin white enamel. When that had cured fully I put a drop of thin black acrylic on each instrument. When that had cured I used a #11 X-Acto knife blade to scrape each instrument. The white enamel, being tougher than the black acrylic, stayed put while the black scraped off easily. A drop of Future in each instrument to simulate the glass and it was done. I’ve also found that a stiff knife blade gives me better control than a flexible brush does.
My advice would have not to try it on 1/144, but since you say you’re going blind it doesn’t matter anymore.
No, seriously, there are a few things to be considdered…
1 do you really want to go there ?
2 is anything you do in the pit going to be visible ?
3 if so, you don’t always have to go to the expensive AM parts, a good set of photographs and a fotocopier could do wonders too. A while ago there was an article in FSM about using this technique to upgrade the pit of a Dora (I believe). They scanned the pictures (LockOn or Squadron could be a good source); reduced them to the proper size and placed the copy between two layers of sheet styrene.
Just my [2c]
It has taken many an aircraft model during my lifetime to develop the techniques that are involved in detailing IP’s and for that matter, cockpits. I find that the AM products, while excellent, can always be detected as such as they are too “perfect”. And, let me say, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I prefer the old fashioned “paint it” methods. I get more satisfaction doing it that way, but, that’sjust me.
How do we do it? Practice, determination, trial and error and persistence are a few adjectives that come to mind.
Steve
I use the same method as MusicCity.
Put white on first, let it dry, then put on black (I use gloss black) and let that dry, Scrape off the black…(I use a toothpick and a needle)
On my last 1/32 F4 i drilled out all the dials then stuck the film from a PE kit on ,
Also used dry brushing for the buttons and switches , but to be honest i prefer the color photoetched stuff , lot easier than painting
The new pre-painted Eduard PE sets make life much easier.
Regards, Rick
the quality of the parts (be it AM, OB or scratch build)
learning the proper techniques (dry-brushing, washes etc)
using the proper tools
time&effort
It all a part of achiving the result you want.
Depends on what kit I am working with and how much pain I feel like enduring :0).
Sometime I use waldron instrument faces, othertimes I use the same methods as swammy and musiccity.
Some kits will not provide detail in the IP faces and that’s when you get to choose your maddness.
Yeah, though it all depends on what you have to work with and how closely people will be able to examine it, I generally just use a combination of washes and drybrushing. I know some modelers get off on absolutely miniscule authentic details but that doesn’t mean you can’t be satisfied with achieving a convincing approximation of those details.
I use a fine brush for the inside of the dials and dry brushing for the rest of the panel. I plan on trying some new ideas thanks to you guys. Keep these different ideas coming.[:D]Allen
I use colored pencils and I have has pretty good luck. Sparpen the pencil to a good sharp point and pick out the details. A drop of future over the top to seal it. One advantage is that if you mess it up you usually can use a toothbrush and remove the offending pencil marks and start again. Sorry that I don’t have a picture to show you. Good luck.
I have to agree with travaller. I’m not running down super-detailing, in fact, I’m having to force myself to go slow on my model of USS Oregon because it’s the first kit I’ve built since high school and it has so many opportunities to add extra details. But you have to decide what makes you happy, because if it’s drudgery, it’s not a hobby. If it makes you happy to have 100 out-of-the-box builds, that’s great, and if it makes you happy to have ten super-detailed builds in the same amount of time, that’s great too.
Not the best picture but you can sort of see the dials. To do this one, I developed a special tecqhnique. First, acrylic black was painted over the dial faces, and then, using a single strand of hair… OK OK it’s a film/PE set that came with the Aires resin set.