fianally found some time to work on my Spitfire (Tamiya mk1 1/48), it’a nice kit but there are no decals for the instrument panel and no raised detail within the gauges to highlight with drybrushing. The gauges themselves are raised on the panel and look very nice but I guess Tamiya thought that a decal wouldn’t be able to conform to them.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone knew of a good source for aftermarket decals for just such a dilemma.
Thanks in advance,
-fish
Out of deperation you could paint the dials matt white. Then paint over with matt black and inscribe something suitable with a pin so the white paint shows through. Finishing with some gloss varnish to seal it. . I think I did try that many years ago!! Not sure what scale the model was though.
Another method of achieving clean instrument dials is with a wash. First, I paint the instrument face black, followed by the white details. I then a coat of Future to the panel. When that’s dry, I apply a black enamel wash. After an hour or so, the raised white details can be drybrushed with thinner on a #000 brush. Here’s what it looks like on my Bf 110G-4. Hope this helps ! 
Hey Fish;
If you go with a decal, have you ever tried to use Solvi-Set decal solution?, if not get some and it’ll make just about any decal settle down on anything, but if you try to paint it I think Pixi & Bass have very good ideas, but I’d try to paint it flat white first then dry brush black then when the faces are how you want them then go back and paint the rest of the panel flat Black
Waldron Model Products makes US, UK, German, and Japanese instruments and cockpit placards in 1/48 scale.
Of course, they are much easier to use with the very expensive Waldron punch and die set. Might be worth a look
to you, though.
http://www.brookhursthobbies.com/waldron_model_products.htm
I’m not affiliated with Brookhurst Hobbies…They just have a list of the products.
Ray
1/48 are quite big actually. use a 00000/ or 10zeros brush and you cannot go wrong.
-00000? Isn’t that a stick with a bristle on it?[:p]
-fish
LOL fish! close, I’ve never been “good” at much, but am worse at all those itty-bitty little gauges. Half the time I can’t even see them let alone use the single bristle brushes.