![]() I found it really hard to find photos of the real cockpit, so a little artistic licence needed to be used here. The raised details on the side consoles were all hand-painted. After the decals were dry, a drop of gloss varnish was added to each to simulate the glass over the gauges. The artificial horizon gauge on the main instrument panel decal was just black, so I painted these blue and brown myself in the centre which looks more the part. The decals for the LCD centre displays looked nice so they were cut from the decal frames before applying. The LCD frames and other raised details were instead painted, rather than decals. I was uncertain how well the full decal would set down over the raised detail, so I cut out the circular gauges decals in groups of three or four, applied these, and then set with Microsol. Flies the Aircraft Confirms Callouts Pilot Not Flying Inspects/Manipulates Instruments Performs Callouts Interacts with ATC Flies on Behalf of Pilot Both captain and co-pilot can take on each role during a flight. I'm a fan of using these when possible on the main instrument panels as they will always look better than I can paint tiny 1/48 instrument gauges. Decals are provided for the side console panels and main instrument panels. After an initial coat I thought it a bit dark, so added a drop or two of 71332 Faded Underside Blue to the original colour, and airbrushed over it gently again to highlight. I have used Vallejo Model Air 71318 for this, "AMT-11 Greyish Blue". The cockpit looks as pictured here before painting would begin, I'm sure you'll agree there is a lot of detail here to enjoy. But, I learned by the second seat that I found it easier to fold these first, and attach to the seat second. The belts seem very long for the seats to me, but this is probably my lack of expertise in folding these to look natural. Brevity is important, and contacts should be kept as brief as possible, but controllers must know what you want to do before they can properly carry out their control duties. My first attempt at attaching them ended in disaster, so I had to remove them and start over. It is essential, therefore, that pilots acknowledge each radio communication with ATC by using the appropriate aircraft call sign. PE is something I freely admit to struggling with, and this was no exception, not helped by the vague instructions from Kittyhawk on where the PE belts should be mounted. Once built, I could attack the PE seatbelts. The cockpit seats require building, and this really allows for a lot of detail to be shown with these, and for my needs, I wouldn't feel compelled to replace them for resin aftermarket options as a lot of aircraft builders do as par for the course. The cockpit tub is beautifully moulded, with fine raised details for the side panels and floor details. But, as per the norm for aircraft models, the painting can wait, as the kit starts in the cockpit, and is where I shall start my build.
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