This
article is about scratch-building an illuminated cockpit for the Revell kit F-4E
(1/32). I divided the full article into 4 installments, so I could go into some
details and describe them as closely as possible.
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Part 1: Building the front cockpit - design of the cockpit panels, adding
lights.
- Part
2: Completing the front cockpit - the instrument panel and the HUD.
- Part 3: Building the rear
cockpit - side console panels. Dry fit of the cockpit tub.
- Part
4: Completing the rear cockpit - the Instrument panel. Final details and
adjustments.
BUILDING
THE SIDE CONSOLES
I
used a similar technique as for the front cockpit to drill the fiber optic
(FO) holes into the side consoles. But this time I used the etched brass
panel to serve as a guide, which appeared to be much more precise than the
cardstock part I used before.
After
I drilled the holes, I discarded the etched part.
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Click on
images below to see larger images
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The
rear cockpit bulkhead received the same extra detailing as the front
cockpit. I had to open the front side to provide space for the rudders,
and allow the pilot to stretch his legs. Remember that the original Revell
kit does not include pilot figures, so they didn’t care about this
detail.
Note
that the side panels are ready to receive the FO, which I would plug into
the holes from below. |
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After I
glued the FOs with 2-component epoxy, I trimmed off the upper part, so they
would be flush with the panel surface. The strand of FOs will run towards the
backside of the cockpit.
The
left hand console received also FOs. I added the black sub-panels, one by one,
taking extra care about aligning each light over its FO light source.
A final
overhead view showed again that the concept looks quite realistic
The instrument panel was blue-tacked in place to check that everything
fits well.
A
close-up picture truly shows off the 3D rendition obtained by gluing each
sub-panel individually. Also note the complex shape of the instrument
panel, which I made from a single etched part. Its design was tricky, but
well worth the extra brainwork!
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images below to see larger images
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As
I mentioned earlier in the series of articles, the level of details one
can achieve with AutoCAD was truly stunning! The magnification of the NAV
/ COM panel clearly showed that the frequencies settings became readable!
Although they will be hardly noticeable once the model is finished, the
extra details provide the kind of euphoria rush every modeler is proud of.
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The
series below were shot to demonstrate the effect of different light conditions
on the cockpit rendition.
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Picture 1, under normal daylight conditions. The full details are
visible: switches, knobs and instrument dials.
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Picture 2, under
twilight conditions. Some level of detail is still visible, and the lights
become apparent.
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Picture 3, under night
conditions. The lights become the center of attraction, but one can still guess
the level of detail hidden in the shades.
The
rear instrument panel will hold two MFDs. I had to slightly adjust the openings
in the panel to accommodate the MFD housings.
The
side panels were now completed, except the throttles and radar control stick. I
still did not know at that time if the throttles would be positioned at FULL AB
or IDLE. Weathering would add the final touch of realism at a later stage.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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Detailed
view of the rear office. Note the various switches, knobs and buttons. The
yellow and red switches were made with a thin wire, and tiny drop of white
glue was added to one end. I built the rotating knobs by assembling a
plastic roundel (punched out) with a small triangle of styrene. A 10x
magnifying glass was mandatory for this step, as knobs have a diameter of
hardly 1mm.
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image below to see larger image
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At this
stage I wanted to test a pair of True Scale resin seats I had in my stash. They
provided a great enhancement when compared to the kit’s seats. As the pilots
will be seated, I would have to remove the molded seat belts. The seat’s high
must be adjusted too at a later stage, once I will be able compare their
position with the canopy frames.
These
steps in the construction of the scratch-built cockpit were completed during the
early days in February 2005. The next article will describe the building of the
rear instrument panel and comment a couple of final adjustments and details.
Pierre
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