1:72 Convair B-58 Hustler - Cockpit Set with LATE Versions Stanley Escape Capsule (for Italeri Kits / 3D-Printed)

The cockpits of a supersonic bomber with escape capsules

The Convair B-58 Hustler was the first production bomber able to fly sustained at twice the speed of sound. A delta wing, four engines in separate nacelles beneath it and a three-man crew seated one behind another in separate cockpits made it a machine as beautiful as it was demanding. Speed, however, revealed a weakness: an ordinary ejection seat could not protect a man leaving the aircraft at high altitude and at twice the speed of sound. Later aircraft were therefore given the Stanley capsule, into which a crew member closed himself as into a shell with his own oxygen supply and pressure insulation; after coming down on water the capsule behaved like a float.

• Complete fittings for three cockpits in the late form
• Made by 3D printing, with edges free of a parting line
• Dimensionally prepared for the kit from the Italeri brand
• 1:72 scale; the parts are separated from the print supports

First wash the printed parts in lukewarm water with detergent, so that no print resin residue stays on the surface, and only then remove the supports with side cutters. The cockpit area is dark and will sink into shadow without help, so bring the edges out with dry-brushing and lay a darker glaze into the recesses. The set is intended for a more experienced builder, because the parts seat blind inside the fuselage and a dry run beforehand is essential.

Leave the instrument panels until the end: a dark background with small dials is far easier to refine once the rest of the space is fitted and you have the neighboring surfaces to compare with. Harness belts are not in this set and have to be added from photo-etched metal or from strips of thin film.