1:72 DH.100 Vampire Photoetched parts instrument panel for A-Model ex Modell-Hobby /ADL

The twin-boom jet firstborn

The de Havilland Vampire belonged to the first generation of jet fighters, and its short nacelle with two tail booms came about so that the exhaust pipe of the engine would stay as short as possible. The type earned a long career with dozens of air forces, saw a two-seat trainer form, and as the first jet aircraft it landed on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Etch instead of a smooth plate

Kits in a small scale usually put a flat part with mere outlines of the gauges into the cockpit. This product replaces it: the panel is etched out with openings for the individual dials and is completed by a lower layer with printed dials, so that gluing the two parts together gives a panel you can see into.

Working with it is straightforward. The parts are separated with a sharp knife on a hard mat, the edges are dressed with a fine file, and they are joined either with super glue applied with a pin or with a glue for clear parts, which leaves no mark once dry. It pays to roughen the metal surface and give it a primer before painting, otherwise the paint rubs off the smooth surface.

The accessory is cut for the cockpit of a jet aircraft in 1:72 scale and assumes that the builder has the kit it is intended for.

The two-seat trainer rendering had a wider cockpit and the instruments arranged differently than the single-seat fighter, so it is worth comparing the panel with documentation for the version you are building. On single-seat machines the etch fits without modification; all that has to be watched is the height at which it sits under the edge of the coaming.