This build was both fun and frustrating. I don't think it is my best work, but I share blame with the kit. You get what you pay for (generally). The thing is that I knew what to expect since I had reviewed the instruction sheet on Scalemates! I have taken more photos of this build than many others so I am going to post this project in sections.
POST NO, 1 COCKPIT
The 3 pieces supplied; floor, instrument backboard and bulkhead. I went online as I always do to research other build and historical cockpit photos. What I tried to achieve was a typical PV-1 setup.
First was to saw out the bulkhead door as it had no detail whatsoever - I love my xacto saw blades!
With that done I could move to working some interior detail (bye, bye door).
The nail file comes in handy. The difference between the molded kit seat and with the edges filed down.
A piece of sprue is used for an extinguisher and wine foil for straps and bulkhead (its in the interior photos😉)
The tricky part was building up a console with various shaped pieces of sprue (a few squares piled up and then round ones on to of that). Zinc Chromate is applied and the supplied decal sheet instrument panel glued on.
I drilled impressions into the console to add as many pieces of wire as I could for control levers. Note that the instrument panel decal actually shows dials etc. remarkably accurate based on photos of the real thing - not that you will be able to see too well once she is closed up.
I did my best to paint the console at least as similar to photos as I could.
Next are the seats, painted and strips of foil cut and glued for seat belts - no figures included in this kit.
Eh - not bad!
Finally the bulkhead is attached and control yokes (painted on the sprue) glued to the floor.
Photos show a bank of switches on the port side, so I tried to paint up a bit of sprue.
This is the end of POST NO. 1