BF-110 Instrument Panel

[crackerjazz]

Instrument panels fascinate me with their variety of gauges, and analogue panels catch my attention more than digital ones, for some reason -- there's something about those faces and needles that jumps out at me.   This seemed like a cool display and it doesn't need shelf space as you'll likely be hanging it.   Another reason I'm building this is to see what kit parts are included to build a realistic instrument panel and maybe apply the same approach to my 1/2 A-4 Skyhawk instrument panel scratchbuild.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2021 by crackerjazz

[crackerjazz]

The BF-110C came out in 1939.   I read pre-1941 BF-110s sported the lighter colored RL-02 instrument panels.   After 1941 the dark gray RL-66 was used.    I've stuck on most of the vinyl faces that directly attach to the panel except for the turn-and-bank indicator and the artificial horizon.   Wanted to modify those a little as they had flat representations on the kit.

 

 

Size compared to paint bottle.  

 

The bank indicator is just a flat representation that kind of looked cartoonish and the little ball is represented as a dot so I thought maybe I should make it look a little 3D at least. I bent a piece of styrene rod and rounded off the ends.

 

Sanded the back flat.

 

 

 

 

That's one dusty vacufomer!  😁

 

 

The 0.4mm clear styrene becomes really thin when vacuformed.

 

 

 

 

This thing works exactly like a carpenter's level.   I initially wanted to make two halves glued together, place a ball inside and fill it with liquid.  But I've run out of clear styrene so I just happened to try out this one half.  I think the reflections on the curved surface  already creates an illusion of the liquid inside     Will try to see what I could do with the ball but it looks pretty good the way it is.  As for the label I read Draht means "wire" in German.   It should read as Dreht or "turn".   Later editions of the kit had that corrected.

Edited May 1, 2021 by crackerjazz

[Slartibartfast]

Neat!

[crackerjazz]

Thanks, Slartibartfast!   

 

I have a question for you guys.   I've been debating about painting these black bezels black or just clear coating them (wait.. that's the same amount of work isn't it, haha).    But can our eyes really detect bare black plastic if left unpainted?   I might actually pop the question in tools and tips section and see what the guys think.

 

 

I carefully numbered the bezels so I don't lose track which is which.   Then I realized once everything's sprayed with black those numbers are gone : )

Edited May 4, 2021 by crackerjazz

[Slartibartfast]

Plastic has a tell-tale sheen.  I would use the SCCA rule: if the car looks good at 60 mph from 60 feet away, you're okay.

Edited May 2, 2021 by Slartibartfast

[crackerjazz]

Good rule to go by : )  anyway I went ahead and painted the bezels.  You're right about that plastic sheen. The model just loses all scale effect when an unpainted plastic part gives away it's real make up. 

[crackerjazz]

Opened up the holes for the turn and bank indicator and the artificial horizon as the modifications will require the face to move inwards a little.  Scored over and over until I could pop them open.

 

 

 

I couldn't make peace with the paint job which was seemed too light and the weathering made it look too much of a relic.

 

Tried out the Cricut machine.  Always scared to try out new stuff but I had to make some masks for the instrument faces to repaint the panel.  When I turned the machine on it made an angry sound like something was jammed and I saw a block of styrofoam holding down the blade cartridges in place.   I pulled the foam out but it still makes that noise whenever you turn it on, like it's calibrating the rollers or something.   I hope it's not a destroyed-on-day-one kind of thing.  Still seems to work OK though.

 

 

A had a roll of vinyl but it just wouldn't lay flat on the sticky mat.   Then I remembered the photos RichardL posted on another thread where he used some Tamiya tape so I overlapped a few rows on some cardstock. This thing is amazing.   A couple oopsies right there..but not bad for a first timer : )

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think the initial panel color was more representative of the 1939 version.  I wanted to go back to that color but I've had enough : (    Will have to make this work.

Edited May 6, 2021 by crackerjazz

[Slartibartfast]

Do you have space to display the rest of the TRUE quarter-scale aircraft?

Edited May 3, 2021 by Slartibartfast

[crackerjazz]

Haha, I wish : )

 

Knocked down the sheen on the PE parts with flat clear.

 

Started attaching the needles, glass, bezels and some tiny screws.

 

Handpainted the colored rings on the bottom gauges with Mr Color.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2021 by crackerjazz

[crackerjazz]

Had to remove and correct the needles for the lower gauges.  I actually left part of the PE "sprue" still attached to the tail end of the needles  -- corrected now  : )    Fortunately, I found a way to make the bezels removable.  I stuck blue tack into the holes and I just press fit the bezels on.   That makes it easier to make corrections or to clean under the glass if necessary.

 

 

Getting there....

 

Got a question for you guys.  I wanted to vacuform a ball for the artifical horizon.   But I noticed that the ones used during WW2 (I guess they called them horizon gyros back then) had cylinders instead of spheres (in the beginning at least, 'cause I see some ME-109s later had those ball horizons) --  was wondering if anyone else has noticed these cylindrical horizons?   I checked even the ones on some early US WW2 planes and it does seem they weren't balls but cylinders. 

 

Those don't look like spheres do they? These are from the German Aircraft Interiors book (just for comparison purposes).   They are Bauart horizon gyros made under license from Sperry.  

 

 

Lightened to see clearly...

 

 

This is from an SBD-3 Dauntless..   It doesn't look spherical, does it? 

Edited May 7, 2021 by crackerjazz

[crackerjazz]

 

Found some vids..looks like they come in a variety of setups.    This shows an attitude indicator with a full sphere.

 

While others have partial spheres/bowls

 

 

And still others with simple curved plates, which seems to be the case for the BF-110 gyro horizon.   That'll make it easier to modify the kit part.  Will come back to this later.

 

Turned my attention to the ammo counter:

 

 

The counter is depicted as a flat plate on the kit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Slartibartfast]

Such a simple fix.  Maybe paint half-an-inch of the tube above and below the digits?

[crackerjazz]

I see the later release of this kit had the ammunition rounds counter set to some value and not just zero : )

 

I've attached the turn-and-bank indicator.   It put up quite a fight so I'm just glad it's done.   Oh, and that little ball is defying the laws of gravity : )   

Testing a curved piece of styrene for the gyro horizon.   Looks the part : )   

 

Just a little more work to do on the artificial horizon -- need paint it black, make some markers, and maybe modify the bezel a little.    Then and I should be  able to attach the remaining parts on the panel and start weathering the whole thing up : )    

[chukw]

That really looks great- cheers!

[crackerjazz]

Thanks, Chuck! : )   oh, I just noticed in that last photo I posted -- looks like one glass is camera-shy and was trying to slip away : )

[crackerjazz]

The curved styrene piece wasn't holding its shape so I just vac-formed a bottle and cut out what I needed.

 

 

 

I was going for the lighter one on the right.   I'm color-blind of the red-green variety and some shades I just couldn't see too well.   Couldn't really make out the color but tried my best mixing up something.

 

Will try the plain black as well and see how that works out. I might actually keep the angle this way for a more natural unpowered artificial horizon look.

Edited May 11, 2021 by crackerjazz

[Slartibartfast]

Your blue AH face needs more gray. If you have Photoshop, you can sample the photos to get color values.  I don't use graphics programs so I have no idea if there are freeware programs that can sample.

[crackerjazz]

Thanks, Bruce!   How about now.. I think I misjudged the amount of gray so it may be a bit too dark...

 

 

Anyway, I think that will do... I've had enough of gyro horizon painting haha.  My only problem now is I mislaid the sticker sheet   : (    I might have to recreate the markings.

 

The propeller adjustment lever hooks onto a pivot rod (on the cover) but there's nothing to keep it from slipping off the rod.   And the manual says not to glue.  Once assembled you'll have a floppy lever if you do find a way to keep it on the pivot.   Placed a bent piece of plasticard/styrene inside like so.   The "spring" pushes against the lever arm so it doesn't slip off the pivot rod and it tightens the movement as well.  No more floppy levers : )    Not that I'll be playing with them, but at least now they're repositionable : )

Edited May 16, 2021 by crackerjazz

[crackerjazz]

Getting really close..just a couple more parts to go..

 

 

 

 

I lost a switch, which I can maybe scratchbuild, as well as one of these PE markings.   I don't understand how it could vanish because I know I heard it hit the floor.   Although, I was like "here we go again -- carpet monster time."    I notice that as soon as you think that -- the part is gone for sure.   Will try to make a photocopy replacement.

[Slartibartfast]

Your AH color looks very close.

 

Have you tried the stocking-on-the-vacuum trick to find the part?

[crackerjazz]

Found it, woohoo!   : )    Glad I listened to you.    I'd just about given up after doing another very thorough run with the high-power flashlight and coming up empty and was ready to xerox the PE part.   The vacuum trick actually works! : )

 

 

 

 

[crackerjazz]

Also just lost these   : (    Actually still had one original nut left and was starting to make another.   Picked up the original nut with the tweezers for test fitting, and it suddenly launched.   Heard it bounce a few times on the laminate floor and the next moment it was gone.   The freshly vaccuumed floor is sparkling-clean which should make parts easy to spot but there was just no sign of it anywhere.  Had no choice but to carve both up from styrene rod.   I think I'm going nuts myself.   

 

 

Almost lost one again after taking this photo but I was able to track it with one eye as it fell and followed it all the way until it stopped bouncing around and ground to a halt.  Was I lucky in my unluckiness : )

 

 

[crackerjazz]

Top bolts painted up

 

In some pics the emergency flap controls are black but have a bare metal inner part.  Painted them to look like that.

 

The red and white indicator lights are depicted as flat on the kit.  Modified them a little to show the curved bulb faces.

 

 

 

 

The push buttons on the ammunition rounds counter are depicted as lights on the kit.  Will be modifying those.

 

[crackerjazz]

The instrument panel seems too flat a display so I thought maybe I'd add pedals to add some depth.

 

I see BF-110C/D pedals looked like the ones in this pic.   Later models used pedals like the ones on the BF-109.

 

Some close-up shots of a recovered pedal in Recovery Curios:

 

 

Modelled something that I could flatten and cut in styrene.

 

 

 

 

Gave it a go on the Cricut.  It didn't cut all the way through so I had to do a bit of hand-cutting.

 

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by crackerjazz

[crackerjazz]

Some progress shots of the rudder pedals...