Cockpits Galore !

[Matt]

Nearing completion of the cockpits. I didn't go nuts here as most detail will be lost once the pilot is in and the canopies closed. Painting is a little on the 'stylized' side to make it standout once the canopy is closed.

Now I have to crack on painting the pilots.

Cheers,

Matt

The gang is all here.

Port Detail.

The green is Tamiya IJN Cockpit green. Its close enough without getting into a custom mix. The wash is oils, the black is PollyScale and the rest is Citadel.

Starboard Detail.

I added the Oxygen tank from sprue as it is a noticeable ommision when looking down into the cockpit. Also for some reason the Tamiya instructions have you install the gear control upside down. Fortunately its molded in the gear up position.

Seat, Frame 11 and instruments.

I do hate Tamiya insistence on blank instruments with no raised detail and no decals.

I nearly broke out my Mike Grant instrument decals, but they would be wasted on this project.

Finally, the test fit,

Port

and Starboard

[jrallman]

just like a production line! looks fantastic!

[crazydon]

Tally- Ho

[Mikehorrell]

Looks good! Keep the pics coming!

[David Walker]

Thanks for those shots. As my Tam. Spitfire Mk.1 arrived in the mail yesterday they should come in handy, especially the info. about the oxygen tank and the gear control.

And after all the times I've heard people suggest using British interior green for Japanese cockpits it's great to see it used the opposite way.

[Matt]

Thanks for those shots. As my Tam. Spitfire Mk.1 arrived in the mail yesterday they should come in handy, especially the info. about the oxygen tank and the gear control.

And after all the times I've heard people suggest using British interior green for Japanese cockpits it's great to see it used the opposite way.

I use the IJN green because I'm inherently lazy and by the time I add a wash, drybrush back the original colour and then add 'highlights' with a 50/50 mix with Sky, the end result is close enough for my eye.

If you are modelling your Spit gear down, then the Gear control lever (the bit that sticks up in my pic) should be cut off and moved to a 4 O'Clock position if you want it to accurately represent gear down. But then, the OOB Tamiya cockpit is missing so many other bits or has other minor inaccuracies (square shaped control grip with a 'b' wing gun button) that this is a small point.

Cheers,

Matt

[David Walker]

No, every little bit helps. Thanks for pointing out the info on the gear lever, I'm sure I would have missed it. At this point I'm planning on using the kit cockpit with an Ultracast seat and leaving the cockpit closed but I'd like it to be as close as possible to accurate.