Post your cockpit details

I kinda like doing cockpits. That big turnover structure in the BBQB Bearcat is all Manila folder material, as is th instrument panel and panel top. My cockpits are actually very simple. They use Williams pilots and paper details. The instruments on the panels are simply silver paint applied with a piece of tubing. the shoulder harness is a nice touch and just a bit of painted ribbon.

The first two photos is of the Critical Mass cockpit.

The next two photos is the BBQB Bearcat cockpit.

Cockpits just aren't finished until you cover them with a nice shiny bubble. Also, in these photos you can see a bit of "weathering" of the cockpit details with silver paint scrubbed on nearly dry. I think it really adds something.

I like cockpits too, but I never did like pilot figures. It seems I can make anything look realistic but a human face. Your's look great Al, but mine will have to do on auto-pilot.

The first 2 are my Gladiator, its hard to see the seat back and head rest, but the IP is simulated wallnut. The seat and head rest are made from a black foam I have, I don't know what it is but I love it. Its installed then the entire cockpit area was airbrushed flat black.

The second 2 are my Veco Chief, the IPs are made from manilla folder stock with Reynolds Wrap laminated onto it and machine polished with a pencil erased in the drill press. I love the look of spot polishing! The windshild frames are 1/64 ply also laminated with Reynolds wrap and the screws are simulated using a straigh pin cut of and ground flat on the end. The seat backs are stained 1/64 ply. The bottoms of the partial cockpits are covered with blach construction paper and airbrushed flat black, it give a wonderful uniform texture.

The last is my Kenhi Panther. Sorry about the quality, my batteries were going bye-bye by this time. This IP is a photo copy of Spitfire cockpit painting in a Fighter book I have. The shadows were correct for overhead sunlight and just washed out enough to look really impressive through the canopy. The canopy is a SIG WWII 8" and the frame is another of the same cut out and painted, I liked the way this came out. This was the first stunter I'd built in 30 years. Radio equipment and seat back are like those in the Gladiator.

Found a better shot of the Chief IP

All the photo's are very cool.

Igor, you need to get in on the panel lines thread

Dang, Igor!!!

Show the whole plane!!!!

Please!!! It looks awesome!!!

OK, here is little more about that model.

The original plane is Zlin 526 produces here in former Czechoslovakia. It is a sport stunter. We do not like war birds very much. Could be memory of two world wars here in Europe, so if you see semi scale in stunt it is rather sport plane than a military ship. So the choice for Zlin was done because it is very similar to our c/l stunters. We share our field with an aero club, which owns the original plane in those colors. The difference to the original is the airfoil (thicker), the tail (larger) and lettering – on side is now name of owner (Alexander Schrek) his sporting license instead of original imatriculation and some jokes like “Made in Slovakia” instead of “Made in Czechoslovakia” just to irritate or Czech friends, because the town “Zlin” where are those planes produced is not on Czech side of border.

The model now is aerodynamically identical to my last “MAX” model. The only problem while designing was sweepback as my calculator is able to make aerodynamic analyze only for straight hingeline, so I had to do it by hand. However it was successful and model was prepared for World championship 2002 in Sebnitz. Unfortunately problems with Magnum .52 prevented him to fly and Alexander used his second model.

The wing is our foam “MAX” joined to make dihedral and sweepback. The tail is also from “MAX”. Little problem was installing landing gears. The original had tubular landing gears retractable back. So it was little difficult to install it to foam wing without a spar. The solution was simple semi rib installed on finished skinned and cored wing. It is visible on pictures. The tube is fixed by one coaxial screw from top of wing.

The fuselage has open bays. The original had spars / ribs construction with alu upper and bottom turtle decks. The model is similar. It has upper balsa turtle deck, flat bottom and open bays sides giving the same look and the result is stiff and light fuselage. The wing is on 4 screws, while tail is fixed.

The finish is not glossy polished surface. We use automotive 2 component colors. Then we sand it and polish by relatively rough water based polishers without grease allowing next coat. The result is very smooth shiny but no glossy surface, as we do not use clear dope over. The black ink lines are applied only after finishing. They are done by the same color type (not ink) and they are not sanded after, so the result is visible also on shiny places and you can also feel it if you touch it by fingers. I really like it. Alexander did it one long evening at home so I do not know exact details, however he told me “never more” … so as we say he did it twice: firs and last time at once

igor

Here are some pictures. The first is original plane prepared for long flight with optional tip tanks not used for aerobic flights.

The Zlin 526! Now there is a semi-scale airplane I can get into. Marvelous job. Theirs is an excellent job of copying essentials of a real airplane and blending them into a competition stunt ship. The design process isn't easy but it shows that realistic semi-scale airplanes capable of competitive performance isn't an unrealistic expectation.

Just happened to have the ZLIN 526 on my flight simulator
Norvald Olsvold

Only pic I have of the P-51 cockpit, so far.

Right now, the plane is in silver, and the canopy is still taped off.

Bill <><

I just completed this yesterday for a P47. This was my first attempt at painting a pilot (fun,fun)

Derek,
That will be a cool looking plane. Keep working, with your artistic ability those pilots will come along great! Just think of it as painting, or sketching, a picture. Shadows, etc., will be the same. I have gotten some more done on the Mustang, but work is slowing down on it. It is the "tedious" part now. Sanding and painting and sanding and painting.................
Bill <><

Awesome Al...

Okay, I hope this doesn't seem really, really arrogant, but I'm going to post a few pictures of the cockpit of my Smoothie. I'm not a bleedin' expert like you guys, but maybe the "rest of the guys" here might like to see that even a relative newbie can do a fair job if he's careful. This is the very first cockpit I've ever attempted, also my first full-fuselage plane (and only the 3rd or 4th plane of any kind I've ever built). It spent more than a year sitting around my shop waiting for me to figure out how to proceed...

Almost forgot to say how I did the instrument panel! It's not elegant like those above, but it was really easy to do. I downloaded an image from this forum showing all different instruments - I hope it's still here somewhere. Then I used image editing software (Microsoft Photo Edit) to copy and paste the instruments I wanted - I didn't lay them out very well. Then I took the image I had created, did a negative-image thing on it, and printed it on one of those plastic sheets used for overheads. Cut it out, glued it onto white foam (using Formula 560), and that's that!

Ron B.
F4Fguy

Tim:
I don't remember my fourth CL airplane,but I'm sure it wasn't as nicely done as this.Keep up the good work,learning is doing!

And while you are here, show us the Wildcat cockpit.

>And while you are here, show us the Wildcat cockpit.

Ron B.
F4Fguy

Alas,the F4F is no more(also the first one),and I never got around to shooting the interior of either one of them.Here are some others I've done.I do all my cockpits essentially the same way,the basic material is 1/32" punk balsa laminated to AL foil.Most other detail is foam sheet as in take-out boxes.Painted surfaces are distressed by rubbing or chipping through the paint,depending on the desired effect.I dry brush AL paint on non-foil areas.Pilots are carved from green florist's foam and painted with Artist's acrylics.A finished full cockpit typically costs me 1/2-1oz,a "half" cockpit ~1/4oz.
The Photos:
(1)BT-13 interior detail parts,seats,throttle quadrants,trim wheels.
(2)BT-13 interior during construction(framework is balsa dowel and is structurally functional to help carry torsional and bending loads through the looooong open cockpit area).All cockpit frames are functional.
(4)Zero 22 interior left
(5)Zero 22 interior right
(6)Zero 22 panel & gunsight
(7)BT-13 pilot Bryce Butterbar 2nd Lt.USAAC(He's not in very good shape,he's been flying this same Vibrator for 17 years now)
(8)F4F pilot I.C.Nips,Lt.Cdr.,VF6,USNR
(9)Phearless Phreddy Phillpot,Phamous Phord Phlivver PHlier Phrom Philadelphia.(He's A radio flier,but I like him anyway)

Oh my god, Ron... if you are not competing at the World level in Scale, you are wasting yourself, seriously!! You honor me way too generously by having replied to my meagre posting. You are Da MASTER!

PS - I've had a drink, okay? If "F4F" means "Scale", then give me a break. I'm not used to these hoity-toity FAI designations... I can barely get "F2B or not 2B...")

Greatest regards,

Ron B.
F4Fguy

Hi,Tim:
F4F refers to the Grumman"Wildcat" F4F-3,or,more specifically in this case,to my two stunt renditions of the same.The first became infamous as the center of a huge debate in stunt over"scale stunt"finishes.

From my RC era ( ohh those wasted years..!!)

Good flying

Hey guys,

This is totally at the other end of the spectrum. I don't do cockpit details but like a clean look. I'm sure some of you guys might feel the same way. (Painted canopies come to mind).

I use felt cloth for the interiors. Pick it up at the local fabric store. Lots of colors. Use wood glue to stick it to the balsa. Neat, different and real easy. I've been doing this for several years and am going to make a liar out of myself because the Mustang I am currently building does have and IP and a Head rest. The rest of it is felt. But this is the only one of 10-15 planes over the past three years that I've done this. Edit: Talking 'bout the Mustang.

Shark 35 Brodak .40 Power. It's winter in the Texas Panhandle so haven't been able to trim fly yet.

Nice jobs everyone...you are "WAY ahead of me!

Oh ... Yes

Girl in cockpit (and blonde) is nice, unfortunately that my on picture already crashed once.

Rog aka: 66ragman aka: ROF aka: several other non endearing names per Mrs. 66ragman

OK y'all are way out ahead of me, but,, I decided to fly my own.. So that be me in the Magician...

Rag,

You're not allowed to guess who it is flying my jalopy...

It isn't done yet but didn't want this thread to go to never never land until I posted my first attempt at doing something other than painting the canopy...

The Starlight - my favorite Charles Mackey design.
The stick moves with the flaps.
Bob Z.

For those of us who can not yet paint good pilots there is an excellent video that might help. It is "How to Paint PILOT FIGURES" with Don Typond. It was created by Bob Hunt (Robin's View Productions). Although I got mine directly from Bob, they appear to be available in some hobby shops and model book/video stores.
It won't provide talent like that displayed on most of the above shots, but it may give us hope.

Is that Tunces, the Cat that Can Fly a Plane?

Here is the Gypsy cockpit. Simple, Simple, Simple.

>Here is the Gypsy cockpit. Simple, Simple, Simple.

Snaggletooth is cured and coming along fine. Here are some photos of its cockpit. It will look even better when the airplane is painted putting less emphasis on the cockpit. The head rest/armor and instrument panel are 1/16" balsa. Everything else is made up from single layers of manila folder. Not much weight. Even the filler pipe for the fuselage fuel tank is paper.

Wonderful stuff Al.
I am no great detailist, but I built up a "pilot" out of an old Cox Curtiss Pusher kit that I had bits of to use on a Curtiss "Triad" (from MAN, 1961) that I am working on. I have him finish painted and considering my skills and the late 1950s plastic moulding technology I had to work with, I think "he" looks pretty darn good.
Anyway, never quit trying to improve your skills- you can only get worse if you quit.

Here are a couple of photos of John Jordan's extraordinary Tucano. There are going to be a lot more photos of this airplane on Stuka and maybe a construction article.

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