**** DONE: GB-45 1/72 Dornier Do 18 - BoB/Foreign Service

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Ok. Sorry I have almost hijacked your thread but I hope the explanation can be useful for you and others who may encounter the same.
 
Ok. Sorry I have almost hijacked your thread but I hope the explanation can be useful for you and others who may encounter the same.
No worries, it's been driving me nuts trying to figure it out. I appreciate the help, besides, I have no new pictures to post right now anyways. Too many other distractions ! Finishing off the Me 108 for one.
 
It's a start. A reno of the front office. A special shout out to Yves who sent me a ton of info and pictures. They will come in very handy ! I can read German OK, I just don't understand it ! Hit the Babble site here and there.

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Not sure how I will deal with the instrument panel. I may drill out the guages and fill them with clear. I need to make pedals, there are none in the kit. The seats will need a re work as well.
 
It's a start. A reno of the front office. A special shout out to Yves who sent me a ton of info and pictures. They will come in very handy ! I can read German OK, I just don't understand it ! Hit the Babble site here and there.
Not sure how I will deal with the instrument panel. I may drill out the guages and fill them with clear. I need to make pedals, there are none in the kit. The seats will need a re work as well.
Glad to help - it was not that much of information as I remembered it, but I have mixed some sources for different Dornier flying boats in one folder and it appeared to be much more at a first glance.
As for the instrument panel here is what I did with my model years ago: I used a print of a paper model of Do-18. The instrument panel is the bigger one (double sided) though. I didn't like the dials/gauges even if in 1:72 they are so small that nobody can see them. I copied a real gauge from a photo and placed it over the paper model panel (in Photoshop) several times. Printed the photoshoped panel with a laser printer, sanded the plastic part flat and glued the paper instrument panel. This was good enough for me. (At that time I couldn't print my own decals yet, but the result would be very similar).
As you already know I never finished the model...:rolleyes: During some interim repairs the whole cockpit was removed. I don't even have a photo of what I'm describing above.
You are doing much more sophisticated details and additions and such paper part will be to simple for that level of detailing I believe.
Cheers!
 
Some progress pictures. My upgrade to the kit's goofy seats. I carved out some texture with a dental pick and added some aluminum frames to them. Beer can aluminum....once again. A bit more detail on the control columns with some plastic card and rod. Also the mechanics for the rudder pedals. The pedals themselves....again beer can aluminum. There are no pedals supplied with the kit. The instrument panel sits well forward of the coming in the pictures I've seen. The kit has it right flush with the opening for the cockpit. I ended up hacking up the cockpit to make it look more authentic and to provide access to the door to the front section. The gauges I sanded off, drilled holes and glued drop rings made of wire over them. Filled them with the war dept's clear nail stuff. $7.00 for a teeny tiny bottle she had to remind me, don't use all of it ! Ok hon ! Fun kit.

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I decided that I would keep the kit's windows and use them as land mines if I ever build a 1:35 scale diorama. I made some out of some thin plastic sheet from a box of chocolate lid. I also added some decking under the rear turret and the front gun bay. The base of the turrets is very thick and not open at the bottom. I opened them up but they were still way to thick. I think I'll make them out of brass tube or something so the deck will be visible. I'm ready to close up the fuselage but I am thinking about putting a piece of clear inside about a cm back from the port holes to give the appearance of a light on inside. I'm not sure what colour to use though. Yellowish white light ? They use red inside submarines from what I can see. can't find any info on what would have been used inside the plane ? Ideas anyone ? On to the engine nacelle next.

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