Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter

This shows the inside of the cockpit before assembly. Using the Aviattic decal set (which includes masks for between the ribs) I was able to airbrush the backgrounds with Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan, then dry brush a wood finish with artist oil paints

Here I used a clear white glue to mimic the connector between guide wires which I painted copper after it dried.

Her your na see other parts of the interior before assembly

This is the finished aftermarket instrument panel from Aviattic. At 15GBP it was steal relative to the Roden supplied version. The only slight drawback was that the instrument decals had to use a punch to get them perfectly round. This close up doesn't do it justice...it looks perfect from a distance...

Here I tried something a bit different for the photo etched seat belts. After annealing, priming and undercoating with Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan, I used a fine mesh nylon screen (used for packaging garlic bulbs) and then over sprayed with Tamiya XF-68 Nato Brown to get the woven canvas affect. In hindsight I would have applied the Tamiya paint in reverse order to make it look lighter. Also...full disclosure...I took the seat belts from another kit...

Here is the end result...I'm fairly happy with it. I'll try to find an even finer nylon mess next time...

Here is the assembly before the instrument panel was installed

Here is the unfinished Aviattic resin cowling. Its again superbly made and only required a light wet sanding with 1500 grit. The engine from Roden on the other hand is poorly made. The cylinders don't quite align, which makes it impossible to remove (or hide) parting lines. In hindsight...I would have purchased an aftermarket...

Before applying the Aviattic decals, the entire model was primed (white), airbrushed in a cream coloured mixture and coated with Pledge. This produced a perfect surface for these large decals to lay down smoothly. I left a little of the ribs to show through, since the decals are transparent.

This shows decals in progress. The top wing in the background is complete and looks really good. One note however...the instructions highly recommend adding the decals before assembly, which I unfortunately ignored. It is still possible but created more work...