Dashboard dials for 1/35 vehicles.

[savo318]

Does anyone know where i can get free printable dials for 1/35 dashboards.

Ive been getting into vehicles with interiors, but im struggling to paint the dashes to a point where im happy. 

Thanks. 

[Kingsman]

I don't know about free but there are certainly instrument panel decals available for a wide range of vehicles.  I believe there are some generic dial sheets out there too.  Printing your own onto decal film with a home printer doesn't work as the inks are water-soluble.  Printing your own onto paper will be too thick to use, even if you go down to 60gsm - about the thinnest generally available.  And trimming either to fit will be a RRPITA - as it will with pre-printed decals to get rid of the film overlap.

 

Have you thought about using fine permanent-ink pens if you want black graduations on a white face?  0.1mm is about as fine as they go.  Or an old-school dipping mapping pen and coloured inks.  If there are moulded dial details then drybrushing can work. Knobs and switches really need a very fine brush.  You don't want the paint too thin and runny.

[Black Knight]

44 minutes ago, savo318 said:

Does anyone know where i can get free printable dials for 1/35 dashboards.

Ive been getting into vehicles with interiors, but im struggling to paint the dashes to a point where im happy. 

Thanks. 

Use instrument decals meant for 1/32 or 1/48 aeroplanes

[savo318]

I was looking to maybe get the ink and paper to be able to make my own decals. Some one on youtube was mak8ng there own german markings decals, looked like a good idea. 

[Black Knight]

Its easy enough to print your own decals

But you can print on ordinary paper as well; print, seal and very carefully use a razor blade to split the paper down thinner. Even rubbing the back over a fine grade W&D paper used dry will thin the paper. Then apply it using Pritstik or a canopy glue as adhesive

[Stef N.]

8 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Use instrument decals meant for 1/32 or 1/48 aeroplanes

This is a good suggestion. I was pointed to a company called Airscale who produce a good range, so long as you are not fussy about accuracy  they work well. 

Archer did make specific sets for 1/35 but they take an effort to hunt down. 

[John Tapsell]

11 hours ago, Kingsman said:

Printing your own onto decal film with a home printer doesn't work as the inks are water-soluble.

Not so - yes the inks are water-soluble but all you need to do is spray a coat of varnish over the decal sheet once you've printed it to seal the inks in place before you use the decals. The biggest limitation with inkjet printers is the inability to print white so you have to find a work-around (in this case I'd be inclined to paint a white background where the decals are going to be placed).

Edited January 29 by John Tapsell

[John Tapsell]

2 hours ago, Stef N. said:

Archer did make specific sets for 1/35 but they take an effort to hunt down. 

Sadly, Woody closed Archer Fine Transfers down at the end of 2022 and retired.

[Stef N.]

51 minutes ago, John Tapsell said:

Sadly, Woody closed Archer Fine Transfers down at the end of 2022 and retired.

Aye, but there's still remainders of stock on the market at Historex and ebay. It's a shame that nobody took on his business.

[Niall]

Go old school -

Paint the dial white, then black and using a pin scratch the dial numbers and pointer(s) through the black with the white showing through. Then glaze with gloss varnish.

[Pete Robin]

I used to collect any old models scrap decal sheets. You'll often find instrument clusters on there. They are just a pain cutting em out individually and sometimes you won't find any that fit.

I guess lots depends on what is visible. Quite often in the gloomy interior of a tank, a very glossy black dial works to give the impression of a glazed face. But then a lot of German dials where white with black numerals etc. So it's back to the old school methods referred to above.

Oh, and if you're going down that route, get some Temazepam and a punching bag, cos as sure as I'm a flying Dutchman, you'll get almost finished carefully scratching markings on or painting em, and then you'll slip, smudge it and want to commit murder😜,

Regards, from the funny farm,

Pete

 

 

 

[Kingsman]

9 hours ago, John Tapsell said:

but all you need to do is spray a coat of varnish over the decal sheet once you've printed it to seal the inks in place before you use the decals.

I tried that.  The water got in around the edges where I had trimmed the film and varnish and they still bled.  I also tried Microscale Liquid Decal Film as a coating but that just made the ink run.

 

There is of course white decal sheet.

[John Tapsell]

I use an aerosol gloss polyurethane varnish to seal my decals and have never had an issue, no matter how closely I trim them. I use inkjet-specific decal paper. All the decals on this 1/48 scale Warthog were printed via my inkjet printer - VRNs, stencilling, callsigns and the 'T' markings scattered across the hull(s).

 

 

Edited January 29 by John Tapsell

[Black Knight]

I use a car paint finishing clear lacquer to seal my decals. One light coat going one way then a second slightly heavier coating at 90* to the first. Even the second coat is really light compared to what I'd put on a model as a varnish

[Chief Cohiba]

Do you have access to a Laser Printer? Then I'd suggest to print on your own, you just need some decal paper, either transparent (to be placed onto a white/lighter background) or white (has to be cut out more carefully) paper. 

 

And, with a Laser Printer it's water resistant, so works then like a normal decal.