My SimPit Updated!

[No Longer Active]

I thought as some members are adding some updates, I thought I would add mine!

Heres my Cessna 182 MIP.....

I have now made an enclosure for my MIP and it is still in progress as I am currently building the glareshield and top to my enclosure, I have my radio stack panels being printed and a 19" LCD screen in the post!

http://alexpilot.50g.com/pict0003.jpg

http://alexpilot.50g.com/pict0005.jpg

Slowly getting there!

Alex

[Steve A]

Your mip looks very impressive Alex, real even. Did you scratch build everything? Where did you get those black surrounds for the instruments? i could use some of them myself. :D

[No Longer Active]

Hi,

I build everything from scratch, there is nothing on the MIP that I didn't make, apart from the Cessna sticker, which was a specially made decal.

As for black surrounds....

They are just plastic disposable party cups (79mm dia.), I just cut the last 10mm off each cup which included the lip, primed them white, then painted them black, they just push-in to each cut-out, simply just add a little glue to hold each one in place!

I also had some 79mm plastic lenses made for me (not shown) which were laser cut (3mm clear acrylic discs), these then insert into each plastic surround flush which gives the illusion of a real gauge, then add 4 fake screws to each gauge then it looks like the real thing!

Simple......

[No Longer Active]

Heres another picture, I have added wooden edging around the radio stack and above switch panel left and right and bottom; using square dowel and 'D' shape dowel, all I need to do is paint it white or grey or black (not decided yet).

The key to making an MIP for a Cessna/Piper, is that the MIP has a lot of relief, by that I mean, the MIP is not flat, if the MIP was flat and painted, it would look like you have painted a picture of an MIP and stuck it on abit of wood, so I thought it would be a great idea to start making the MIP a little more 3D, I am getting really close now, every week a little more is added, and I hope that it gets more 'realistic' by the week!

PS. The throttle quadrant knobs are my old knobs from my first project, these will be redesigned to make them look like the real thing

Cheers,

Alex

http://alexpilot.50g.com/pict0007.jpg

[Jackpilot]

Keep the instrument bezels flat black as well as the lower part with the toggles and throttle
Paint the balance of the panel and screws with a flat dark grey car primer.
Garanteed to be spectacular.
will be more alive and 3D than a full black MIP.
My 2 pennies.

[No Longer Active]

Hi Jack...

Can you clarify a little please?

The instrument bezels are black so they are ok. The toggle panel is black so they are ok too...

So basically, the edging part and screws paint dark grey?

But not too sure what colour to do the glareshield, the glarehield is basically so far a 4ft block of 2 inch thick blue styrofoam, I will cut out the shape of the glareshield, sand, prime and paint, should I paint this black or dark grey as above?

By the way the main box/enclosure is white, just as the simkits enclosure!

What do you think?

Cheers Jack....

Alex.....

[Jackpilot]

It is YOUR airplane...
I just suggested..

Instrument bezels and Switch panel FLAT black
All others Flat grey primer
Glareshield Black.

[No Longer Active]

True...

As for toggle panel, this is actually a black vinyl strip which only came in a gloss, but it still looks good, as for the instrument bezels these are painted using Humbrol Paint (remember Airfix models?) MATT 33 BLACK, it just has a little shine to it though!

Your right about grey, I was going to paint it grey, but I didn't want to many colours in the colour scheme. But Black, Dark Grey, Light Grey and White seems reasonable enough!

Don't forget this is my first ever full size full scale simpit that I have ever made, this simpit really is a huge learning curve, and you really don't understand just how much you learn by building, what you have in your head as compared to how you actually do it are like 2 completely different things. The next GA aircraft I build (probably the Piper Arrow Twenty Eight) will be built very differently as I would of learnt by my mistakes, I have made loads of mistakes on this build but managed to find a resolution to every problem.

It sure is a learning curve....lots of experience though!

I am quite proud of what I have done considering I built it in my bedroom!

But thanks for all the help jack, it is much appreciated! It really is.

Cheers,

Alex