Quinta Studio 1/48 Su-30MKK Family Interior 3D Decal Set First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

I recently became aware of a new hobby company in Russia called Quinta Studio and they are showing off the future of scale modeling with a series of detail parts that are high-resolution 3D-color printed. We recently examined the 3D-printed knobs and switches produced by Anyz in Germany which showcases the impact of 3D printing on our hobby. What's different here is that these are 3D-printed decals that are sized for specific subjects and provide three-dimensional surfaces that cannot be rendered with photo-etched products. Let's take a closer look:.

This set is designed for the HobbyBoss 1/48 kit though I am curious if these can be adapted to fit the recent Kitty Hawk releases. As the cover indicates, this set is applicable for the cockpits of the Su-30MK2, Su-30M2, Su-30MKV, and Su-30MK2V. Eduard had released a range of detail sets for the Hobbyboss kit including color-printed cockpit details. If you are a regular modeler of Soviet/Russian aviation, you'll know that the colors used in Eduard's color-printing process are rarely close to matching the cockpit's colors, whether the turquoise of the Mi-24 (or modern MiGs for that matter), the blue-gray of late Sukhoi cockpits, or even the standard FS 36231 used in modern US cockpits. Yahu produces some magnificent instrument panels complete with shiny instrument glass surfaces where appropriate, but their processes are still mostly two-dimensional. Look at the crispness of the colors and the raised details on these decals!

So how do these work? They are waterslide decals and all you need to do is cut out the part you want to apply before dropping it into water. Quinta Studio advises that these are best applied to pre-painted surfaces for better adhesion, and in this set, most of the decals go onto flat surfaces, so there shouldn't be a problem. They also advise NOT to use decal-setting or softening solution with these detail sets as the chemicals will damage the resin-printed materials. For the more complex surfaces like getting the pilot restraints onto the seats, they advise using a gloss clear like Future or Tamiya X22 on the surface of the parts to act as a supplemental adhesive. You can also use a drop of cyano instead, but that's something I'll have to try myself to be sure.

The printing on these decals is extremely sharp, andthe only other panels I've seen with this degree of clarity are from Yahu, but those are still two-dimensional in surface details and they don't have any Su-27 sets.

The good news is that HobbyZone USA has this set in stock.

My sincere thanks to Quinta Studio for this review sample!