Archer Fine Transfers have quickly followed the release of the Trumpeter 1:16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M16 (kit #00911) with this set of instrument dials and placards designed to fit directly to the Trumpeter kit instrument panel. The set includes dials and data placards for one M16 model.

The quality of Archer Fine Transfers sheets is well known and these are no exception with clear clean printing and excellent colour register on the dials and placards. The dial number gradients and the text on the placards is perfectly legible right down to the smallest size print if you have a magnifying glass handy to add considerable authenticity to the model instrument panel.

As the Trumpeter kit already includes decal instrument dials the question is why would you want to replace them with this set? Well I really answered that in the previous paragraph with a huge improvement in detail definition with the fully legable stencilling, also the placards have the correct aluminium coloured backing plate and writing.

Examples of the dials and placard text that is fully legible,
these images are obviously magnified considerably to show the detail.
This is the large data placard (left) that goes on the far right of the panel which is just
a mass of illegible white smuges on the Trumpeter decal.
The speedometer (right) has the speed numbers perfectly done as well as fully legible odometer readings
08647.2 miles on the clock for those interested?
Also note the data placard is just 9mm wide in actual scale size to give some
indication of the fine lettering included.

This is the winch data placard which is 10mm wide in actual scale size and again is perfectly legible
with the aid of a magnifying glass.

The set also includes additional data placards that the kit omits as well as including the label for the fire extinguisher which is actually missing from the kit, but the label will allow you to fully detail this when you scratch build your extinguisher.

The dials are designed to fit into the raised bezels on the Trumpeter panel and to aid in the application the set includes a small sheet of "Wet Media paper", this is different from normal clear decal film and is designed to allow you rub on the placard or dial to the paper and you then apply this much the same as wet decals.

This will allow you to precisely align the dials and placards on the kit panel more easily than the one go you would get if applying the transfers directly to the panel in the usual dry transfer manner, a nice touch to avoid disasters.

The Archer set dials and placards plus the sheet of "Wet Media paper"
Trumpeter M16 instrumant panel with kit decals applied for comparison

The set includes a small instruction sheet that shows the exact location of each data placard and also explains the best method for using the "Wet Media paper" and this shouldn't pose any problems for modeller's with only moderate experience. The instructions also give tips on applying clear epoxy to form the dial glass to give that final detail touch to the kit panel.

This is another excellent instrument panel set from Archer Fine Transfers and the larger 1:16 scale allows even the smallest data text to be legible but you will need a magnifying glass to fully appreciate this. While the text can't be read by eye at normal viewing distances that fact it is when magnified adds considerable definition over the illegible white marks on the kit placards.

Well printed and easy to use, this sheet will appeal to anyone wanting to add that bit extra to the kit instrument panel.

Highly recommended.

Also see the Half-Track Subjects page for additional kits/update sets reviews.

Thanks to Woody of Archers Fine Transfers for the review set