Hi,Just started to build my C172SP pit. I am using Simkits instruments but decided to build the instrument panel myself. Since I wanted to use plywood but hate painting I have been looking alternative materials. I read the story of Rory Gillies, who covered his panel with plastic and spray painted it, but have no clue what plastic he used to cover the panel. Since I hate painting, I searched a local DIY shop (Formido for all dutchies)for alternatives. I found Elesgoflex flexible laminate (http://www.elesgoflex.com)and decided to try it. Two colours seem to be suitable for panel building; antraciet which I use for my panel and is very close to the real Cessna colour and light grey. It comes in sheets of 2,5 x 1 meter and costs about USD 35,-. The material is self-adhesive and pretty thick, you do not see any of the woodstructure. After rough cutting with a hobby knife, it was easy using a file and sanding paper to make a perfect smooth edge. Some pictures are included but they are not great (nokia 7650), in real life it looks superb.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/41083.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/41084.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/41085.jpgI do not know if you can buy this in any other country then Belgium or the Netherlands, maybe somebody can use my experience.Regards,TT

Looks nice!"Real cessna gray" is a bit funny concept. Our club C152 has a beige panel, and our C172 has a black one.. With GA you can use pretty much any color that pleases your eye and most probably there is a GA plane out there somewhere that has the same color in its panel :-)That's why I like doing the GA cockpit stuff - I can use whatever parts I can find and use my imagination and it still looks just as authentic as anything :)Tuomas

From Peter I would not get to picky on which color is correct...In the realworld Iv seen cessna's with Grey,Cream or flat black dash panels...My mooney cockpit is from 1964 so it's the color of ALF...kindaburnt orange... Your Panels look fine...I know the feeling of painting plywoodyou will put 5 coats on and it still looks like plywood...Petehttp://home.comcast.net/~fs-boneyard:-wedge

Heh ;)My plywood panel looks fine, one coat. But then again, I rather have it look like wood than like plastic. That laminate looks nice.Tuomas

PeterK The whole back bulkhead of the my Mooney M20 is plywoodI covered it with brown vynal..(spelled that wrong)the paint looked like...well painted plywood..It made the whole panel look like it fit in the plane... Tuomas..Wood works...I like the covered fabrick look though...panted panels and plenty of screws..silver philips..I did remove the head liner and replace it with 1 inch foam though..It really comes down to how much money time and effort you wantto put into the project too..Petehttp://home.comcast.net/~fs-boneyard:-wedge

Hi Everyone,Just my 2 cents here...The problem with plywood is that like any wood, it is very porous and absorbs the paint and then you can see all the grain of the wood. Two ways around this is to seal the surface before painting. One method is to use shellac, which dries fast due to it's alcohol base. Then you sand and paint on top. Another method is to use an automotive gray primer which has what they call high build solids in it. This will provide a good seal and sands nicely before you paint on top of it.Then there is the plastic that you are talking about. Almost any plastic will work because it basically works to cover up the wood. Use a plastic that won't react adversely with your paint. For instance, you don't want to use a styrene plastic if using lacquers which might tend to melt the plastic.As to putting the plastic on the wood...use a good grade contact cement and follow the directions on the can. One coat on the plastic, one coat on the wood...let dry and press together. I would be careful about using vinyl plastics as they are part of the olefin family of plastics, like polyethylene etc and may be hard to get paint to stick and might tend to peel or crack of time. Plastic laminating may be the easiest way to go, since it avoids the sealing and sanding phases and saves a lot of time.Regards,KenDakenSkys