Instrument panels. As with anything scale, you start out with pictures, drawings, etc. Then with a clear picture in your mind, figure out how to duplicate each peice. You can buy instrument faces and bezels for some scales and eras.
For my SE5a, I decided to make them from scratch. I made the faces using Model Cad. I used pictures of each instrument and drew the face over it. With Model Cad you can print the finished drawing any scale you want. For the bezels, I used various peices of tubing ( copper, brass, plastic, ink pens, whatever I could find that was the right diameter) Most of the bezels had a small inner ring and a wider outer ring. I glued a peice of clear acetate to the back ot the smaller ring and glued the face to the back of the larger ring. This gives them depth,and looks real.
The compas is made from a peice a dowel rod. I shaped it by turning it in a drill press and using sand paper to round off the end. Then I hollowed it out with a dremel tool. I drew the dial ring with model cad, cut it out, wrapped it around, and glued it with CA. Next I made the center supports,and suspended it with a fine music wire through the center. The cover is clear acetate with a brass ring I made with the trusty ol dremel tool The diameter of the compas is 1/2".
The rest is just bits & peices of this and that. Be creative and above all, have fun
Steve