1:48 Swedish Airforce Pilot 1950s to 1970s w/parachute

A parachute on the back, a Tunnan underfoot

The abbreviation at the end of the name is the essential thing about this figure: the figure carries a seat parachute. The casting therefore does not stop at the flight suit and the helmet but captures the whole escape system as it hung on an airman on his way to the aircraft — the pack on the back, the seat section and with it a system of straps across the chest and thighs. It is exactly the harness that turns a small casting into a figure you can see at a glance belongs in military aviation.

The equipment was used from the early 1950s to the mid-1970s, and it goes with the SAAB 29 Tunnan, the SAAB 32 Lansen and the early versions of the Draken. For a builder that means a decent range of use: one figure will serve several different Flygvapnet builds from the time when the Swedish Air Force was re-equipping from piston machines to jets.

With a seat parachute the order of assembly matters. The parachute formed part of the seat cushion at the same time, so the figure is settled in only after the cockpit tub is in place, never before. A dry fit without glue will show whether the shoulders go under the canopy frame.

The material is cast resin, so the part is hard and the small raised details of the harness are fragile. Before painting, the casting is cleared of grease and given a primer, or acrylic paint will not hold on the smooth surface. The color contrast between the flight suit, the leather straps and the painted shell of the helmet is what gives the figure depth. The buckles and clasps benefit from a dot of a light metallic shade applied with the tip of a brush at the very end, once the rest of the painting is done and dry.