1:144 JAPAN seats

Photo-etched seats for Japanese aircraft in 1:144 scale

The set from the Czech maker Brengun is made of photo-etched metal sheet and replaces or completes the seats in the cabins of Japanese aircraft in 1:144 scale. It is an accessory for a model the modeler buys separately, not a kit in its own right.

Why photo-etched parts instead of plastic

In this scale the real thickness of the shell of a seat is so small that injection-molded plastic physically cannot catch it: a mold needs a certain minimum strength of material and the result looks like a block. Photo-etched sheet is thinner by an order of magnitude, so once bent a seat holds the right profile, has a real thickness of edge and in a cabin really does look like a seat and not like a filler. On Japanese types it tells especially, because their seats have a characteristically cut-out backrest that cannot be shaped in plastic.

Tips for working it

Cut the part out with a sharp scalpel on a hard surface, and never tear it out, so that it is not deformed. Make the bends in a bender or between two blades, always along the etched line and in one stroke. Before painting, degrease the sheet and use a primer meant for metal, or the paint will not hold. It is glued with super glue applied in a minimal amount, and a pin or a drawn piece of wire will help. Then do the painting of the interior before you close the fuselage up, because once the canopy is glued on you will not reach the seat.

Who the set is for

• Modelers building Japanese aircraft in 1:144 scale
• Those who want to raise the level of cabin detail beyond the kit
• More experienced builders with experience of photo-etched parts
• Collectors of small scales with a focus on accuracy

The set is supplied unpainted. Glue, paints and the base kit are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.