1:32 British FAA 1960's - 1980's Wheel Chock Set (4 pcs)

Chocks of the British Fleet Air Arm for the jet era

This four-piece set captures the securing chocks of the kind the Fleet Air Arm used from roughly the sixties to the eighties. Against the wartime pieces they are more massive, because they had to hold heavier jet machines with higher tire pressure.

The period it belongs to

In those years types such as the Sea Vixen, the Buccaneer, the Phantom and later the Sea Harrier met on British decks and at British stations. Handling them was more demanding than with their propeller-driven predecessors, and the ground gear had to match: a stronger profile, firmer tie-down points and more thorough securing while the engines were running on the ground. The weight that a single piece had to hold also grew, so the way it was placed changed as well.

Advice on finishing

Four pieces make it possible to secure both main wheels from the front and the rear, which looks credible with a heavy machine. Choose the shade according to the period; the later pieces often had pronounced signal colors so that the crew would see them in time on a dark surface. Wear on the edges can be imitated with a graphite pencil lead or with silver pigment applied dry.

When to reach for this version

• postwar jet machines of the British Fleet Air Arm
• scenes from a deck or from a coastal air station
• models with the landing gear extended and the full ground gear
• dioramas focused on the period of the Cold War

The set contains four chocks and nothing else; the machine and the base have to be obtained separately.