1:72 ESCAPAC IE-1 Ejection Seat Set for Lockheed S-3B Viking

An ejection seat from the deck of the antisubmarine Viking

The Lockheed S-3 Viking was an odd sight among the carrier machines of the US Navy: a high-set wing, two turbofan engines slung on pylons and a crew of four who, instead of dogfighting, listened to the sea. The prototype flew in January 1972, the machine entered service with the squadrons two years later, and the upgrade to the B standard added better processing of the acoustic signals from dropped buoys as well as the ability to carry antiship missiles. The crew sat in two rows on ejection seats of the ESCAPAC range, which allowed the aircraft to be abandoned in an emergency even low over the water.

The castings replace the seats from the kit, which tend to be simply shaped and to have no harnesses. The difference shows above all on a model with the canopy open.

• The ESCAPAC IE-1 type, the seat matching the S-3 machines
• Intended for models in 1:72 size
• A set of several pieces, because the Viking had a crew of four
• Fine relief, with the straps, the headrests and the pull handles visible

Painting the seat looks complicated, but it keeps to a few tones: the structure in a dark gray, the padding in olive or black and the harnesses in white or sand with a thin line of metal buckles. It pays to finish the seat before it drops into the cockpit, because after that neither tweezers nor a brush can reach it. At the end a light accentuation of the edges with a dry brush helps, because it brings the shape out even under a closed canopy.