1:72 Pilot's seat with seatbelts for PZL/IAR P.11F - 3D-printed

Pilot's seat with belts for the PZL/IAR P.11F in 1:72 scale

A 3D-printed accessory from IBG models: a pilot's seat with harness belts for the model of the PZL P.11 fighter in the Romanian licensed version P.11f, in 1:72 scale. It is not a model of the aircraft but a single part that replaces what is in the box. 3D printing technology makes it possible to print the belts draped over the seat shell in one piece, which cannot be done with a casting from a mold.

The real subject

The PZL P.11 was a Polish high-wing monoplane fighter with a characteristic gull wing, which its designer raised above the fuselage so that nothing blocked the pilot's view forward and upward. For its day it was a modern all-metal machine, but by 1939 it was already obsolete. The P.11f version was built under license in Romania by the IAR works and was powered by a Gnome-Rhone radial engine from Romanian licensed production. The Romanian machines served considerably longer than their Polish counterparts and were still flying in the first years of the war on the Eastern Front.

How to use the part

In 1:72 scale the seat is small, so work with it over a surface and with tweezers so that it does not get away from you. After removing it from the print supports it is enough to clean up the contact points with a sharp scalpel and to wash the part so that no resin residue stays on the surface. It can be painted after a primer just like plastic. Fit the seat into the cockpit before you close it up with the glazing, and first try dry whether it fits into the cockpit frame.

Who the part is for

• for modelers building the P.11f in 1:72 scale
• for builds with an open cockpit, where the interior is visible
• for those who will appreciate belts printed in one piece with the seat
• for competition builds with an emphasis on fine detail

This is a single accessory for the cockpit of a model, not a stand-alone model of the aircraft.