1:72 USAF Phantoms - Martin Baker H7 Seats (2 pcs / 3D-Printed)

The seats of US Air Force Phantoms

The McDonnell F-4 Phantom II was born as a carrier machine, but the US Air Force took to it so much that it bought it in the F-4C, F-4D and F-4E versions and sent them over Vietnam and to units stationed in Europe. The two-member crew sitting in tandem was saved by rocket-assisted Martin-Baker H7 series seats, which allowed the machine to be abandoned even just above the ground, provided the aircraft kept up enough forward speed. In an open cockpit it is exactly the seat that a viewer's eye falls on first.

The printed rendering

Both pieces were produced by three-dimensional printing, which holds sharp edges on the backrest, the straps routed across the chest, the handle above the head and the small warning placards even in a small scale. An injection molded equivalent is by contrast leveled into a single block with rounded edges, because otherwise the part would not come out of the mold. The difference comes out at the moment the cockpit canopy stays raised and a viewer looks inside; there every simplification gives itself away at once.

Replacement in the cockpit

Cut the original piece from the kit out, level the floor of the tub flat and try the new seat dry under the closed canopy, and only then reach for the glue. The straps come out well when, after painting, you go over them with oil grime and bring out the upper edges with a dry brush.

A pair is exactly enough for one two-seat aircraft, so anyone preparing two models side by side needs two packages. The seat is precisely where work with shadows and with discreet grime shows best.