1:72 Seat for Me 262 with belts and pedals (Airfix)

3DF 1:72 seat for the Me 262 with belts and pedals (for Airfix)

A 3D-printed cockpit accessory from 3DF: the pilot's seat and the foot pedals of the German Me 262 jet fighter, this time in the smaller 1:72 scale and shaped for the kit from Airfix. It is not an aircraft kit, and the model itself has to be bought separately.

Why it makes sense

In the small 1:72 scale the cockpit is exactly where the credibility of a model is decided, and at the same time it is where handling tiny photo-etched parts is the most unpleasant. The seat belts and the pedals are printed directly in the part and the belts have a realistic sag, so detail reaches the cramped space that would be very hard to build up from photo-etched parts. The fineness of 3D printing is the greatest asset here.

Use and fitting

• Wash the parts to remove print resin residue and let them dry.
• Cut the print supports away very carefully with a sharp scalpel, because the parts are small and fragile at this scale.
• Do the sanding with respiratory protection (a respirator), ideally wet.
• Bond with super glue (cyanoacrylate), ideally applied in small drops with a pin.
• Primer first, then paints; set the belts apart with a different shade and accentuate them with a wash.

Who the set is for

For modelers who build the Airfix Me 262 in 1:72 scale and want real detail in the cockpit without gluing miniature photo-etched parts. Given the size of the parts it suits a more experienced hand.

Note: the variants of this set differ in scale and in the target kit. This one is for Airfix in 1:72 scale, and the versions for 1:48 kits are separate products, so do not buy blind. Paints, glue and the model are not included in the package.