Ejection Seat Detailing
Adding details to a 1/72nd scale ejection seat
The Martin Baker ejection seat as fitted to the Eurofighter Typhoon
Introduction
This article will show how additional detailing was added to a 1/72nd scale fighter ejection seat from Revell's twin seat Eurofighter Typhoon model kit.
Background
It is an unfortunate fact that with scale modelling the smaller scales call for the need to simplify the model and leave out smaller items. 1/35th scale is about the smallest scale where every detail, down to the last nut and bolt, can be included with the correct scale dimensions. With smaller scales, tiny details either have to be left off altogether, or modelled out-of-scale i.e. larger than they really should be.
For example, a bolt head that protrudes 1 cm on the original vehicle would be just over a tenth of a millimeter on a 1/72nd scale model and it is doubtful that this would be visible to the human eye if it was modelled in scale.
Manufacturers as well as modellers are faced with this problem. However, sometimes manufacturers may be forced to leave off details for reasons such as cost or production limitations, rather than because the parts are too small to see. In these situations, modellers have the option of adding missed details themselves.
The kit seat built as standard
The Model Eurofighter Typhoon Ejector Seat
The cockpit of a model aircraft is often the focal point that any viewer is drawn to and the cockpits of modern fighters are often very visible through the large canopies. For this reason it is important to get them looking really good.
Revell's 1/72nd Eurofighter Typhoon model has a good amount of detail in the cockpit for a model in this scale, for example, there are separate parts for the joystick and throttle. However, the ejection seats did seem oversimplified to me when compared to photographs of the original. The seats are very small so there was a limit to what could be done, but I felt that a few changes would enhance the model.
The photograph on the right shows the seat made up as it comes. Each of the two seats is made up of five parts. You may notice the metal tubing coming out of the headrest. This replaced the kit tubing that was so badly covered in flash that it was impossible to clean it up, so it had to be replaced with 15 amp fuse wire. Although this makeshift solultion is not perfect, it is much better than the blobs of plastic that were provided in the kit and the best that I could do. It is worth remembering that the seat is only 1.75 cm tall.
Cutting off a thin strip of masking tape to use as a seat strap.
One obvious omission on the kit seat was some of the seat belt straps. Revell have molded seat belts straps into the back rest, but the straps on the seating area itself are missing. Compare the photo of the real thing at the top of this article with the photo above right. The straps on the seating area were no doubt left off due to the limitations of the injection molding process - the seating area had to have a smooth surface for the halves of the mold to be able to slide apart.
The tiny piece of masking tape is very carefully lifted with the edge of a knife.
Seat straps were put in place using Tamiya masking tape. A strip of 6mm tape was put onto an old DVD (used as a cutting mat). A thin strip from each edge was cut away using a craft knife and steel ruler then discarded (the edges may be damaged and tend to pick up small hairs). A further thin strip was then cut away the same width as the straps already molded on the backs of the seats. This was to be the basis of the four straps needed for the two seats.
A small section of the thin strip was cut off and gently lifted from the DVD by sliding a craft knife underneath it. It cannot be over emphasised how delicate this operation has to be when handling a minute piece of thin flexible sticky tape. This is certainly not a good time to sneeze!
Using two fine pointed tweezers the end of the tape was folded back on itself. This double thickness would simulate the buckle and stop the end from sticking to the seat. The piece of tape was then put on the seat in the correct position and the excess cut away with a craft knife in situ. A very tiny spot of cyano adhesive was used to secure the end of the strap where it met the edge of the seat. One down, four to go.
Placing the seat strap into position.
Another omission from the kit seat was the large black circular buckle that rests in the centre of the seat. When the pilot is in the cockpit all of the straps connect to this. This was simulated with a tiny circle of plastic cut from a piece of plastic rod. It was too small to pick up even with pointed tweezers, so was put into position by holding it with the tip of a craft knife and then touching it with a very fine brush loaded with liquid poly cement. On the photograph of the finished article this is barely visible, but when the seat is painted it will stand out as it will be a different colour to the rest of the seat.
The completed seat with seat straps, buckle and ejection handle. It stands on a 1 cent Euro coin for size comparison.
One final addition was the black and yellow striped loop that comes up between the pilot's legs. I believe this is what launches the ejector seat. It is very tiny but I felt that when painted black and yellow it would be noticed. Adding this was the simplest part. A tiny loop of 5 amp fusewire was wrapped around the end of a cocktail stick to shape it and then bent underneath the seat and fixed into position with cyano adhesive.
Although I could have spent many hours with further detailing, I decided that enough was enough. What had been done was sufficient to give the impression of the busy and complex cockpit and further detailing could be done with careful painting. As with many things in life it is important to know when to stop.
A further picture of the ejection seat inside a Eurofighter Typhoon cockpit is shown below.
~~ Last updated May 23, 2009 by Peter Hall. ~~