allthumbs

I’ve had good luck tightly wrapping small gauge strip styrene or stretched sprue around a rigid form, such as brass tubing, securing it in place with a layer of cellophane tape and then submerging the assemblage into a pot of boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds, followed immediately by a bath in cold water. After this tempering and quenching process, the plastic holds its new shape quite well. I use it to create circumferential “weld beads” for aircraft fuel tanks, for example.

Agreed, regarding stiffening plates. I posted those pictures in answer to John’s second query, a request for detailed closeups of the wing fold hinge, an area that changed little, if at all, across the hard wing variants. I’ll edit my post from yesterday to reflect this. Rich

RH Side

It’s an F-4N, but I don’t think there are any significant differences wrt the wing fold details. The stiffening plates are another matter. LH Side

Their catalogue contains some useful product information including guidance on thinner and surfacer use (near the end of the document).

plusmodel or profimodeller barrels? In any case they look sharp, as does your model. Great job Ben!

Lovely work there Ben, as usual. Regarding the satiny smooth coat of black primer: is it Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 (I see a bottle of the stuff on your workbench)? And if so, what thinner did you use? And finally, what kind of airbrush or gun did you apply it with? Sorry for all of the questions, but the finish you achieved is spectacular. Curiously and as always respectfully, Rich

Beautiful and inspiring work…you have really done justice to this new kit. Rich

Wow, those Martin Bakers look superb. Stunning work Ben, as usual. Rich

More fantabulous work...very impressive! -Rich

This eBay seller just slashed the price by 5%.

John, you’re absolutely right. The Quickboost seats are great (and could be made even better with some scratch built corrections and additions, as suggested above). At about half the cost, they represent a better value to many modelers, for sure. But I’m blown away by these Sparkit seats and happy to sing their praises here, for all those interested. In the end, it’s nice to have choices. Rich

And here are some comparison photos. They compare well in many basic respects…both seats capture the distinctive look and proportions of the original. And both feature “busy” and complex detailing…again faithful to the real seat. There’s a noticeable difference in the size of the overhead pull handles though. Fortunately I had measurements taken from a nearby museum example. It turns out Sparkit is spot on in terms of hoop diameter and spacing. If anything, they are very slightly too thick and would benefit from additional droop. Quickboost’s are oversized by about 35 percent, which is enough to throw off the scale appearance - a scratch built replacement would improve matters considerably. As mentioned before, Sparkit captured well the raised rivet effect across the metal seat pan and frame. For the most part, Quickboost represents this feature with recessed indentations that are faint and inconsistent in places. And no appraisal of 3D printed parts is complete without mention of layer lines. Yes, they are visible across some of the flat faces of the Sparkit seats. But they’re subtle, as these things go. Careful print orientation has limited the most visible traces to the lower aft seat pan, an area that won’t be seen once the seat is installed inside the cockpit. But I’m curious to see what they look like under a coat of primer. When I get to this stage, I’ll post the pictures. Finally, the biggest difference is one that can only be fully appreciated with the naked eye. And that’s the see-through, truly 3 dimensional effect achieved by Sparkit’s printing technology, something not attainable with single piece resin casting, no matter how well executed. Rich

The MB Mk. H7 seat has been well served by aftermarket resin manufacturers over the years. I’ve lost count, but there have probably been around a dozen different releases, including from Verlinden, Black Box, Legend, True Details, Eduard, GT Resin, TAC Scale Dynamics, Paragon Designs, AMS Resin and Aires/Aerobonus/Quickboost. Here’s a look at the recently updated Quickboost seat (you get two in the package, each with distinctly posed belts and harnesses), set QB 32283. These look very nice: plenty of detail, accurate, with good undercut features like belts and hoses. Whereas the Sparkit Models seat is USN/USMC specific, this one is a hybrid of sorts: basically a USAF seat with USN/USMC water activated Koch release fittings on the buckles. The overhead pull handles are separately cast, along with the lower handle and it’s protective guard.

Over the coming days, I'll post some side-by-side comparison shots of the Aires/Quickboost and Eduard Brassin seats.

This picture, taken in oblique outdoor lighting accentuates the raised rivets that festoon the metal seat pan.

Extremely well researched, accurate and bristling with detail; those were my first impressions of the new 3D printed Martin Baker Mk. H7 Ejection Seats (late USN/USMC version) in 1/32 scale by Sparkit Models. From the petite raised rivet detail so characteristic of MB seats; to the realistic fabric folds of the backrest cushion; to the myriad hoses and cords, standing proud of the structure where appropriate; to the upper harness properly restrained by inertial reel tension (a feature that eludes many aftermarket seat manufacturers); this seat earns top marks. In my opinion, it’s the best H7 in 1/32 scale. And this despite some very good competition from the likes of Aires/Quickboost, Eduard and others.

My Sparkit Models 1/32 Phantom seats arrived today…exactly 14 days turnaround from France to the Western United States - impressive given the holiday rush and the overall strain on global shipping we’ve experienced over the past year and a half. Even more impressive is the product itself…in a word: exquisite. Sparkit have done for modern ejection seats what Reedoak (another Gallic firm) have done for figurines, which is to say they’ve advanced the state of the art. Vive La France! Hyperbole you ask? Perhaps, but wait until you see the pictures, which I’ll post right here later today. Rich

Wow, that fuselage looks nice and sleek. What a good looking jet!

USAF Mk. H5 seat, much hidden, but the green parachute pack and harness are plainly visible as is the ruddy brown headrest.

Slick looking intakes…and weathered to perfection!

Stunning work as usual! Rich

Indeed…and the 108 foot long Blackbird looks downright Lilliputian.

You’re right, it’s a B nose. And here’s a picture of a restored B with a C nose. Apparently they’re interchangeable.