Madmax

I love these days between festivities when nobody knows if you're actually working, or building models. The ejection seat just happened to get finished in this time vacuum.. Here are some general views that show the effect of having the parachute back-pad and light tan parachute harness separate from the seat. The blue straps form the safety harness which secure the pilot to the seat. In a change from previous seats, I decided to include the thin blue leg-restraint straps. In retrospect, I should have left myself some longer straps for the blue shoulder harnesses, but it is what it is now. Can we blame the armourer Derek? In the next views, you get a feel for how the straps and the back-pad interact, as well as the components on each side of the seat. The decals are from Peter's excellent Airscale 'Modern Cockpit Dataplate and Warning Decals'. You'll notice that I haven't fussed with detail on the seat-pan sides, since they can't be seen except for the height adjusting lever. And finally a view from the top, showing the busy drogue-chute compartment. That's it for now. Let's see how many days I can still milk out of the confusion in the start of the new year. Cheers! Sean

Bonjour Alain! That red pulley is an interesting thing and I think Derek B came up with a plausible answer - that it is possibly connected to the canopy jettison system. I have just made one to put into the model, and that photo you've sent (of the R/C model) is very useful in positioning the pulley. Next to the pulley is my attempt at replicating the device that it connects to, which is mounted on the fixed ejection rail (the bit that stays in the cockpit). Thanks for the photograph! Thanks Nick, I'm just trying to keep up with your F-14 cockpit! That F. Mk 5 is the very one that I wrote about (WP 190), a true veteran of the Suez conflict, unlike my subject's fake history! You're rather fortunate to be able to pop in to Tangmere and takes notes, or possibly get inspiration to continue with your build. If that doesn't do it, then hopefully this build will help. Thanks for looking in!

Wow, that really is a striking colour scheme! Looking fantastic Nick...

Time for some paint, and a little reminder about dark cockpits and scale effect. The Kits-World interpretation of black made for quite a paint mixing challenge, but ultimately improved what would otherwise have been too dark a cockpit. Most modellers are aware of scale effect in colour, and that one should lighten the original paint as the scale gets smaller. With black this is particularly apparent, especially in a small area - like the inside of a cockpit. In this photo you can see my first attempt on the left (slightly lightened Tamiya 'Tyre Black'), and on the right nearly a 40% white to 'tyre black' mix, with a dash of 'flat earth' to taste . This off-grey is the new black. Since the Kits-World side consoles didn't really fit the kit terribly well, I went with preserving most of the kit aft details, and placing the decals in the front. The decal 'triple gauges' at the back-left initially looked good, so I went with them too. The difficulty then arises in unifying two very different styles of detail to look like an homogenous unit. The triple gauges were a mistake, since they were bigger than the moulded detail and I had to butcher the decal to fit between the fuselage ribs I'd added. Having at least achieved a similar base grey to the decals, an oil paint wash over everything went a long way toward uniting the different elements. The instrument panel then got the same oil paint wash, and now the whole combination almost looks like it belongs together. I actually prefer the kit detail in terms of 3-d effect, but the fine printing on the decals wins wherever an instrument face is concerned. Tricky balancing act. In this photo you can see how it looks inside the fuselage, and how the triple-gauges are fortunately virtually hidden behind the ribs. I've added some 'volume knobs' fashioned from 0.5mm styrene rod to some of the decals, and find that they add much to making them more realistic. The green knob front right is the oxygen 'on-off' switch, not some figment of my imagination. Time to get on with the ejection seat. I have airbrushed the canvas and belt straps in basic colours, then scraped the paint off the metal bits. This should help to make the detail painting a bit easier once the whole lot is assembled. Trust the season's celebrations are all still going well, and on that note... Cheers! Sean

Hi Joachim, this build thread takes me back a couple of years, but I see you are improving on some of the things I didn't do! I still haven't used any raised rivet decals (but should really try some), and I wasn't brave enough to try the resin wheel wells. Well done on getting them in, and actually managing to glue the wing halves together. No easy job...

Fantastic paintwork Marcel! What you've recreated here shows great understanding of what happens to aircraft on an aircraft carrier. Excellent job.

Great entertainment Chuck, and given that it's only taken a month to get to this point, a great lesson in how fast one can build! The amazing thing is that you have added all that extra detail, and are now creating bespoke figures for the chosen scene. I think palm trees are a definite possibility...

I'm gobsmacked by your paintwork on this Tomcat - it is truly fantastic! The fact that the weathering is still to come just heightens the sense of anticipation at how this thing is going to pop when it gets some dirt on...

Hey Tony, welcome to the team! I should warn you, however, the pay is terrible... Coming from you Derek, that really is particularly heartening. Thank you! Hi John, great story. The bit about arming the guns for real vs the range is a very pertinent point to recall. There is a lovely painting (by Don Greer, I think) of a Hunter escorting Canberras as they drop their bombs on an airfield with MiG-15's on the ground. All the elements of your watch managers encounter. On an entirely different note, was it you that kept sending us to 'Biggen to hold'? Just kidding, some of the finest controlling in the world happens at Heathrow!

Before getting straight to the styrene, another little story about our Hunter - XF309. Last heard from as a ground instruction airframe (7771M) at St Atham, she somehow ends up in South Yorkshire, at a once famous (for airshows and royal patronage) RAF base called Finningley, just outside Doncaster. Finningley, controversially, eventually became an airport named after Robin Hood, even though the Sherwood Forest is about 40 miles south of Doncaster. Well, this little habit of stretching a story was going to affect our Hunter too. Not happy with her history as a mere shark-mouthed F. Mk4, she was promptly promoted to being a F. Mk5 and painted in the colours of a dashing 1 Squadron aircraft, WP190, that had taken part in the operations of the Suez Canal Crisis. They were rather striking colours... The amusing thing is that at the same time, the real WP190 was languishing outside RAF Stanbridge, as a gate guardian (in rather boring standard camouflage). At least she was adorned with her own serial number! https://www.airliners.net/photo/UK-Air-Force/Hawker-Hunter-F5/2165771 The internet rabbit-hole sometimes produces real gems; here is a newsletter from the 70's that gives us a clue as to what happened to XF309 next. Let's get back to the model, I sense a yawn coming on. The basic shapes of the ejection seat in the kit are unfortunately just that - rather basic. I literally broke the seat apart and started some surgery on the drogue pack and launcher rails so that the added detail at least sat in the right place. The top of the drogue chute now fits into a smaller opening on top of the structure, and one can see a portion of the telescopic tube inside the back of the launcher rails. Some of the details had to be carved out of styrene (no 3-d printer in my house - yet), and although this photo is a bit out of focus, I thought I'd show how I leave the piece attached to a larger piece of styrene to make it easier to handle. This is the Time Release Mechanism and Barostatic Unit that is inevitably portrayed by kit manufacturers at half it's actual size. Here it is in place, with some of the other details starting to take shape. On the other side the Drogue Gun takes up most of the space. What is interesting is how many lines feed into the drogue chute pack - looks like an octopus got hold of the seat! I have found a very handy piece of aftermarket etched brass for the next part of the process. I know people like Derek B have the patience to manufacture buckles, but I don't. This is Eduard's 1:32 Mirage III seat straps set. Very useful even though not 100% accurate as far as buckle shapes go. You may recall the question of what material to fashion the parachute back pad from? Well, I decided to use a lead foil of sorts (it came from lead tape strips one sticks onto golf clubs - not sure if it's R&A approved). It is easy to cut and shapes very well, although it's probably best not to lick it. This is the Mk 18 parachute assembly that I'm trying to emulate. The Mk 18 was typical of those fitted to MB Mk 2 or 3 seats, and the actual parachute pack was a shoulder pack that went into the recess behind the pilot's upper back. This is still very much an experimental piece, and how paint is going to stick to it is yet to be seen, particularly if it gets bent a bit. Still fun to try simulate the different elements of an ejection seat. Some cockpit painting next... Cheers, Sean

Merci Alain! Hi Tony, yeah - that Mirage got a bit out of control! I think I spent too much time looking inside Mirage wheel wells in my youth and tried to recapture the moment in miniature. I still have one more Mirage IIIC kit left - lets see what happens there... In the meantime, feel free to comment on, and correct, any aspect of the Hunter build. I can see you have a real interest in the workings of this classic airframe, including the surprisingly complicated intake.

I couldn't help but notice this publication lurking in the background of your photographs. I've been under it's spell once too, with an F-104. A dangerous and powerful thing that turns sensible model builders into crazed super detailers. That being said, this model is looking fantastic - really enjoying all the detail!

Great bit of Frankensteining Nick! Just make sure you're not that guy asking admin to move this, or the Tomcat, to WIP when the due date comes around...

John, the cabin ceiling is the right thing to base a chopper build around! It's pretty clear to me you know what you want up there. Keep going! Sean

Looking good Malcolm; that mottling-mask is very effective! Not a conversion for the feint hearted, but given your track record with deltas, the rest should be a breeze...

Very classy build Tom! You got it right from the beginning, and the solid foundation shone through all the way to the finishing touches. Your enjoyment of the build too... Well done. Sean

In the meantime, I have moved my attention toward the back of the cockpit. The kit part for the bulkhead behind the pilots head is, like so much of this kit, not too bad - but could be better. The first thing I noticed was that the cover on top of the rail support immediately behind the seat is too 'square', and the round thing on the left (an inverter or a vacuum pump maybe?) is actually on a horizontal support to the side of the assembly, not mounted on the bulkhead. Some wiring was added to taste just to spice things up... This is how it should look: And this is my slightly simplified version. Then a big job, the ejection seat. Here the True Details set would really come in handy! Actually, despite the staggeringly good seat in that set, it is possibly wrong for my purposes. They modelled a Martin Baker Mk 2H, and it would seem the FGA. (and later) Hunters generally had Mk 3H seats. The obvious difference is the seat pan, which on the 3H doesn't have the large, and frankly odd, side supports that make the Mk 2's instantly recognisable. This is a Mk 3 (maybe an H). This is what one gets in the kit. Same as the bulkhead; not too bad, but could be better. I have sanded off the kit details, established the basic shapes, and will now get on with adding the detail I think will make it look good. The interesting thing is trying to simulate large fabric (canvas) bits like the parachute back pad. Lets see how that goes... Till later, Sean

Hi Derek, Some great insights from you regarding the pulley, thank you! I gave it some thought after reading what you said - and agree with your conclusion. The fact that the pulley is arranged in the way it is, it facilitates a downward pull of the cable. Having at first thought its purpose was linked to the ejection seat firing, that didn't make sense. Now I can visualise the cable running from the jettison handle (next to the pilot's left knee), under the cockpit floor, and eventually up the red tube and over the pulley to where it triggers the jettison cartridge with a pull. Looks a bit like an engineering afterthought, but it clearly worked! It is a beautiful aircraft John. The other day, a mate of mine curiously looked at the bits and pieces arranged on my desk and, on realising what I was busy with, declared: 'Aha, the Spitfire of jets!' Thanks Grunticus, hope to bring you some more scratch-built entertainment soon...

Lovely idea Chuck, keen to see how you do it! Cheers, Sean

Looking forward to this too! Sean

Thanks Derek, particularly pleased that you looked in because I already have a question for you! On the right hand side of the ejection seat (FGA.9, maybe F Mk.6), there appears to be a pulley assembly. Any idea what it's for? Hey Mr Mamba, good to see you looking in on the build! Hope you enjoy the story - I have certainly enjoyed the research, and who knows, there might be more info to come as knowledgeable readers fill in the gaps... Thanks Nick, hope the Silhouette cutter is still in working order!

It all started innocently enough, for a Cold War airframe. Built in Blackpool in the winter of 1955, when the beaches were empty, but the Hawker Aircraft Blackpool (Ltd) factory was full. She was delivered to the RAF on 10 Jan 1956 as XF 309. Based on the only photographs I can find of her as a pristine F Mk.4, she went to 112 Squadron. You don't have to be an aviation anorak to work this bit out. A typical scene at a Hawker Aircraft factory: churning out Hunters in the mid 1950's 112 Squadron RAF was famous for being the first allied unit to feature a 'sharks mouth'. Even Chennault's 'Flying Tigers' copied them. This is a famous photo of 112 Sqn Tomahawks published in October 1941. No prizes for guessing which squadron XF 309 belongs to... This beautiful airframe was already withdrawn from service by December 1962, and used for ground instruction at St Athan as 7771 M. But don't worry, that's not nearly the end of this tale. While detailing and building the classic Revell kit, we will discover an amazing history in the life of a Hunter, that sees her dressing-up in Yorkshire and being blown-up in Zimbabwe. Let's get down to some plastic first. The kit needs no introduction, so I won't. What is interesting however, is how many of the Hunter builds on the internet stall for some reason or other - it clearly has some issues around the intake and the undercarriage. We'll tackle those when we get there. Not possessing (an increasingly rare) True Details aftermarket cockpit, there is going to be some extra work to get the rather basic cockpit looking a bit more like the real thing. I know its a typical Cold War dark pit, but some extra stuff is always nice. The only cockpit aftermarket I could find was the Kits World 3-D decals for the instrument panel and side consoles. I was most excited to try these, as it is a first for me, and they seem to have revolutionised cockpit detailing. Unfortunately, they didn't enjoy the trip to South Africa. I figured they would look good in the bin, but then thought I'd at least save one or two instrument faces. Some advice - if this happens to you - don't cut, don't throw it away, just treat them like normal decals. I eventually popped them in water and used a bit of white glue to stick them onto thin styrene. Maybe I can still use them? I have copied some ideas from Rockie Yarwood's 'Out of Africa' build, so thanks for pioneering the sidewalls Rockie! Here you can see the rather rudimentary way of using the kit part as a template for cutting ribs. And here the ribs are in situ. It is actually very easy to position them, as the kit is finely marked where the different cockpit components go. Modified the side consoles a bit, however much of the kit detail is useable as is. The stick and rudders really do need some help, as well as the mounting system for the rudder pedals - which would otherwise be pretty much flat on the floor. The gyro gunsight, it would seem, got the most attention! Looking a bit more like the jumbled office a Hunter's cockpit should resemble. Let's see if this one makes it to completion. Cheers, Sean

Hey Malcom, brave thing to tackle the gear with an 'angle grinder'! Great result... I remember when I built this kit, Doogs (from Texas) was struggling with exactly the same issues with the gear that you discovered. You may have read this? It's very funny and, as I recall, ended with a brick dropped on the model for dramatic effect. Here's a link to the article - the brick bit has subsequently disappeared - https://doogsmodels.com/2017/11/18/the-mig-23-landing-gear-pickle/ In case anyone was wondering, the book will only be available to the public at the end April. Yours is one of the subscriber's editions!

Very classy build Malcolm!

Thanks Ray, the article looks great!