1:72 GRU7/A Ejection seat set for F14A/B Tomcat (Academy)

Two places under one canopy

The F-14 Tomcat carrier fighter always flew with two men. The pilot sat at the front, and behind him an officer operating the radar and the missile guidance system. Both rested on rocket-powered seats of the GRU-7A series, which the American arm of the Martin-Baker firm developed for this aircraft. Only later rebuilds replaced them on part of the fleet with a newer naval type.

1:72 and its limits

At a small scale the interior of a cockpit tends to be the weak point even of otherwise successful kits. The shape of the seat is simplified into a block and the straps disappear entirely. A replacement part with a rendered backrest, headrest and a hint of straps therefore transforms the impression of the whole model under a clear canopy, without anything else having to be rebuilt.

How to manage it

The original seats are carefully cut out of the tub, the floor is leveled and the new pieces are dry-fitted until the canopy closes without resistance. Small parts at this scale fly off easily, so it helps to work over a light-colored surface and hold them with tweezers with fine jaws.

The color treatment

An American naval seat tends to be dark gray to black, the headrest is set apart from the seat cushion by shade and the straps usually have a markedly lighter tone. In 1:72 three layers are enough: a primer, the base color and a dry brush, because finer transitions are lost at that distance anyway. Bringing out the straps, by contrast, needs more contrast than seems reasonable.

What it is for and what it holds

The shaping is prepared for the 1:72 kit from the brand Academy. The seats are supplied; the rest of the cockpit equipment stays with the original kit and the airframe of the aircraft has to be obtained.