Paragon | Tornado Martin Baker Mk.10 Seats, Flaps, Platform Style Access Ladder

Reviewed by Jay Laverty

A Welcome Return

For quite some time the rumours about Paragons return have been making the circuits of the web pages and shows, and they were generally met with great anticipation and relief. I for one, fall into the category of very glad to see them return.

Finding Paragon parts generally meant a lucky find under a table or paying excessive amounts on our favourite place, E-bay. There are several sets I have been after in 32nd scale, and the Tornado parts have been among them.

Not New, but good all the same...

We are treated to a trio of Tornado parts in Paragons first reissue of their old range, and they are as pertinent and useful now as they were several years go. I will be taking a look at the Martin Baker Mk.10 seats, the flaps, as well as the platform style access ladder.

A Beauty of a Bang Seat

We will begin with the MB10s which are cast very well in a cream coloured resin. the one thing you can always count on when it comes to Paragon parts is the fact that there will be no air bubbles. Quality control is very strict I imagine.

To get an idea of what the seat should look like I went to a few places and had a look in a couple of books, but the sources I found most helpful were the Ejection site, Martin Bakers web site and Verlinden's Lock on title was somewhat helpful, although no incredibly detailed when it came to the seat.

Comparing this seat to the photographs was a learning experience for me as I found out that Martin Baker seats are broken into categories with each type consisting of at least two. The Mark 10 has an early variant that was used in Tornadoes ( mark.A ) and there is also a later variant found in the likes of Hawks and Gripens that is a lightweight version classified as "L"

Comparing the images from the ejection site and Paragons seat shows that while the rendition is not perfect (however I found only two points where the detail was slightly inaccurate, and these will not be visible on the inserted seat!), it is as close as anyone will ever get, and certainly miles ahead of anything I could ever dream of doing. In fact there are details on the seat which can only be marvelled at and if painted up with a great attention to detail this seat will be a stunner. The resin seat clearly shows that a great deal of painstaking research when into producing it, and I give it as high a mark as it can get. The only other part I could see as not being perfect is the fact that the straps are moulded onto the seat but that is getting into "looking for faults" territory as the fact that they are there in no way detracts from the seat and my mentioning the fact is simply down to the fact that I am lazy and like to use Eduard pre-painted belts!

Fantastic Flaps

The flaps are of the same moulding quality and recreate the look of the real thing very accurately. I was very impressed with the flaps and they will be a definite addition to my Tornado when it is finally built. As the pictures show, all of the detail that is possible to add within the parameters of resin casting are there and the only way you would be able to improve upon Paragons admirable work is to add some etched metal details for the actuators and perhaps some rod.

In fact close examination of the set reveals a level of detail down to the threading of the rods is superb. The instructions are straightforward and well explained, and clearly indicate the areas of the model that need to be cut away and/or modified.

The slats are well detailed inside and out, and although my example suffered from a slight amount of warpage which is a problem that can be easily solved with the liberal application of a hairdryer, and they will look incredible on the model.

If one of the criteria for a good resin set is "how much will it improve the model?", then this sets gets full marks here. Superb job Neil.

Perfect Platform

The platform is one of my favourite add-ons for some strange reason, perhaps as it will add a little something to the area around the aeroplane, as opposed to the model itself. I found it difficult to find any images of the various aspects of the platform as it certainly isn't one of the first things anyone thinks to take some pictures of when you have a Tornado standing in front of you.

This set is a very simple affair and will be infinitely easy to assemble. Aside from the resin are two length's of plastic rod with which you will build the rungs for the ladder itself, and part of the securing bracket. Obviously, the most involved aspect of finishing this detail set will be the painting. The only slight drawback is the fact that the grating on the platform is not hollow, which would have been impossible to re-create in resin so it is an understandable omission, and this can easily be disguised with a simple wash.

Highly Recommended

So all in all I would say it is a very hearty and thankful "welcome back" to Neil Burkhill and Paragon Designs. I know there are some new projects in the works and most of the previous range is scheduled for eventual reissue, so I think we can look forward to some great releases over the next little while and I would definitely recommend these detailing sets for Revell's Tornado to anyone planning an IDS or GR1/4 build.

All of Paragons detail sets are available to order on-line from Hannants.

Here is a very interesting story of the Martin Baker ejection seat programme, with a lengthy description of the Mk.10 and its ejection procedure...

http://www.martin-baker.com/Acrobat/History_&_Development_of_MBA_2005.pdf