Small Scale Military Headquarters

I would like to get one for my Merit Harrier. Please let me know if you have spare to sell.

thanks.

It won't fit. The seat is too close to the Instrument panel.

Steve

A-10LOADER wrote:It won't fit. The seat is too close to the Instrument panel.

Steve

Thanks for the info Steve.
I still would like to get the pilot though and thinking about cutting the legs off if he won't fit.
Since he's inside the cockpit nobody could see the legs anyway

Ouch...

...can't you shave the legs down perhaps? Maybe dremel the sides and narrow-down the width and see if that helps.

tpa05 wrote:Ouch...

...can't you shave the legs down perhaps? Maybe dremel the sides and narrow-down the width and see if that helps.

thanks for suggestion but I need to get the pilot first

1/18 BBI Elite Force pilot

Price:US $12.34

Shipping: FREE Economy Shipping from outside US

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-18-BBI-Elite ... SwnONZBdsa

When you got it, the first challenge is to remove and cut the canopy, second after removing the ejection seat, to cut and file the rear and bottom of it, third to find a very narrow U shaped brass rail to be able to open and close the canopy. Removing the legs is not a problem, better done with a glass full of water, the pilot bathing in it and put it in the microwave oven for 1-2 minutes. The procedure worked not bad for me (click on the pic to make it bigger):



By the way, the problem is not only that the cockpit is not long anough to house the seat, the pilot and the instrument panel (due to the position of the front undercarriage), but also, the top of the instrument console is horizontal, this is wrong, and so, the HUD is too low... but I didn't want to saw more in my Harrier.

granch wrote:When you got it, the first challenge is to remove and cut the canopy, second after removing the ejection seat, to cut and file the rear and bottom of it, third to find a very narrow U shaped brass rail to be able to open and close the canopy. Removing the legs is not a problem, better done with a glass full of water, the pilot bathing in it and put it in the microwave oven for 1-2 minutes. The procedure worked not bad for me (click on the pic to make it bigger):



By the way, the problem is not only that the cockpit is not long anough to house the seat, the pilot and the instrument panel (due to the position of the front undercarriage), but also, the top of the instrument console is horizontal, this is wrong, and so, the HUD is too low... but I didn't want to saw more in my Harrier.

wow....that sounds like a lot of work to get the pilot in there....
Thanks for the info

skorzeny wrote:1/18 BBI Elite Force pilot

Price:US $12.34

Shipping: FREE Economy Shipping from outside US

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-18-BBI-Elite ... SwnONZBdsa

Yes I saw it too. Thanks.

The 1:18th scale BBI F-16 / F-18 Pilot will fit but it will take some Cockpit Correction you will have to pull the Ejection seat and do some cutting of the back shell allowing the seat to go back in its correct placement I did it on my AV-8B Harrier . It takes some doing but is well worth the effort I was able to get mine in with all his arms and legs. If I could figure out how to post photos on this site you could see how I did it

BBI Pilot in Merit Harrier Pic
[img][IMG]http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah320/wolf8564/IMG_1869%201_zpsjf2vx6hm.jpg[/img][/img]

I just soaked my pilot in hot water for a bit and removed the lower legs and got it to fit. My pilot does sit too far forward as I’ve not modified the ejection seat, but it was easy enough to get the pilot in. Carefully prying off the canopy is the tricky (and somewhat scary) part of the operation...

Thanks guys.

tman,
What did you use to pry off the canopy to avoid damage to it ? It looks like they glue my canopy down pretty good.

cnq, I used an exacto knife and a good deal of patience!

But the canopy process is a bit of a long story for me... I bought my first harrier from a local hobby store, got it home, was trying to remove the canopy, almost had it, and then it cracked apart! I was so PO’ed that I went and bought another Harrier and was able to remove the canopy on that one fairly easily. Thankfully I was also able to sell my plane with the busted canopy on eBay and so made a little money back.

Anyways, using an exacting knife, try to find a gap between the canopy and fuselage and slowly work with the knife around, twisting it, to gradually loosen the part. The canopy is glued to a little ridge that runs on either side of the cockpit and to the canopy’s baseplate that is fixed to the fuselage behind the cockpit. You can see the ridge in one of Granch’s pictures above. The rear sliding section is thankfully a separate piece from the front windscreen (Which makes it all the more strange as to why Merit glued the canopy in place). Once the canopy is removed, you can easily pry off the baseplate, which is held on by a couple small pegs, and glue it to the inside of the canopy. I would also recommend putting some tape or cloth over the tops of the intakes so you don’t risk scratching the paint with the exacto knife.

Otherwise, that’s pretty much how I did it

Thank you tman.