Wow! That is inspiring.

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that's a really cool and inventive way to make seats. Gonna have to try that my self.

This coming along fast and furious now. Great idea for the seats. That idea is filed away for a rainy day.

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No doubt. I've been looking for something to replace the bases for the huge stash of Star Trek chairs I have. They would be very serviceable for Joes if they were just a touch higher. Hopefully this is an option that can lift them up a bit.

It's impressive to me - knowing how long these big projects can take - that even if you update something a year later than you started, it is still 100% completely relevant. The way parts, styles, and production pieces available can change a custom's relevancy overnight, your big projects (thinking for example on the BSG Viper) all have remarkable staying power.

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This is really starting to beat some ass, man. Nice idea for seats, indeed.

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Thanks for the comments, everyone. It's nice to know the work is appreciated.

The seat thing is something I slapped together about 15 years ago. Took the seat out of a 1/18 car and glued it to a hook for a seat in a diorama I built. Worked like a champ. Over time, I just modified it so I can make the seat higher or lower, based on the need. You can make swivel seats, as well.

I'm hoping to get back to the shop this week. I've got the final design for the seats down, and it shouldn't take long to knock out six of 'em.

Here's a quick run-down of how to make seats from scratch. Really, all you need is some styrene and some basswood. The quinjet seats are a styrene sheet "frame" with basswood "cushions". I sand the cushions to ease corners and soften the appearance, then glue them to the styrene frame. The seat cushion is actually a piece of foam weatherstripping tape (I didn't want a thin cushion for the seat and didn't have basswood in-stock).

Using this method you can make any seat design you want. In this case, I needed six. I opted for black seats, since the interior is going to various shades of grey and black, and with the brightly colored characters that are going to be in the ship I thought black would help the colors pop.

The raw seats can be covered in athletic tape for a different fabric texture, or the lightly-sanded basswood makes for a very fine fabric texture. In the past I have even "upholstered" the seats with the foam underwrap commonly used with athletic tape. There's no need to go searching for seats to scrounge for a new project. Anyone can make whatever seat they want to fit the subject.

Well, I've made some adjustments to the seats. Once they were assembled and dry fitted in the quinjet I wasn't comfortable with how high the figures sat in them. The seat peds aren't too tall for normal applications, but the quinjet has a canopy sill that wraps around the cockpit. With the original seat pedestals, the canopy/fuselage seam runs just below waist high. That didn't look right to me. Also, the figures sat very upright, despite my tilting the seat back at a 10 degree angle. Finally, the figures fit in the seats using the original peds, but in the pilot/co-pilot positions it put the inside of the canopy unacceptable close to their heads. So, I fabbed up some brackets for use as pedestals. Here's a comparison/contrast shot to show what I mean.

Meantime, I've started work on the front console. I'd considered going with the general design of the console shown in Elliot R. Brown's OHOTMU drawings, but frankly, it was ugly. And since every artist seems to draw the quinjet however he wants, I decided to go more with a John Byrne-ish approach. I'm also going with an early 80's analog look, since that's about the era this design debuted. It's also going to have some early digital-looking stuff, and I'm going to try to get a John Buscema/John Byrne vibe to the interior.

that console is ridiculous. awesome update.

On the seats - are you bending styrene to make the seat frame, or fusing together two straight pieces for the back and the seat? If the latter, what are you using to bind them?

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Thanks, drbindy. The seats are straight, flat styrene stock. The backs are reclined from the bases about ten degrees, and the headrest is kicked forward about 20. When you recline the seats an additional 10 degrees it gives the illusion of being curved. I used Ambroid Pro-Weld, a liquid styrene cement to glue them. The basswood cushions are glued on with super glue.

this is coming together great. I cant wait to see the finished product.

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Brief update tonight. I took a tour through my scrap boxes, looking for acceptable steering yokes. Of course, I didn't have exactly what I wanted, so I had to make them from scratch.

The yokes are .09375" aluminum tube, bent to shape around a .75" dowel rod. I drilled holes through the support columns and threaded the yokes into position. For handgrips I used plastic first aid tape. Once I had the grips in the proper position and trimmed to shape, I painted them Testors Rubber, a warm black that should give some contrast to the seats and the other greys and silvers in the cockpit.

While I was digging around in the scraps, I found an old plastic fruit cup I'd salvaged some time ago. It's the same basic shape as the inserts as the engine exhausts on the Viper. Anyway, the thought occurred to me it might make a suitable engine exhaust for the quinjet, except I'd use the convex end of the cup, not the concave. I Dremeled out the center and threw some Testors Stainless Steel paint on it to see how I like it. Still undecided, but it is pretty much the right size. One thing's for sure; that old can of paint has got to go. I'll repaint with a fresh can before I go any further.