Adding details to model kit ejection seats

I just started building a 1:72 scale F/A-18F Hornet from Hasegawa. The kit's detail overall is pretty nice, but the cockpit is very plain. This isn't a big deal to me since I want to build this kit with the canopy closed. Still, the orignal seats are a bit too simple. 

What I did was really minor yet I believe adds interest. After an hour of effort, I made harnesses from Tamiya tape and sliced up a few stryene bits to suggest mechanical shapes missing from the original part. I just used scrap styrene and stretched sprue heated over a candle. 

I painted the seats in the same style I would use for game miniatures; high contrast and edge highlights. No need for washes or drybrushing. Simple painting techniques are yet another way to add details.

Khorne Bloodreaver

Finished painting a Khorne Bloodreaver last week and I have another in progress. World Eaters space marines were among the first 40k models I ever painted. Always fun painting red.

Here are some magnetic paint handles I recently made. Rather than just glue a magnet to a cork, I designed a holder in Fusion 360. The idea is that this larger, flat surface offers a more stable attachment with the base than a bare magnet atop a cork. The magnet is only 0.5mm below the surface of the holder, creating a strong connection.

The square base shown in the photo is what I call a “reference base.” I use it to orient the polarity of the holder’s magnet. I simply place it below the resin part while I glue the magnet in place. Every magnet I’ve used in the hobby has been oriented using that same square base, guaranteeing that I’ve always used the same polarity.

I used a 10x2mm magnet in the holder. I often use a 8x2mm magnet in my bases.