Pavla Models S72035 MB.Mk. 1 - Gloster Meteor F.8 and D.H. Vampire

The Martin-Baker Mk.1 was a British-made ejection seat. It was the first device of this type to be used on a large scale in the history of the British Air Force. The genesis of this catapult chair dates back to World War II, and the direct stimulus for its development was the tragic death of Valentine Baker in an air accident in 1942, which prompted James Martin to look for new methods of evacuating the pilot from the plane. It is worth noting that J. Martin already had some experience in developing new methods of this type, and one of his ideas (concerning the rapid ejection of the cockpit cover) was widely used in Spitfires. However, the development of an effective catapult seat turned out to be a technical challenge, and the main problem was to reduce the stresses affecting the pilot during the entire operation. Intensive tests with mannequins took virtually the entire year 1945, and the first successful human catapulting took place in 1946. After further improvements, in 1948 the seat, designated as Martin-Baker Mk.1, was fitted into RAF and FAA aircraft. It was mounted on machines such as: Gloster Meteor, Hawker Hunter, Supermarine Attacker or EE Canberra.