Eduard STEEL Seatbelt Sets 1:32

[Shar2]

STEEL Seatbelt Sets German WWI, British Late, IJN and Soviet
1:32 Eduard

Eduard are continuing their build up of the steel seatbelt range with the release of these four sets. As we have found with the previously released sets, these are also pre-painted and appear to be remarkably flexible, and even with quite rough handling the paint adheres to the metal really well.

They are still made from 0.1mm sheet with the resulting etch is thin at around 0.06mm and have the same details printed on them, such as the webbing, stitching, and shadowing. Unlike some sets, all the buckles and clasps are etched as part of the strapping, so there is no fiddly work required to assemble each belt.

[32874 – IJN Fighters] – There are six complete sets of belts in total on the single sheet. There are two for Mitsubishi late war, two for Nakajima and two for Kawanishi aircraft. All the lap straps are included but it appears that only the Mitsubishi and Kawanishi aircraft that used a shoulder strap arrangement.

[32875 – Soviet WWII Fighters] – There are four complete belts included on the single sheet. Two of the belts are for Yakovlev aircraft and two are for Lavochkin aircraft. The Yakovlev shoulder straps are joined at the top, whilst the Lavochkin are separate, The instructions are nie and clear which set to use.

[32878 - Late RAF WWII] – This sheet contains three complete seatbelts, all in a beige colour and with separate lap straps. All three shoulder harnesses are of the same type, naturally, and I believe they are meant to attach to the armoured bulkhead.

[32879 – German WWI ] – The single sheet in this set contains enough belts to fit out at least six aircraft, if I have counted them correctly. There are just two variations with shoulder straps, the rest being just lap straps. With these you can detail your Fokkers, Albatros CIII, Hanover CI.II and other multi seat types.

Conclusion
Whilst many modellers are able to make their own seatbelts if they are not happy with the kit items, even if they are included, there are those who like the ease of using these style belts. The pre-painted look is, perhaps a little clinical, although there is some shading around the straps and clasps, but they can be weathered to your own personal taste.

Review sample courtesy of