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Bf.108 Taifun Update Sets (for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Eduard’s Bf.108 Taifun kit was one of their earliest in 2002, and yet it is still good enough to see the inside of a new box occasionally, including 2024 as I type this. To coincide with the re-release under the classic desert-themed box art, Eduard have released a couple of upgrade sets that will increase the level of detail in the cockpit, which is often a weaker point of older kits. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1431) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. As well as the two sets of crew belts, you also get two pairs of lap belts for the rear bench seat to keep the passengers in position during flight. SPACE (3DL48166) The Eduard SPACE sets use new 3D printing techniques that lay down successive layers of different colour resin, creating highly realistic almost full complete panels that are supplied on a decal sheet. They can depict metallic shades, plus glossy, satin and matt colours too, which really ups the detail on everything they print. In addition, a small sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted PE is included for the aspects of the set that lend themselves better to this medium, such as seatbelts and rudder pedals. This set contains a full set of belts for the two crew and lap belts for the rear-seat passengers as per the above belt-only set, but it also equips the instrument panel with a large curved new surface that is studded with realistic dials and is applied over the flattened original for the ultimate in detail. The angled console between the pilots is also covered with a choice of two styles of instruments, adding an extra part to the top of one option, and a raised switch to the bottom of both choices. Conclusion The addition of seatbelts brings the level of detail in an aircraft’s cockpit up immensely, and with the addition of the SPACE instrument panel and console, the detail is further enhanced beyond the level capable by most modellers. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
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Hola comrades. I'm building a subject that I don't quite want to reveal yet, all I can say is that it's a japanese second world war dive bomber built by Aichi. I got some eduard photo etch seatbelts for it but the instructions only mention belts for Mitsubishi, Nakajima & Kawanishi. Would anyone here know which belts Aichi aircraft used?
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Hey everyone! I could use some of your expertise about now. I need a set of 1/48 seat belts/harnesses appropriate for the Meteor Mk I prototype. I've been doing a bit of online shopping and see several types of RAF WWII belts. Can anyone please suggest which would be suitable for my Tamiya model? Any favorites out there? I've never used fabric belts but they would seem better intuitively to me. I've found pre-painted metal belts difficult to pose naturally. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions! Cheers! Gary
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I'm currently building the new Special Hobby P-40K and was wondering if the RNZAF and RAAF versions would have used US or RAF type seatbelts? Any suggestions? Thanks Peter
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Seatbelts RAF Late 1:72 Eduard This set contains six sets of harnesses for late-war RAF types such as later Spitfires, Mosquitos or Typhoons. If you don't want to spend a lot of time or money on aftermarket bits and bobs, a simple seat harness can still make a big difference to a kit's cockpit, particularly in this scale. This set should prove to be good value if you manage to use all of the belts. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of
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Spitfire Mk.IX Seatbelts Steel 1:72 Eduard As the title suggests, this set contains four sets of harnesses of two different types for the Spitfire Mk.IX. whether it be Eduard's kit or another manufacturer (we're not exactly hard up for choice), this set will go a long way to jazzing up a plain cockpit. While I'm fairly ambivalent about a lot of aftermarket, I can't finish a model without at least adding some harnesses in order to give the cockpit a little lift. This set will be great value if you plan on building a number of FJ Mitchell's finest. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of
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Eduard Steel Belts 1:72 Eduard This month sees Eduard release another batch of pre-painted etched steel seat belts covering a range of WWI and WWII subjects. Production is up to the usual Eduard standards, with nice, sharp details. All you need to do is snip them from the fret, bend them to shape (carefully) and glue them in place. They will respond well to weathering techniques, including washes and/or pastels. Overall, these are handy sets that deserve a place in the collection of all modellers. Recommended. Seatbelts RFC WWI Steel (1:72) Seatbelts France WWII Steel (1:72) Seatbelts Italy Steel (1:72) Seatbelts USN WWII Steel (1:72) Review sample courtesy of
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STEEL Seatbelts 1:32 Eduard This selection of sets of STEEL seatbelts expands on the range initially released. Etched from 0.1mm sheet, which looks like stainless steel because it doesn't rust, these new belts combine the best of both worlds. The resulting etch is thin at around 0.06mm, and the paint that has been applied after etching is included in that thickness. The paint itself seems to be more flexible too, and the designs have added details such as shadows printed near buckles and joints to give an added depth to the design. They appear less susceptible to fatigue and will stand up to repeated movements, and can be posed much more realistically due to the ease of bending of the surface. The paint is also a lot less likely to flake off at a sharp bend, which is a worry for standard PE belts. The front is very detailed with stitching and shadows, while the belt furniture is left a shiny natural metal finish that is highly realistic. Each set is presented in Eduard's by now famous flat film back with a resealable end, a white card back and instructions folded behind for a little added protection. The PE looks like a standard fret until you get it in your hands, when the reduced thickness is apparent, while the fret is still surprisingly strong due to the new material. The new sets are as follows: USN WWII Fighters STEEL (32884) Four full sets of four-point harnesses in two colours for your US Naval fighters. Italian WWII Fighters STEEL (32885) Three sets of three-point harnesses for Italian fighters. French WWII STEEL (32887) Four sets of either four-point with optional two alternative five-point seatbelt sets for French aircraft. Royal Flying Corps (RFC) WWI STEEL (32888) Two sets of belts in either early or late styles, the lap belts for which will require a small bullet-shaped piece of rod from your own stock added to the closure mechanism for ultimate realism. Conclusion Eduard have come a long way with the development of these belts to give us something which really does do the job. Recommended. Review samples courtesy of
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Eduard Steel Seatbelts 1:32
Shar2 posted a topic in Aftermarket (updates/conversions/Themed Figures)
STEEL Seatbelt Sets Luftwaffe Fighters, Bombers, Early RAF, USAAF 1:32 Eduard As with the 1:48 scaled sets reviewed by Mike HERE, Eduard have also produced four sets of seatbelts in the new Steel range for those of us who like to build in 1:32 scale. As with the smaller scale, 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. [32867 – Luftwaffe WWII Fighters] – There are four complete sets of belts on the single sheet. These include shoulder and lap straps along with separate padding that is fitted under the main buckles and a couple of smaller fittings. [32868 – USAFF WWII] – There are four belts included on the single sheet. Two of the belts are in olive green and two in a sandy colour. The shoulder and lap straps are once again separate, as are the the release clips and orange brown padded panels, although for some strange reason, Eduard have only provided three clips and pads. [32872 - Early RAF WWII] – This sheet contains four seatbelts, all in a beige colour and with separate lap straps. Two of the shoulder harnesses have a short attachment strap that I believe is fitted to the seat, and two with long attachment straps that fit to the rear bulkhead of the cockpit. [32873 – Luftwaffe WWII Bombers] – The single sheet in this set contains just two complete seatbelts for the pilot which include shoulder and lap straps, along with the attachment strap assembly and the reddy tan padded panels. Conclusion Those who build in the larger scales generally try to add greater levels of detail into their models, showing much skill and technique. Now, those of us who aren’t endowed with super skills can at least have some nice looking seatbelts fitted to our models, with very little skill needed, other than a bit of bending and gluing. Of course the belts can still be weathered more if required. Review sample courtesy of -
Seatbelt and Mask sets for Revell Bf109G-6 1:32 HGW As with previous sets reviewed on this site, this set has been released in HGW’s Basic Line. The quality is well to what we have come to expect from HGW, and provides the modeller with some very realist seatbelts, all the ironmongery to fit them with and a set of canopy masks. Being laser cut, the edges of both the seatbelts and masks are as crisp and clean as you could want. Only the small join to the sheet marring the perfection. If you’re using a new No11 blade then you should be able to cut them out without the need for any further cleaning up. The buckles and clasps are quite small, even in this scale, but the seatbelts are stiff enough to pass through them with relative ease. Now, whereas some sets from HGW haven’t been blessed with good instructions on how the belts should be threaded through the metalwork, the instructions with this set are a lot clearer, but still require the modeller to study them closely. The completed assemblies should be given a bit of a dark wash to tone them down a bit, and then just attached to their appropriate positions. They will probably need a bit of a bend to get them to sit correctly and realistically. The masks in this set have suffered a little bit of shrinkage, which hopefully has been taken into account, and appears to be a normal thing, having looked at HGW’s other sets. The set includes masks for both the interior and exterior of the windshield and canopy and rear section for both late and early style canopies, which is a great help, particularly for the interior. Just fit and, using your favourite paints and airbrush, spray away. Conclusion This is another very useful set by HGW, and can be used by any level of modeller. The masks are generally used for when painting with an airbrush, but I’m sure they could be useful for those who don’t. The seatbelts are little quite fiddly, but with a bit of care and patience, anyone can have a great looking addition to the kits seat. Very highly recommended. Review samples courtesy of
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Seatbelts RFC WW1 (32857) and Seatbelts German WW1 (32858) 1:32 Eduard pre-painted Etched brass. The last 10 years has seen a big rise in interest in Great war aviation modelling, particularly in 1:32 scale. There are the beautiful Wingnut Wings kits, and others from Roden, Special Hobby, and Academy. With their large scale open cockpits, seatbelts are a necessity, and both Wingnut Wings and Special Hobby supply them as unpainted etched brass items in their kits. However, painting them is not every ones favourite task, and one look at these will convince most modellers not to even try, but just buy a set. The detail on them is way beyond what anyone could expect to paint by hand, with miniature stitching in perfect patterns. Seatbelts RFC WW1 (32857) Two complete sets are provided to make each of the 'Early' and 'Late' versions, the differences being in the lap belts. The buckles are offered as separate items to be threaded on to the 'fabric' sections, and several overlapping straps are attached, along with individual metal plates. All of which makes for a finer representation than other types of etched seatbelts that are 'all in one' . This type of Sutton harness is particularly applicable to the Sopwith Camel and may also have been fitted to SE5.a's, Pups, and other types according to pilot preference. It was a late war design so checking of references for particular aircraft is recommended. It would also have been used extensively post war, as it was a superior design to the 'lap only' belts in use during most of the great war. With Wingnut Wings Camel due to be released at some time this year (we hope!) this set is very welcome. Seatbelts German WW1 (32858) No less than five complete sets of belts are offered here, and like the RFC set above, the buckles are separate parts to be threaded on. The painting is superb, and really needs to be looked at under a magnifying glass to appreciate how good it is. Most of the belts are the 'lap' type that secured around the pilots waist without any shoulder straps. Each of them is in a different colour, with linen, tan, red and dark brown. One complete four point harness is provided, of the type typically fitted to Albatros and Pfalz fighters. The other 'lap' seatbelts in the set will be suitable for the Albatros CIII, Hannover CL.III, amongst many multi seaters, plus various Fokker and Aviatik machines. Conclusion Both of these sets are well worth having and provide a far superior result than can possibly be obtained by hand painting. They will anyway be essential for Roden and Academy kits as no seatbelts at all come with these kits. It will be a great idea to pose the shoulder straps of the four point sets hanging outside the cockpit, ready for the pilot to clamber in. This can frequently be seen in period photographs, and will show these lovely belts off to advantage. RFC German Review sample courtesy of
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Dassault Mirage IIIC Seatbelts 1:48 Eduard - Fabric & Superfabric For the newly re-released Mirage IIIC Eduard give the modeller a choice of additional seatbelt. The Superfabric ones are one part peel off, Eduard recommend white glue to attach these to the seat. The fabric seatbelts pack as one small fret of the actual fabric belts, and one small set of photo etch buckles. Conclusion Either is a great choice to enhance your 1.48 Mirage IIIC kit. Highly recommended. Fabric Belts Superfabric Belts Review samples courtesy of
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Seatbelt sets 1:32/1:24 HGW Continuing their selection of highly detailed seatbelt sets, HGW have released two new sets, one in 1:32 and one in 1:24. If you want super detailed seatbelts for your models then these will certainly fit the bill. The 1:32 set, for the Zoukei Mura Douglas A-1H Skyraider, contains a mixture of etched buckles and clasps with the straps being made of a very thin printed paper, whilst the 1:24 set, designed to fit the new Kinetic Republic P-27D Thunderbolt, consists of similar PE buckles and clasps, but with finely printed microtextile material. The paper belts are remarkably thin and the idea is that once you have decided which shade of belt you’re going to use, you carefully cut each one out along the dotted line, and trim it to length. You then scrunch the belt into a ball, flatten it out and thread it through the required clasp or buckle. You will need to use dispersive glue, such as PVA, to join the folded tabs together. Once assembled you then spray with a matt varnish, then add the belts to the seat and drape as appropriate according to your reference pictures. The 1:24 set appears to be quite a bit easier to use, in that the belts are already laser cut, leaving just a small join between the belts and the fret. With each part removed, it’s just a matter of threading through the etched parts and gluing the joints over. The belts are ready to fit to the seat and cockpit and there is a nice clear diagram showing the positioning, although you may wish to refer to actual photographs to get the correct level of sag. Conclusion Whilst these two sets are superb, even in these larger scales, the construction is remarkably fiddly with threading the straps through the various metal parts, but the impression given once assembled is quite amazing. The cloth material allows the belts to sag in a more natural way, which etched belts cannot hope to imitate without some expert manipulation. The paper ones are a bit of an unknown quantity with this reviewer though, but I can see what HGW are trying to do with the method of assembly. The quality of the two kits for which these sets are intended means that they really should be fitted with an accurate set of seatbelts, and you can’t really go wrong with these. Very Highly recommended Review samples courtesy of
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"Danger Zone" Upgrade Sets 1:48 Eduard Brassin To complement their Limited Edition kit of the F-14A (Danger Zone, Kit Number 1192), Eduard have added some superb additions to further improve the detail of this kit. There are four sets in total, all of which are available separately so that you can choose which area interests you, and how far you wish to stretch your budget. Big Sin F-14A Weapons Set (SIN64814) This includes all the missiles that you could need for your Tomcat, in quantities that it actually used, rather than theoretical maximums. The figure sized box is a top-opener, and has a small picture of the contents in the top left corner, and the horned Big Sin logo in the opposite corner. Inside is a festival of resin missiles all bagged by type, and with a bubble-wrap cocoon protecting it all. An additional bag has some card stiffeners to protect the Photo-Etch (PE) and decals from bending. AIM-9M/L Sidewinder Four of these almost ubiquitous short-range missiles are included, with the main body and aft fins moulded as a single piece. When cut from the casting block a PE exhaust part finished the tail, while a PE jig is folded up to act as support for the separate forward steering vanes that plug into slots in the nose area. Once set, the jig can be removed and discarded. A clear seeker head is included from clear resin, or you can plug in the protective cover if you are modelling your aircraft on the flight line with all the Remove Before Flight (RBF) tags dangling. Speaking of which, you get a set of eight, four of which have white stencilling, the rest having black. To differentiate between the M and L variants, a small PE part is added for the M, and a fastener is removed in the same place for the L. The decals include all the stencils and banding for both the M and L variants too, with Gunze painting call-outs throughout. AIM-7M Sparrow Four Sparrows are included, with the tail fins moulded into the main body, separate forward steering vanes, and a PE exhaust aperture. A small PE part is added behind the steering vanes, preferably after main painting, as it is pre-painted for ease. Decals include all relevant stencils and banding for your missiles, and Gunze colour call-outs are used throughout. AIM-54A Phoenix Although the F-14 could theoretically carry 6 Phoenix missiles, this configuration wasn't used in practice, so the four that are included in the pack should be sufficient. The main body and forward fins are moulded as one, with a separate tail and aft fins attached, which has a deep exhaust aperture within. In order to obtain the best fit, it might be as well to use a drill-bit slightly smaller than the diameter of the missile to hollow out the contact face, to avoid any odd angles creeping into your build. There is no PE included with this set, but a comparatively large decal sheet is needed due to the quantity of stencils and bands that the missile wore. You will need to pay careful attention to the alignment of the bands too, as they are split into short sections by the missile's fins, so each band is made from four parts. Colour call-outs are of course using Gunze paint codes. "Danger Zone" F-14A Upgrade Set (48817) This set comes on two large 14cm x 7cm brass frets and takes up where the set included within the box leaves off, detailing much of the rest of the airframe as necessary. This includes parts for the radar assembly, nose gear bay, refuelling probe, and most significantly, the 20mm Vulcan cannon bays, which receive a set of detail skins to update the bland interior. The bays each get a surround into which the fasteners lock on the real thing, all of which should enhance realism significantly. A strip of 20mm shells and a skin for the large drum finish off that area. Further skins are added to the aft air-brakes between the tails, as well as some scab-plates and slime lights. The crew steps are each replaced by a single part that is folded up into a three-dimensional part, and their bays are each given a skin. The crew ladder is replaced by a pair of PE sides, to which you must add three lengths of 0.7mm rod to make the steps. This is then attached to the upper section, which is also upgraded with more detail and a PE top step. The nose landing gear is updated with small parts, plus a PE plate on the retraction jack, while the retraction jacks of the main gear are given detailed PE sides. The gear bay doors are updated with PE skins and hinges, but the nose gear covers are replaced completely with new PE parts, which also include new hinges. The arrestor hook housing is skinned with riveted PE, and the remaining parts are used to give the pylons more detailed mating surfaces, which includes the semi-conformal ones on the belly. F-14A Seatbelts in Fabric (49069) Eduard's collaboration with Martin from HGW continues to bring his innovative fabric seatbelts to the main stream, and this set is exactly that. The PE seatbelts included with the kit look nice, but they don't quite drape in the same easy manner than flexible fabric does. This intricate set aims to remedy this with a small sheet of pre-printed, laser-cut seatbelt material, and a small fret of plated PE that is full of buckles and fixings. The belts are crumpled up, removed from the backing and then threaded and glued through the PE parts to form a full set of belts, which includes the leg restraints that pull the pilot's legs close to the seat to prevent injury in the event of an ejection. These are all then fixed to a painted seat, giving a superb realistic look to them. They are small and need patience to assemble them, but they are most definitely worth the effort. F-14 Remove Before Flight Tags in Fabric (49693) Comprising three small sheets of the HGW printed "Super Fabric" and a small fret of plated PE, this set will permit you to deck out your F-14 with those handsome RBF tags that flutter in the wind on airbases. There are three types of attachment, either a ring and hook, clamp and hook, or just a loop of wire. You supply the wire, in case you were wondering. You simply peel the pre-printed tag from the backing paper, scrunch it up between your fingers and then straighten it out, which can be a bit tricky, as small parts sometimes stick to each other, and the material is incredible thin. Then you thread one of your three attachment types through the hole at the top, and attach it in the places marked X on the opposite side of the instruction sheet. You'll need to check your references to see which type goes where, but the result will be stunning, and they actually do flutter in the micro-breezes in the room. If you remove too many, you can straighten them up and stick them back on the backing paper until needed again, as I just found out. Review sample courtesy of
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Aircraft Seatbelts 1:32/1:24 Radu Brinzan Yes there are already quite a few seatbelts and harnesses available for numerous manufacturers, but it’s still welcome news when one of the best releases a selection of different items. Radu Brizan has done just this. The seatbelt sets in both 1:32 and 1:24 follow a similar path with a mixture of etched buckles and clasps with the straps being made of a cloth like material. Even in the larger scales the construction is remarkably fiddly with threading the straps through the various metal parts, but the impression given once assembled is quite amazing. The cloth material allows the belts to sag in a more natural way, which etched belts cannot hope to imitate without some expert manipulation. With the quality of kits entering the market, it would seem churlish not to give them what they deserve and try to make the cockpit as real as possible, which these sets do in spades. Conclusion I’ve not been in a position to look closely at Radu Brinzans work before, but these seat belts are really quite amazing. The usual adage of care and patience come into force here, but the extra effort will be well worth it. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of