WW2 modellers - HGW seatbelts

[R Palimaka]

I used the RB Productions belts on my 1/24 Airfix Mustang. I was really pleased with how they look, and the paper/fabric material drapes over the seat very nicely. I took my time assembling them, which was not easy with my almost 60 year-old eyes. To be honest it was fun...call me crazy. The nice thing about the fabric material was that I was able to draw the stitching on after with a very sharp pencil. The instructions were clear but needed to be understood before you started.

 

Edited March 2, 2018 by R Palimaka

[justjim1]

hi guys I buy my seatbelts from HLJ these are made by Wako and are made from paper and fiber , take a bit of time to assemble but are worth it ( IMO).They are cheap , a few pounds /Dollars for two sets in one pack . They also do a high detail set , (not much different in quality but better plans ) a bit more expensive but still cheaper than anyone else .check them out .jim

[EvilCarrot]

My first time using the HGW belts I was nearly finished when I realized they have backing paper.

[ringleheim]

I made a set of this sort of thing once in 1/32 scale.  It took so long (hours) to make them that I concluded they were not worth the time it took to make them.  I think the detail they provide is actually unnecessary and kind of an overkill thing.  

I can see trying to do them again, however.  If I was able to do them in a reasonable amount of time they would be more attractive to me!  

 

I think annealed and bent P/E belts work just fine.  Much quicker in the end too.

 

Crisply molded belts/harnesses on a resin seat are also more than enough detail; I think that is the best way to go. 

 

I wish kit manufacturers would go that route as opposed to the P/E route.

 

I.E., leave out the P/E seat belts and give me a resin seat with belts molded in instead.

[MikeC]

I much prefer RB Productions belts, still fiddly but better than HGW in my opinion.

Max

 

Now I've got used to HGW I really like them, they're my default for replacing seat belts.  I've never tried RB Productions belts, but in view of you've said I'll give them a go.

[Zero77]

Let's turn this around then

 

If you can assemble HGW fabric belts, you can rig a biplane. Only one of the parts in rigging is much bigger and easy to handle

 

Richard

 

I can rig a biplane. I've already built 3 or 4.

Edited March 8, 2018 by Zero77

[dennismcc]

I had to phase in this (below) to put my RB seat belts together, I found them so much easier to assemble than PE ones.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Wackyracer]

RB belts in the Swedish FW

 

 

And bf109

 

[Bill_S]

Hold your breath, and work between heartbeats!

[ChuckD]

I've used HGW belts on a few of my kits and have really enjoyed them.  Their look is convincing and I didn't find their construction any worse than any other PE setup.  I'll say that adding them to my Bf-110E build - and consequently having to build 3 sets of belts for one airplane - added at least a few days to my overall build time.

 

 

 

And on a Hasegawa 109F

Edited March 8, 2018 by Gewehr 43

[AdamR]

I tried the HGW belts once, and swore I'd never do it again. 

.

Perhaps you gave up too easily. I went nuts doing my first two sets, but it got progressively easier.  I just finished a set for an F4U-1D without saying "F***!" even once.

 

Tips:

 

1 Make sure you buy the pre-cut kind!

 

2.Turn an old kit box lid upside down and work inside of that.  Better still, paint the inside of the lid black.  This will save searching time for dropped parts and also deprive the Carpet Monster of many meals.

 

3. Don't use CA glue.  Use Formula 560.

 

4. Leave the PE parts on the frets as much as possible.

 

5. Practice. You will soon figure out little useful techniques to make things go better.

 

I used to dread "seatbelt time," but now it's no big deal.

[DonH]

Here's a radical thought. Anneal and paint the belts that WNW have supplied in the box. I sometimes wonder why we spend extra money on small fiddly bits that we won't see much of when it's all over. 

 

Here's the WNW belts in their Junkers J1. This is my attempt. In the hands of a good modeller, I am sure better results can be obtained.

 

 

Having said all that, I have belts for my Tamiya and HK Mosquitos. Much swearing in my future, I think.

[MikeC]

.

Perhaps you gave up too easily. I went nuts doing my first two sets, but it got progressively easier.  I just finished a set for an F4U-1D without saying "F***!" even once.

 

Tips:

 

1 Make sure you buy the pre-cut kind!

 

2.Turn an old kit box lid upside down and work inside of that.  Better still, paint the inside of the lid black.  This will save searching time for dropped parts and also deprive the Carpet Monster of many meals.

 

3. Don't use CA glue.  Use Formula 560.

 

4. Leave the PE parts on the frets as much as possible.

 

5. Practice. You will soon figure out little useful techniques to make things go better.

 

I used to dread "seatbelt time," but now it's no big deal.

 

All good advice, particularly #3.  I use something called "Gator's Grip", the thin variety.

[Zero77]

Here's a radical thought. Anneal and paint the belts that WNW have supplied in the box. I sometimes wonder why we spend extra money on small fiddly bits that we won't see much of when it's all over. 

 

Here's the WNW belts in their Junkers J1. This is my attempt. In the hands of a good modeller, I am sure better results can be obtained.

 

 

Having said all that, I have belts for my Tamiya and HK Mosquitos. Much swearing in my future, I think.

 

 

 

If i remember correctly the PE fret in the WNW kits is made by Eduard, so it's very good quality in thickness and details.

 

However, the PE belts in Trumpeter kits, Italeri or even Kittyhawk is not as good (at least for the belts INMH). Revell kits just dont have PE. So sometimes you definitely need AM belts.

Edited March 10, 2018 by Zero77

[alaninaustria]

I had to phase in this (below) to put my RB seat belts together, I found them so much easier to assemble than PE ones.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

Well Dennis, now that's a cutting mat!! What size is it?

 

Cheers

Alan