Guest Ta152H1 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 (edited) Hi all, I've just received two sets of the new flexible plastic seat harnesses by Fine Molds.They're beautifully cast in what looks like very thin ABS and are as detailed as any other available AM set of seat belts..apart from the Eduard ones which IMHO are better left on their fret. They're made of ABS and would require a coat of primer so that the paint would adere properly,even if I doubt that they'll be handled that much once painted. The best method of giving them a natural draping would be by (carefully) using a hairdrier or very hot tap water.I'll try another option though,which will be a little more time consuming but which will 1000% avoid the risk of those belts springing back in return ,i.e. I'll cast copies of them in slow curing PU resin and drape the still plyable belts on the seat of my Mustang and FW190. A few years ago Cutting Edge made seat belts out of what they said was "flexible resin" but I've never used them and some who did said that they would spring back if not thoroughly glued or pinned down somehow. The "fabric" belts,like the ones made by Radu and HGW are by far more "natural" (I've got them all,in 1/32 and 1/48 scale)but these Fine Molds ones are just as nice once they're fitted to the seat;the detail is terrific and the stitches are raised allowing for a very convincing finish.I've a set of HGW seat belts ready to be installed and I'll see how these will compare. They're good value for the money to boot,since each box contains four sets of seat belts. HTH Cheers Lou http://web.ipmsusa3....ft-seatbelt-set Edited September 8, 2012 by Ta152H1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ta152H1 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Hi John, I know..I did ask you about them on your thread..do you remember? Anyway...I've put together a trial set this morning;at first I tried to soften them with a bulb but that turned into a mess;the right upper belt curled and eventually snapped.As luck would have it there were three sets in the box,so I took another shoulder belt and completed the job.Applying heat is just about useless in that they harden back immediately and putting your seat close to a heat source is not a good idea,therefore I have tried to twist and drape them with my fingers and a pair of tweezers,taking care not to damage the beautiful cast detail.This is the best bet and in the end I managed and get a very natural pose,you can twist and bend the belts for quite a long time and they wouldn't crack like ordinary styrene would...I'll post a few pictures within a few hours. Styrene glue doesn't work with them,and we know how CA glue behaves when we're working on already painted and detailed areas...my suggestion is to give these belts a natural pose with fingers and tweezers,put them aside for a few hours,check for them to retain their shape,prime,paint and weather them and then secure them with white glue! HTH Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ta152H1 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Here you go a few pictures...they don' t look too bad,do they?Please consider that they still look kinda sloppy because they're not glued yet...they'll be painted "in situ"..so I hope I wont make a mess! Cheers Lou Saber 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Lou Super looking belts. Added to my 'to buy list' Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ta152H1 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Lou Super looking belts. Added to my 'to buy list' Peter You'll only risk to throw away three fivers...but IMHO they're worth the money and the additional work...and once carefully painted they'll look the part more than the "fabric" ones,but that's only MY opinion...I've got both Radu's and HGW's,both assembled and ready to be installed but these are the ones I like best.Further...if you don't like the look of some details like the tightening straps on the buckles or the large protecting pad of the waist belt you can scrape them off and use a few pieces of lead foil!One tip on "preforming" them;do that without the upper bracket glued in place,i.e. when your next seat will be in the assembly stage!I've used the heat of the halogen lamp on my work bench...burnt my fingers to the bone to protect the rest of the seat but I think I've managed to get a nice drape! Cheers Lou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Thanks Lou Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ta152H1 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 (edited) When the seat and the beltrs are seen in their actual size the stitches are not so prominent as the larger pictures would suggest!They're just spot on to react nicely to some well-aimed dry brushing and washes! Cheers Lou Edited September 8, 2012 by Ta152H1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantom Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Who sells these? I want to get several sets. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloorwestSiR Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 HLJ has them and I ordered my sets from them. They have German, US, and Japanese belts at the moment. Hopefully they'll add British ones to the set. Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantom Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Does anyone in the USA sell them? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 .and once carefully painted they'll look the part more than the "fabric" ones,but that's only MY opinion... I just can't see how plastic can look more fabric than fabric. The price in the review was $27 and that was for 1/48. (almost $7 per set) Looks too pricey for what ya get. Then you have to paint them 'after' they're installed and your finger burns heal ?? No thanks. Just my opinion as well nmayhew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Howie Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Not sure where that price came from Mike they are just over 1000Y per set at HLJ. Fabric microfiber will struggle to replicate the pattern heavy canvas of seatbelts used. Just because something is made from fabric that is not even closely related to the original material why would you think it would be more realistic when finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I have the set for German aircraft, that I received for a review, and I agree that they are really nice. I found that I had to heat them up a bit to get them to really drape correctly, but once done, they really look nice. Much better in my opinion than photo-etch, which I usually find to be too flat. Of course, they don't drape like the fabric or paper belts, but they do work well. I'll post pictures of it when I start my Me-262 build in a couple of weeks. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ta152H1 Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 (edited) I just can't see how plastic can look more fabric than fabric. The price in the review was $27 and that was for 1/48. (almost $7 per set) Looks too pricey for what ya get. Then you have to paint them 'after' they're installed and your finger burns heal ?? No thanks. Just my opinion as well I've got Radu's and Jan's "fabric" belts ready to be installed and they don't come close to these as far as realism is cconcerned...they former look more like "plyable PE" than "fabric" and if painting is an issue,well....let's not forget whatmodelin's all about...building,detailing and...PAINTING!I was talking tongue-in-cheek when I said that I had burnt my finger to the bone..well..I had to withstand a little intense heat not to ruin the assembled,painted and detailed seat, but if you read the rest of my post/(s) (now that the bug has gone!) I think it's rather clear that these belts can be formed with fingers alone. I'll post side-by-side pictures of the various belts and we'll see which set looks more relistic. Btw...I've paid US$ 14.88 a set off eBay,,,and there are FOUR rigs per box! Here you go the link to the seller: http://www.ebay.com/...ssn=hobby_japan Cheers Lou Edited September 9, 2012 by Ta152H1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantom Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 He is sold out. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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