FineMolds Resin Seat Belts

[David Hansen 1,221]

Hi,

 

I know someone here on LSP recently used the FM 32nd scale resin seat belts, and they need to be dunked in hot water to soften enough so that they can be bent to conform to the curves and undulations in aircraft seats.

 

Has anyone tried heating these up in water in a styrofoam cup, in a microwave oven? I wonder if it might speed things up, or if it might irreparably damage the belts. I don't know if the resin detail has much of a "memory" when it cools and sets up in a 'bent' state.

 

Curious as to what the studio audience might think of this approach.

 

david

[Harold 3,564]

Hi,

 

I know someone here on LSP recently used the FM 32nd scale resin seat belts, and they need to be dunked in hot water to soften enough so that they can be bent to conform to the curves and undulations in aircraft seats.

 

Has anyone tried heating these up in water in a styrofoam cup, in a microwave oven? I wonder if it might speed things up, or if it might irreparably damage the belts. I don't know if the resin detail has much of a "memory" when it cools and sets up in a 'bent' state.

 

Curious as to what the studio audience might think of this approach.

 

david

I haven't tried these belts but usually you can heat up a cup of water, (I use a coffee cup with about two minutes of high heat), dip in for about a minute bend to shape until it cools. This works on thin parts, at least with my resin, some of the other more brittle, smelly stuff won't work as well.

Edited May 6, 2018 by Harold

[Guest]

I used them, didn't heat them, and they bent fine.

Edited May 6, 2018 by Guest

[thierry laurent 6,716]

Why not trying with a section cut out of the sprues? Zero risk and many possibilities to test.

[Wegener 129]

Are they actually resin? I thought they were a form of plastic. Mr Crosby has used them and I think he used hot water to bend them but Thierry's suggestion would be my starting point were I to try them. Might be worth carving a piece of the sprue down to the same thickness as the belt to give you a closer proxy than a big chunk of sprue.

[Jennings Heilig 15,033]

I'm pretty sure they're plastic vs resin.

[Bill Cross 4,333]

And where do you get them? Sprue Bros. don't seem to carry them, nor Luckymodel.

[Jennings Heilig 15,033]

I think mine came from Amazon.

[Jennings Heilig 15,033]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fine-Molds-NH4-WW2-US-Aircraft-Seatbelt-Set-1-32-scale-kit/323218275939?epid=1142182013&hash=item4b414f7e63:g:FLgAAOxymiVRBF3E

[Night Hog 425]

And where do you get them? Sprue Bros. don't seem to carry them, nor Luckymodel.

 

Try Amazon. They usually have them but they ship from Japan. Tales a couple of weeks

 

Dick

[Jennings Heilig 15,033]

Amazon's price is currently WAAAAY out of whack ($69!!).  The eBay link I posted has them for $18.30 each including shipping.

[Night Hog 425]

Amazon's price is currently WAAAAY out of whack ($69!!).  The eBay link I posted has them for $18.30 each including shipping.

 

Amazon prices range from 16-69. CRAZY

[1to1scale 3,232]

They are ABS plastic, pretty much a tougher version of Styrene, but you need a hotter glue for them. I have a set on order from Japan, but i'm still waiting for them.

[Guest Clunkmeister]

I've tried them and I like them.  But they're not even close to the scale fidelity of HGW, in my opinion.  I think they'd be great in a closed cockpit, but with opened up stud, the excess thickness of the belts themselves would be apparent.

 

I don't think they're anything even coming close to HGW, but I understand how many detest assembling the fiddly little PE parts with HGW, and these are a very viable second solution.

[1to1scale 3,232]

I've tried them and I like them.  But they're not even close to the scale fidelity of HGW, in my opinion.  I think they'd be great in a closed cockpit, but with opened up stud, the excess thickness of the belts themselves would be apparent.

 

I don't think they're anything even coming close to HGW, but I understand how many detest assembling the fiddly little PE parts with HGW, and these are a very viable second solution.

Exactly, I bought them for my quick builds. I have Radu, Eduard, and HGW for some builds, but when I just want to ythrow a quickie together, these will work fine.