Lap belts and shoulder harness set ups became standard issue on aircraft early in WWI. These were sometimes made from leather or most often canvas. The standard issue on all Johannistahl manufactured Albatros D. type fighters was the lap and should combination. Captured examples of these aircraft types were examined and recorded even down to the attached equipment.
Assessory Contents
24 microtextile straps of various lenths.
102 Photoetch pieces.
The mircotextile straps appear to be a type of paper with a light fabric weave on the backside. These have to be cut out individually with very sharp razor blade (Xacto #11) chucked into a handle. Using an optivisor helps you get the cuts very clean. 6 straps per set and 6 harness fittings (PE) make up into a great representation of scale harness belts.
Other PE fittings are for the fuselage brackets to replace the soft detail components on the moulded fuselage halves.
It is critical that you follow the kit instructions provided. These come in the form an image of a completed set. Colour coordinations for parts are red and yellow. Extra parts are included incase you mis-step.
My first set took me 47 minutes to complete. The yellow straps representing canvas straps.
The second set took me 24 minutes to complete. These are the slightly reddish strap but are exactly the same as the yellow except for the colouring. This set is at the bottom of the review and I think turned out a bit better. Note use only Cyanoacrylate - Super Glue.
My experience taught me to nip the corners of the straps on each side at the ends to narrow the strap slightly. These help you slide on the anchor ends. These are triangles with pegs for the shoulder straps and triangles with "C" ends for the lap belts. (You close the "C" end around the kit structure tube for the seat support,
The instructions I added here as an image were for the SE 5a sets but are entirely applicable here. Also I have added images of the WNW PE sets for comparison.
When contacting manufacturers and publishers please mention you saw this review at AEROSCALE
SUMMARY
Highs: Highly detailed parts that build up nicely with effort.Lows: Not for beginners that have little patience, optivisor and sharp blades.Verdict: Deliberate patience is a virtue here to get it right. But well worth the effort.
Our Thanks to HGW! This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.
About Stephen T. Lawson (JackFlash) FROM: COLORADO, UNITED STATES
I was building Off topic jet age kits at the age of 7. I remember building my first WWI kit way back in 1964-5 at the age of 8-9. Hundreds of 1/72 scale Revell and Airfix kits later my eyes started to change and I wanted to do more detail. With the advent of DML / Dragon and Eduard I sold off my ...
There is enough for 2.5 aircraft. The .5 is incase you booger up one or two straps or loose some PE. Remember to use the bag the PE comes in (to keep the fret in while you cut parts free). Notch one corner of the bag so loose parts can be poured on to your work surface one at a time.
Useful tools:
1. Optivisor.
2, Sharp Xacto blade.
3. Steel ruler / straight edge.
4. Gel type Cyano.
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