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In-Box Review
132
SE 5a Harness Belts
Cloth for brass
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by: Stephen T. Lawson [ JACKFLASH ]

History

Lap belts ad shoulder harness set ups became standard issue on aircraft early in WWI. These were sometimes made from leather or most often leather and canvas combinations. The standard issue on all Royal Aircraft Factory SE 5a fighters was the lap and shoulder straps. Surviving examples of these aircraft types are fortunately still available.

Accessory Contents

22 microtextile straps of various lenths.
14 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. 1 straps per set and 3 harness fittings (PE) make up into a great representation of scale harness belts.

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 35 minutes to complete. The yellow straps representing canvas straps.

There is not enough material for a second complete set. Sets are exactly the same pattern except for the colouring. 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 lap belts and triangles with peg ends. (You insert the peg end through a hole you drill in the kit structure tube for the seat support,

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.
  DESIGN AND DETAILS:89%
  INSTRUCTIONS:88%
  PARTS QUALITY:87%
Percentage Rating
88%
  Scale: 1:32
  Mfg. ID: #32005
  Suggested Retail: $8.90
  Related Link: Website
  PUBLISHED: Jan 21, 2011
  NATIONALITY: United Kingdom
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 90.97%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 90.96%

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.

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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 ...

Copyright ©2021 text by Stephen T. Lawson [ JACKFLASH ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.



Comments

Those are some very fine looking seatbelts! Thank You Stephen for bringing them to our attention, they may well come in handy. Mikael
JAN 20, 2011 - 08:32 PM
   
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