Scratch building seat belts and harness

People use a ton of different methods, from Eduard photo etch belts to tape, lead foil, etc.

Personally, my happy medium is Tamiya tape for the belts, with the buckles and other hardware clipped off Eduard belts. The tape is a lot easier to work with and pose in a natural position, and the PE hardware looks great without the effort and eyestrain of having to scratch things out of tiny scraps of wire.

Here's my first pass at the tape/Eduard approach. Didn't go super-detailed since 1) the cockpit opening in the Wildcats is teensy and 2) these are going in the kids' rooms, so I'm consciously avoiding the detailing bug.

I also found that the tape loses its adhesion very quickly when you do a sludge wash, so with the kits I'm working on now I've started adding a little dollop of CA to the end when installing them on the seat sides, and another to hold them in place on the seats themselves.

Optivisors, tweezers, and tons of patience. superglue and accelerator... accelerator is key.... and debonder is REALLY key...

HI...5-HIGH HERE .

Doogs ..right. you can use tape ,,,foil,,,( EVEN bandeges) i used them all.    

but!!!!!!...remember  what  boba  said its tons of patiences..........and dont do what i did ....forget were the debonder is ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,MOOOOOOMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

good  modeling

DoogsATX..... thanks for the help, and that is some detailing job hope that I can do half as good. I have been in your state twice, once at Lackland AFB ( basic trng. ), then again at Amarillo AFB for jet mechancs school. Amarillo reminded me of where I call home now. Thanks again.. Pat

Thanks Boba Fett for the reply, my main concern will be patience. Thanks again..... Pat

5-HIGH.... I'm a little short on the patience but will try my best. Thanks.. Pat

There is a great article on how to do it here: http://www.hyperscale.com/2007/features/maskingtapeseatbeltsrf_1.htm

I could never make mine look right until I found this article.

I did some on pg 6 here

/forums/t/128955.aspx?PageIndex=6

and some seats here

/forums/t/129089.aspx?PageIndex=1

Fermis, I hope that I will be able to do as well as yours. Got a couple of more questions, I build mostly in 1/48 scale and since the seats are rather small how wide do you make the harness' and seat belts and do you stick two pieces of tape together? I know these questions sound sorta stupid,but I was dropped on my head as a young child and haven't been right since, infact we have a State mental hospital here but they just repair them not replace them ( brains that is ). Thanks: Pat

Unless you're a detail freak, if it looks right, it is right. Get a picture of a seatbelt harness and eyeball it. no problem! good luck!

Boba Fett

Unless you're a detail freak, if it looks right, it is right. Get a picture of a seatbelt harness and eyeball it. no problem! good luck!

 

That's the answer!!!!

I start with about a 3 inch piece of tape, stick it down to my glasstop work area, and cut with blade and a straight edge. 1 long piece that can be cut to shorter lengths for each strap. The only area the tape is doubled up would be from the adjustment buckle, to the main buckle, back to the adjustment buckle. Just like the real deal. I handle the tape as much as possible, to remove as much adhesive as I can, then spot tiny touches of CA here and there. Without CA, over time the tapes adhesive will wear off, then you'll have harnesses that defy gravity. I like to put twists and bends in them....more realistic than a perfectly layed out harness. Every cockpit I've strapped myself into, I had to search the floor for the straps.......never nicely layed out across the seat!

For race cars there is an easy method to the belts themselves.  A couple of brands of such belts advertise on the net and have pictures of their belts with the logos on. I grab the image, print it out in the right size for the scale (usually 1:24) and cut it out.  I take a magic marker of the right color to do the edge (since cutting it out from white paper leaves a thin white edge).  I usually use PE buckles and fittings but have scratched them from thin wire a few times.

Boba Fett...I'm far from a detail freak,sometimes I'm lucky to get the model built....Pat

I hear ya on the "never getting it done part." Got models from 4 years ago that are still waiting to be finished... the thing is, I guild till I hit a snag, it goes back in the box, and when I finally pull it out again, my skill or techniques have improved that it looks like junk. Back into the box, I'll probably build them all when I'm some old guy in the nursing home, and my skill will have returned full circle!

Thanks again Fermis, as they say I'll give it the old college try....Pat