RB Productions | RB-P320061 1/32 Luftwaffe seatbelts Beige - Standard
Reviewed by Iain Ogilvie
Another great set from RB Productions - RB-P320061 1/32 Luftwaffe seatbelts Beige - Standard.
Suitable for all German fighters and Bombers from 1933 to 1945.
The set includes one sheet of photo-etched buckles and clasps, one set of pre-cut paper straps (beige), one set of pre-cut lap-belt padding (brown) and a detailed assembly guide. This set replaces earlier set - RB-P32006 (reviewed here) and has the advantage of laser cut, and easier to use, paper straps an improvement over the earlier, already superb, sets.
In 1:32 I find these belts give me the most realistic results compared to alternatives on the market - the photo below (from RB Productions website) shows the result!
Why Paper? I'm going to cheat (again!) and copy the text from RB Productions site.
The "paper" used on these seatbelts has a high rag content and no lignin (meaning that it is actually a "textile" material), it is acid free and died in the grain.
Why is this better than "fabric"? Fabric was considered and tested, then it was abandoned for the following reasons:
- Fabric is hard to cut properly. The edges will often fray. The paper used on these seatbelts will always keep a well-defined edge.
- The paper used on these seatbelts is extremely easy to "set" and stay on the model if you moisten it slightly. Fabric tends to be "springy" and will not settle like real seatbelts.
- Real seatbelts have a very "tight" and "solid" look about them. Seatbelt strap weaves are usually quite fine and the threads tend to be around 1mm on the coarsest materials, but usually they are much finer. In scale 1/32 such coarse thread would be 0.03mm, which is basically one fifth of the thickness of a human hair. There is no way such weave or thread could ever be visible on accurately-scaled straps. The paper used on these seatbelts provides the correct "tight" and "solid" look of the real thing.
- "Fabrics" tend to have a "plain weave" respectively a perpendicular "over and under" pattern. No seatbelt material is ever woven like that - most of them tend to be a "twill pattern". Furthermore, no matter how tightly the fabric is woven, on the fabric material used for "fabric" seatbelts there are fine gaps between the threads and as a result the seatbelt will be slightly translucent. The paper used on these seatbelts provides the correct thickness and opacity of the real thing.
As with all RB Productions accessories, the instructions are clear and straightforward - with great drawings of the full size belts for reference.
Conclusion
If you're planning on building a period Luftwaffe subject these straps are highly recommended!
This set is available directly from RB Productions.
Review copy courtesy of Radu at RB Productions.
© Iain Ogilvie 2016
This review was published on Friday, December 02 2016; Last modified on Friday, December 02 2016