1:48 Boeing CH-47A Chinook seatbelts STEEL

Photo-etched belts 1:48 Boeing CH-47A Chinook in the STEEL form

A set of photo-etched seat belts for the cabin of the heavy transport helicopter CH-47A in 1:48 scale. The STEEL designation refers to the material: the belts are etched from steel sheet, which against softer brass is stiffer and holds the shape you bend it into. A belt then stays naturally slack over the seat and does not spring back flat. The package holds this accessory only; neither the seats nor the kit are part of it.

Why replace the belts

The pilots' cockpit of the helicopter is largely glazed and through the sizeable windows you can see into it far better than into the cockpit of a fighter. The seats in a kit are meanwhile usually dealt with only by suggested relief of the belts, or not at all. A photo-etched belt is an order of magnitude thinner than plastic, it can be bent, twisted and thrown over the backrest, so the interior stops looking empty even without further work.

Usage tips

Separate the parts with a scalpel on a hard surface and degrease them. Steel is stiffer than brass, so make the bend gradually and in the wider jaw of a bender or between two razor blades. The natural curve of the belt is finished by drawing it over the handle of a scalpel or another round object. It is glued with cyanoacrylate glue in a minute quantity; a surplus of glue wicks and dulls the surface of the seat. Fit them right at the end, with tweezers and under a magnifier; it is sensible to finish the cabin before the fuselage is closed.

Who the set is for

• Builders of helicopters in 1:48 scale
• Modelers detailing a clearly visible glazed cockpit
• Those who want to raise the level of the interior without major work on the plastic
• More experienced modelers used to working with tweezers

The accessory set is supplied without a kit, glue or paints.