1:24 TRS Racing Nascar Superlite 6-Point Harness (Pink)

Pink in a cockpit is no joke

Pink straps have a longer tradition in motorsport than anyone would expect. They were popularized by cars with eccentric liveries, where the color continued into the cabin as well, and over the last two decades they have been taken up by teams racing for charitable projects. On a model pink works much as it does in reality: in a dark interior it is the first thing the eye finds, and a builder can liven a cockpit up with it without having to reach for stickers on the bodywork.

The extent of the sheet matches the rest of the lightweight six-point line. Two shoulder straps run over the shoulders to the central lock, two lap straps come from the sides of the shell and the last pair passes under the cushion. Everything is printed at once, including the buckles for adjusting the length, and the surface carries relief, so the finished bundle does not look like a decal laid on flat.

With a saturated pink it holds true that once dry it will take fine toning. A faint hint of a darker color applied with a dry brush to the places where the strap would really rub against the shell takes the plastic look off the color and adds credibility of scale to the model. Wait with this step, though, until you are sure the carrier film is completely dry, otherwise the artwork will smear.

Anyone building a car after one particular photograph will appreciate that the shade of the belt can be chosen on its own. On real machines the color of the restraint system often matches neither the paint of the bodywork nor the stitching of the seat, because the bundle is supplied by a specialist firm as a finished whole. Freedom on this point is therefore entirely in order, and nine shades in the line make sense of it.