1:48 Su-27K seatbelts STEEL

Eduard 1:48 Su-27K seatbelts STEEL, the Belts on Their Own

While the cockpit photo-etched set for the same aircraft deals with the instrument panel and the side panels, this item from the Czech firm Eduard goes one step narrower still: it holds only the seat belts of the ejection seat. It is a typical purchase for a builder who has the cockpit interior finished, or obtained elsewhere, and is short of the last link, the belts, which cannot be made convincingly from plastic or from paper. The steel version is printed in color, so painting is unnecessary.

The real subject

The Su-27K is the version of the Sukhoi Su-27 adapted for operating from the deck of an aircraft carrier. In its design it is marked out by a folding wing, forward horizontal surfaces, strengthened landing gear for hard touchdowns and an arrestor hook. The pilot's seat sits high and is clearly visible under the glazing, so on a finished model with the canopy open the belts make a striking detail.

Usage tips

Steel is stiffer than brass and, above all, it remembers a shape; thanks to that a belt does not stay a flat strip but can be draped over the side of the seat and allowed to fall freely. Separate the parts with a scalpel on glass or a hard surface, not with nippers. They are glued with cyanoacrylate in small spots, applied with a pin. The metal buckles come out well once a dark wash is worked in and the excess wiped off.

Who the set is for

• Builders who need to complete a cockpit already under way
• Modelers building a model with the canopy open
• Those who do not want a whole cockpit photo-etched set for the sake of the belts
• Beginners who want to try photo-etched parts on a simple assembly

This is an accessory, not a model. The base kit, glue and paints are not included in the package. Eduard offers sets of wider extent for this subject as well; they are told apart by the exact designation of the particular series.