1:48 Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero seatbelts STEEL

The pilot's harness for a Japanese carrier fighter

This small photo-etched set deals with one particular thing: the pilot's restraint in the cockpit of a model of the Mitsubishi A6M5 in 1:48 scale. The harnesses are etched from steel and come already colored, so that once formed they settle straight onto the seat. The author of the set is Eduard, a maker of photo-etched parts from Obrnice near Most.

The Model 52 in brief

The designation A6M5 belongs to the most numerously built form of the Japanese carrier fighter known as the Zero. Its marks of recognition are the shortened rounded wingtips and the individually led exhausts, which brought a small gain in speed. The machine was powered by a Nakajima Sakae radial engine and appeared in the fighting over the Pacific from 1943. The pilot's seat was plain, of metal and without padding, so the harnesses are its most conspicuous feature.

Setting it into the cockpit

Japanese cockpits are quite cramped, so the harnesses are best installed before the fuselage halves are glued. Steel will take being bent again, so the angle of the seat can be matched at the second attempt. Any surplus length of strap is more sensibly hidden behind the backrest than trimmed short. The buckles stand out if, once dry, they are carefully polished with a piece of soft eraser.

For which builders

• Anyone interested in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service of the Second World War
• Builds of the Zero finished with the canopy slid back
• Collectors who fine-tune an interior with small parts
• Anyone bothered by harnesses molded flat in plastic
• Display models viewed from close up