Eduard 1/32 OV-10D Seatbelts Detail Set Review
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | May 2015 | Manufacturer | Eduard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | OV-10D Seatbelts Detail Set | Scale | 1/32 |
| Kit Number | 32831 | Media | Photo-Etch |
| Pros | Adds nice details to the Kitty Hawk kit | Cons | See text |
| Skill Level | Intermediate | MSRP (USD) | $15.00 |
Review
As we reported in our first-look at this set, Eduard produced a nice-looking crew restraint set for the Kitty Hawk Models' 1/32 OV-10D Bronco kit. As you see in the image below, the set consists of one color-printed fret of photo-etched parts. If you look closer at the image, you can see the stitching details printed in the shoulder and lap belt straps. One concern I've had about the color printing is if the paint can be damaged during assembly.
Eduard renders the crew restraints in one of several ways. One provides the harness completely laid out where all you need to do is place it on the ejection seat. Another is the component approach where you must assemble the restraints one strap and one buckle at a time. As you see here, we're going to be building two sets of restraints - one for each ejection seat.
Eduard's etching process is impressive. The buckles are almost the thickness of the carrier fret. Only a layer or so was removed to add some surface details where needed. This thickness makes handling these tiny parts much easier. The straps are much thinner, about as thick as aluminum foil, which makes the process of threading those straps through the buckles easier. One thing to be careful of is folding the straps tightly. As you put a buckle through the end of the strap, you fold that end over to retain the buckle, but the sharp bend will cause the color-printed paint to separate. I found that none of these paint separations were visible once I had the harnesses installed.
This set will require an hour or two to assemble the harnesses and a little more to install them onto the seats. Even though this set is for a 1/32 scale subject, some of the parts were very small and may require some vision enhancement to use. While I'm pleased with the results, I really look for the color-photo-etched parts to save me time in the cockpit, not add a few hours to origami the harnesses together.
When shopping for a harness set for your next project, look carefully to see if the harnesses are simple applications to the seats or will require assembly so you can make an informed decision.
My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample!