seat belt widths?

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Techniques
1

I’ve searched and gotten a lot of info from this site on how to MAKE seatbelts, but I was wondering if anybody new the approximate widths they should be in for 1/48 and 1/72 WWII fighters? I saw one post that said “cut them 'til they look about the right width”, but that’s all I found.

Also, a lot of people mentioned painting them after installing them on the seat. Wouldn’t it be easier to and less of a chance of getting paint on the seat if you painted them seperately, then installed them?

2

To try to intellegently answer you questions:

  1. Since the average seat-belt is about 1-1/2 to 2" wide, 1/48 scale would make them about 0.8 to 1mm, 1/72 would make them about 0.5 to 0.7mm. I think this is why the average modeler, like myself, says “That looks about right” and quits while he is ahead.
  2. The question about painting them before or after can depend on how the paint affects the material you are painting (whether it is enamel or acrylic), whether you make them out of paper, sheet styrene, metal, etc., and also how bending the belts to fit affects thr paint, which can crack, peel, chip, etc.

I would figure by the time you got through touching them up after fitting them, you might just as well wait to paint them until after you have fitted them. I mean this is not like painting an ammo belt, where you can have as many as three colors for the belt in question, when you include the brass cases.

As far as paint on the seat, it should be simple enough to touch-up with a small brush.

At least that would be my perspective.

[C):-)]

3

Thank you Mr. Terrific,

I knew there was probably a mathmatical way to figure it out, but I’m not real good with numbers - I usually manage to screw soemthing up. I appreciate you taking the time to make the calculations for me! (And will assume they are correct, of course!)

Thanks again!

4

I would point out that in US Military aircraft, the aircrew have both a lapbelt and shoulder harness. The shoulder harness is the same width as the seat belts/shoulder harness installed in civilian aircraft and cars - aprox 2" width. The seat belt is aprox 4" wide w/a one handed quick release which releases both belt and harness. If the aircraft is configured to carry passengers, their seat belts and harnesses are both the 2" width with a smaller quick release handle.

5

How about jet fighter planes? Specifically, ACES II ejection seat harnesses? In 1/48 scale?