The seatbelts from RB Productions finally arrived (along with a neat razor saw to help me cut resin pieces). I knew from reviews and online builds that this was going require some intricate work since these seatbelts (similar to the HGW products) are pieced together much like the real thing.
The fabric portion of the belts are supplied as pre-cut pieces of special paper. They are quite resilient but being paper-based, you need to make sure that you don't stress them too much or they will distort or rip. I experienced no problems with them even when my fingertips got a little sweaty. The metal parts are photo-etched. There is a little sawtooth tool on the corner of the P.E. fret that is supposed to allow you to replicate the stitching.
This first piece (one of the lap belts), which is comprised of two paper pieces and three P.E. parts took me about 30 minutes. Most of that time was simply looking at the instruction sheet and figuring out how each paper piece is "threaded" onto the different buckles. The instructions don't give a step-by-step but provide illustrations of the finished pieces in plan and profile.
The leather padding of the lap belts are supplied as a brown-colored paper.
Once you get one done, the process gets a bit faster. I found it easier to complete each buckle and securing with glue before moving on to the next. The instructions specifically preclude the use of CA glue for construction as it might stain the paper material. I used Gator Grip Glue.
With the seatbelts finished, I can attach them to the seat.
I can finally get the cockpit tub assembled. Just to note, the Alley Cat seat and rear bulkhead were used here.
Funny how all of the detail sort of disappears when the cockpit walls are put together.
With my new RB razor saw, I cut off the casting block of the Alley Cat spinner to see how that fit to the kit. Not too well I am sad to report. I need to look at it a little more carefully but my initial assessment is that the spinner backplate hole isn't centered perfectly so the prop is misaligned. Not sure if I can fix the issue but I'm already looking at ditching it and using the kit parts AGAIN.
The choice to use or not use the Alley Cat parts has been a dilemma for me. The corrections that they address seem to be offset by various negative traits. The prop assembly is a perfect example of this. On the plus side are (a) backplate seam is in the right place, (b) no awkward joint along the prop openings to fill, (c) prop blade outline is more accurate and (d) blades can be inserted AFTER the spinner is painted, making the always challenging spiral easier to deal with. But it is all for naught if prop doesn't go on straight! Also the resin prop blades are very thick compared to the kit parts, which is surprising given the ability to cast razor sharp edges in resin. The kit prop assembly is shown on the left while the Alley Cat is on the right.
I'll have to a closer look at the alignment issue on the Alley Cat spinner but at the same time, I've been considering how to make the kit prop blades a little more palatable. Perhaps I can cut and trim my way to an acceptable blade shape. Assuming that the Alley Cat shape is the more accurate (shown on left), a cursory trim off the top and sides looks a little better (see middle) than the unmodified kit part (on the right). And I might be able to trim off the mounting tabs to allow me to mount the blades after the backplate is attached which would make seam cleanup and spiral painting easier.
The saga will be continued...