I'm one of those who uses aftermarket seat belts whenever they are not provided in the kit I'm building. This particular set is for Japanese naval aircraft. There are four different types of belts provided in the set. These are for bombers, Nakajima built aircraft, Mitsubish built aircraft and Kawanishi built planes.

The Japanese were generally not fond of belts as it was felt that it constricted their movement in the cockpit. While most got used to lap belts, shoulder belts generally did not happen until later in the war. In fact, some pilots deliberately sat on their belts rather than wear them. The Kawanish belts come with a single shoulder belt like you have in your car and later in the war, Mitsubishi added a single shoulder belt to their cockpits. One has to wonder how many pilots lost teeth on arrested landings when their face hit the gunsight due to no body restraint.

These are Eduard's prepainted belts and are quite easy to apply.

February 2021

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