Hi all,

How do you go about making modern tie down loops? I am working on a conversion project at the moment and had to sand off all the tie down loops on my donor kit as they are in the wrong location – it’s a M113A1. I like to stow my models after painting the camouflage so working tie downs are my preference. This way I can paint the model and then use foil / tape as a tie down strap to avoid that mysteriously levitating stowage. I have tried a bunch of products and they always come out looking odd.

So here is where I am at:

This is the real thing looks like:


Accurate Armour
I have this PE sheet from Accurate Armour. They look good but are too flat to be used once you paint. They get gummed up and it’s too hard to get a strap under the loop.


TigerModels
I have these resin options from TigerModels. They seemed ok. But sliceing them off the stub it is hard to get a square cut and they are really thin so inevitably fall over when CA glued to the hull. Frustrating!

Also below is a shot of the TigerModels resin set in use on a vehicle. Overall very hard to use and they don’t look that accurate. Tiger Models told me they were making a set more representative of modern tie downs but that was 6 months ago and I still haven’t seen them listed yet. The set pictured is apparently for WW2 US armour.



Eduard
I have these from an old eduard PE set. They are essentially flat strips of PE that you bend and glue in place. Not good. Hard to bend / glue. Easy to knock off and they don’t look right.


Sctratch build
I used a punch and die set and stretched sprue to make these options. Not that happy with the effort and I shudder to think what making 30 or 50 of these would be like.


Help?

W

Mate, for my Timor M113 I used the Eduard set but "rounded" the PE with a dob of white glue after it was attached to the hull. If done right the straps for the swtowage will sit under the tie downs.
I will post a pic once I find it.

Cheers Jason

Use a piece of metal shim which is cut to the correct width and the thickness required. It is then just a case of bending fine wire over the jig.

Ditto. You can do the same thing with the Accurate Armour tiedowns. I've done that with the PE tiedowns included with DML Jagdtigers and used them on 113s and other vehicles requiring them. Make sure you work on them in an enclosed space. They have a wonderful ability to self launch.

Wayne,
I have used the Aber tiedowns, formed over a plastic jig, and secured with CA on my Sho't Kal. They look nice but can be inadvertently knocked off.

I also have several sets of M113A3 PE that included etched tiedowns that I am planning on using on a M1064A3 that I have taken a hiatus from... These are from Yoshida Design, from Canada (I believe that Formations had some sets, not sure if they still do...), and have an etched/raised bar that preclude the need to form the gap over a jig.

For the continuous run tiedowns, Gary Owsley, the famous or infamous White 4, had a neat technique of using .010 rod that was formed over a series of styrene strips that produced a uniform series of surfaces and gaps. I have used alternating .040 by .020 thick and .060 by .020 thick strips to get the uniform spacing. One end of the rod is secured to the jig and formed by pressing the rod over the strips with a set of tweezers. You also could use .010 lead fly fishing line to make the loops.

Hope that this helps you out.

John

One can also get the real thing and boil it in a pot of water until the required size is obtained. It works for shrunken heads.