New from Arms Corps Models of Australia is a set of resin tie downs for modern AFV’s. The set comprises 400mm (15-3/4”) of continuous tie downs, or footman’s loops as they are also known. The castings are packaged in 5 lengths of 80mm and are of very high quality.
the set
Oftentimes these loops are represented on AFV kits as solid rectangular bumps. It’s up to the modeler to shave them off and replace them with stretched sprue or copper wire formed on a jig, or use flat photo etch items. The Arms Corps loops provide the rounded three-dimensional effect of a stretched sprue or wire, and the consistency of a series of PE loops.
The loops are cast on a 2 stage block that protects them during shipping. The first stage is a sturdy 2 x 4mm block which prevents the runs from warping, while the loops are attached to a second casting block (I hate to use the word block, as it is literally paper thin), making them easy to detach using a sharp #11 or a safety razor blade and attach them using CA or Gator Glue.
conclusion
My set arrived from Australia to Canada with not one loop damaged. What really impressed me though; is the complete absence of flash to clean out in the hollow section of the loop. I’m not even sure how that can be achieved using resin casting, but every single loop is flash free.
SUMMARY
Highs: Expertly cast resin; enough loops to do several AFV’s; so easy a caveman could do it. Lows: May have a limited distribution network?Verdict: An excellent solution to detail your modern AFV!
Wow! Thanks Graeme for a nice review! These are brilliant! I need several sets. Much easier and 3D compared to the PE ones. I have a LOT of use for these on modern armor.
I can also use these on WWII US and German subjects by cutting them off individually. I need about ten packs of these!
Great item! Is it available from Mouse House Ent. yet? I've checked their web site several times in the last few days, and the set was not posted in their catalog. Let me know when I can order some if anyone has more info. Thanks.
Thanks for all of the positive comments team. And thanks to Graeme for the review. I dunno about expertly cast, but thanks mate.
They will be available as of Monday 23rd of February 2010 from Arms Corps Models via Mouse House Enterprises for $8AUD.
About $7.50 CAD or $7.10 USD plus postage.
Bill, the setup is starting to pay off, but it will take some time. I had to replace about 10kgs worth of rubber for the new system.
Cheers Jason
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