I am always looking for things I can use in my scale modeling projects. So when I was finishing up my latest project I needed something to duplicate the leather coaming that protects the pilot from the cockpit opening edges.
I found that an easy way to make good looking coaming right at a local yard sale. Old, worn out leather handbags with shoulder straps have nicely stitched and rounded edges.
With a good pair of scissors, you can cut sections of the strap’s edging free and cut them to the size coaming you need.
Remove the inner core piece then cut them to length. Peel the two open edges apart and attach to the edge around the cockpit.
Glue in place with a touch of CA adhesive or some white canopy glue. Voila’! An inexpensive, easy to fabricate scale detail with almost no effort. You can now proudly say: “My cockpit coaming is a “Louis Vuitton,” or a “Prada.”
Gary Brounstein, Sparks, NV