Aircrew Figures 1/72

[Heraldcoupe]

What are my options for populating a WW2 RAF heavy bomber? I can't see many options by searching the Hannants site, anyone got a suggestion? I'm looking for pilots, gunners, and ideally a bomb aimer lying prone. I know I could scavenge these from older kits, but I'd like to find something reasonably human looking....

Cheers,

Bill

Edited December 9, 2008 by Heraldcoupe

[keith in the uk]

What are my options for populating a WW2 RAF heavy bomber? I can't see many options by searching the Hannants site, anyone got a suggestion? I'm looking for pilots, gunners, and ideally a bomb aimer lying prone. I know I could scavenge these from older kits, but I'd like to find something reasonably human looking....

Cheers,

Bill

What scale are we talking here ??????

[Heraldcoupe]

What scale are we talking here ??????

ooops.... I've now edited the title to include that bit!

I need 1/72 scale, but you know that now......

Cheers,

Bill.

[The wooksta V2.0]

I've some Airfix pilots from their Lancaster and a Matchbox bomb aimer lying prone near to hand if you want them?

[Heraldcoupe]

I've some Airfix pilots from their Lancaster and a Matchbox bomb aimer lying prone near to hand if you want them?

Thanks for the offer, but I've got a fair number old-school figures in the spares box. I was hoping to find some nicely sculpted resin or metal figures to dress up one of my Lancasters, the Airfix "hand on crotch" figures don't look very actively involved in flying the aircraft!

Cheers,

Bill.

[The wooksta V2.0]

No problem, although the Matchbox bomb aimer doesn't look too bad. Certainly better than any of the Airfix attempts.

[timbo33]

Does anyone put crews in their planes anymore? I tend to have everything open so you can see the interior detail and have figures standing around and on the model - I had a qick scan on the sites I use for my figures and there's nothing in the category of in flight figures in 1/72 - something of a gap in the market perhaps?

There's these but they're back to the 'standing around and on' variety

[Al Gunthwaite]

This will be absolutely no help to you at this point in time...but I've just started producing a range of white metal 1/72 scale figures. The whole thing started off on the basis that the figures would be aircrew, but looking at figures which are and have been produced, the whole thing kicked off Fleet Air Arm orientated (on the basis that very few had been done). However, it gets worse in that I've not actually as yet done any FAA flyers.

So, RAF (and Commonwealth) bomber crew are most definately on the agenda, but after FAA figures, then some WW1 RFC/RAF fighter chaps, and then probably some more Navy personnel.

My figures are generally doing what many service folk might recognise as a key part of military life - standing around waiting. Is there likely to be any call for figures in place inside aircraft?

Al

[Miggers]

Bill why not give TIM a pm?

He reckons to have plenty of spare bods about that he modifies for his various photos.

Mark

[timbo33]

Bill why not give TIM a pm?

He reckons to have plenty of spare bods about that he modifies for his various photos.

Mark

Love to help but mine are all 1/48 and they're all Eduard/ICM doing the stuff Al describes: standing, polishing and generally stooging around - there are 1/72 figures doing that.

Herald wants people in the planes manning the positions. I don't do 1/72 stuff now but I remember the poor quality of the crew figures in the Airfix kits, but there must be some out there from the likes of Revell, Trumpeter, Tamiya and Hasegewa that are a bit better surely?

Edited December 10, 2008 by timbo33

[Heraldcoupe]

Is there likely to be any call for figures in place inside aircraft?

It's not something I'd thought about too much, most of my models being built with wheels firmly down. Occasionally I've built ceiling hangers for my son, and while crew accuracy hasn't been much of an issue in thise cases, I would have bought decent crew had they been available.

My current thoughts are to make something a bit more detailed and airborne, so decent crew are key to doing the job. I can't be alone in this need, but it would take a leap of faith to produce and market something for which demand is unknown.

I have seen some seated pilot figures, though these have been pretty limited to single seater applications. A made to measure crew set for a popular bomber application would be a good test of the market, but until it's out there it's hard to judge demand.

Cheers,

Bill.

[timbo33]

It's not something I'd thought about too much, most of my models being built with wheels firmly down. Occasionally I've built ceiling hangers for my son, and while crew accuracy hasn't been much of an issue in thise cases, I would have bought decent crew had they been available.

My current thoughts are to make something a bit more detailed and airborne, so decent crew are key to doing the job. I can't be alone in this need, but it would take a leap of faith to produce and market something for which demand is unknown.

I have seen some seated pilot figures, though these have been pretty limited to single seater applications. A made to measure crew set for a popular bomber application would be a good test of the market, but until it's out there it's hard to judge demand.

Cheers,

Bill.

I've just done a quick Google of '1/72 aircrew figures' and there are numerous other forums where this query has been raised unsuccessfully and you're right Bill, the crew figures provided with the kits are usually a bit unnatural in their pose (I remember an airfix B-24 where the Ball turret gunner was almost 2 dimensional and the upper turret gunners were usually only the top half of the torso) but because most of us now model the kites on the ground, having it fully crewed would look a bit strange.

Having said that, I often think that aircraft are designed to fly and look awkward on the ground. If I could find a reliable way of posing them 'in flight' I'd probably do that as they look better that way.....

[keefr22]

This will be absolutely no help to you at this point in time...but I've just started producing a range of white metal 1/72 scale figures. The whole thing started off on the basis that the figures would be aircrew, but looking at figures which are and have been produced, the whole thing kicked off Fleet Air Arm orientated (on the basis that very few had been done). However, it gets worse in that I've not actually as yet done any FAA flyers.

So, RAF (and Commonwealth) bomber crew are most definately on the agenda, but after FAA figures, then some WW1 RFC/RAF fighter chaps, and then probably some more Navy personnel.

My figures are generally doing what many service folk might recognise as a key part of military life - standing around waiting. Is there likely to be any call for figures in place inside aircraft?

Al

Hi Al,

I hope Bill doesn't mind me hijacking his thread a bit, but I'd just like to say that I've just had a gander at your website & those figures look superb! Beats me how you can sculpt realistic faces in that scale! Anyway, I was looking at set GM72-004: British and Commonwealth Seamen, Officers (Working Dress 5A), & it looks to me that apart from the rank badges on their epaulletes, the uniforms look the same as RAF Officer working dress of the same period? Can you confirm if this is so?

I'm in the middle of a retirement gift build of a RN Walrus at the mo, so I can see some of your little chaps finding a home hanging around next to it!

Cheers

Keef

[keefr22]

Hello Bill,

PJ do a pack of 2 seated world war 2 RAF pilots. Unfortunately they're the same figure repeated twice;

http://www.pjproduction.net/index.php?productID=217

They may be a starting point for conversions, resin being fairly amenable to 'cutting & shutting'!!

I have some of their modern pilots & they're nicely moulded, but I suspect they may be a little small in stature.

I think the TIM that Miggers was referring to may have been the one who posts as Tango India Mike. He's posted some superb images of WW2 models 'in flight' in 'Ready For Inspection', crewed by fantastically realistic pilots, many of which are apparently conversions of Airfix ones! Unfortunately he was involved in a bit of a heated discussion regarding the colours in a photo of a Spitfire flown by AVM Park on here a few months back, & I haven't seen any posts from him since. I hope it's only a temporary absence, as his photos of 1/72 scale stuff were some of the best I've ever seen.

Keef

[Paul Bradley]

So, RAF (and Commonwealth) bomber crew are most definately on the agenda, but after FAA figures, then some WW1 RFC/RAF fighter chaps, and then probably some more Navy personnel.

My figures are generally doing what many service folk might recognise as a key part of military life - standing around waiting. Is there likely to be any call for figures in place inside aircraft?

Al

Nice work Al! Any chance of more active crews for the Airfix RAF Launch and MTB?

Regarding aircrew figures, one could always do aircraft getting ready to take off - an animated crew would be good; the pilot waving out of the sliding window, the co-pilot adjusting his straps, a couple of ground crew waving good luck, the watch officer flashing his signal lamp, the lonely WAAF. Possibilities abound.

[Ken]

What are my options for populating a WW2 RAF heavy bomber? I can't see many options by searching the Hannants site, anyone got a suggestion? I'm looking for pilots, gunners, and ideally a bomb aimer lying prone. I know I could scavenge these from older kits, but I'd like to find something reasonably human looking....

Cheers,

Bill

Didn't Airfix produce a box set of R.A.F. personnel as well as U.S.A.A.F figures in 1/72nd. ?

Ken

[Al Gunthwaite]

Anyway, I was looking at set GM72-004: British and Commonwealth Seamen, Officers (Working Dress 5A), & it looks to me that apart from the rank badges on their epaulletes, the uniforms look the same as RAF Officer working dress of the same period? Can you confirm if this is so?

Keef

Hi Keef - remove the buttons off the 'battledress' (the shape of flaps on the pockets is slightly different but not enough to worry about in 1/72 scale), and they'll do for RAF.

The next release of figures will have officers in shorts that could be painted as RAF (in khakis). I've just about finished making them - I hope they will be released around February.

Any chance of more active crews for the Airfix RAF Launch and MTB?

Regarding aircrew figures, one could always do aircraft getting ready to take off - an animated crew would be good; the pilot waving out of the sliding window, the co-pilot adjusting his straps, a couple of ground crew waving good luck, the watch officer flashing his signal lamp, the lonely WAAF. Possibilities abound.

More Coastal Forces crew are on the 'workbench' - but I wouldn't describe the animations as 'active'.

Also on the 'workbench' are some WW1 RFC/RAF pilots. I'm pleased with the way they're coming along, They are a bit different and I don't think anyone has done quite what I'm trying to do with them. If they work out okay they're likely to be released later next year.

The sort of scene you're describing I want to try to achieve with FAA crew to begin with in order to build on the theme of the figures I done so far.

Cheers

Al

[Nick Millman]

Those are really excellent looking figures, Mr Gunthwaite. The Navy/FAA figures are brilliant and full of character. I hope you expand the range to include some more SEAC aircrew in tropical gear. There are many FAA aircraft types they could be used with and they would be simple enough to convert to other services and theatres. More power to your elbow.

I just don't understand the lack of decent 1/72 aircrew 'in situ' (as opposed to walking or standing around) or the apparent disdain in some quarters for them. Of all the manufacturers Zvezda has started putting good crewmen in their kits with the Ju-88 and large Russian bomber but they are not available separately (I asked!). The Ju-88 skipper even has alternative heads for a flying helmet or peaked cap. When the Russian bomber was the subject of a in-depth review in a "leading modelling magazine" the excellent crew were not even mentioned by the reviewer. The Airfix improved crewmen are a reasonable basis for conversion but finding spare arms to replace the famous "crotch grip" is always a challenge.

Armour modellers, especially in 1/72nd scale, often use figures to convey scale and a sense of activity. Aircraft modellers, even some who display aircraft in a flying mode, generally seem to disdain crewmen. I think these flying "ghost planes" look ridiculous.

I would very much like to see sets of seated and standing crewmen made available preferably molded in hard plastic, with alternative heads, arms etc., and the flying gear details accurate, that could be used as a basis to animate models. Preiser do some sets but they are limited and the latest USAAF set only includes the standing around and walking poses. Hasegawa produced a set of 1/72nd international WWII pilots some time ago but the detail was "soft" and the scale somewhat iffy. Decades ago Frog's Trail Blazers included some interesting civilian standing pilots that were very useful. In desperation I have even converted Hasegawa's excellent jet pilots (from the accessories set) by using the Airfix WWII heads on them just to get a decent "hands on stick and throttle" pose.

The aircraft are the products and the subjects of human activity and were flown by men (and some women). I'd rather see a 1/72nd scale model Defiant about to embark at twilight on a night flying sortie with a pilot and gunner bundled up inside, or groundcrew conducting last minute checks, than to see her apparently "abandoned" and alone - however good the modelling. A 1/72nd Buffalo model apparently taxying, canopy open, with a pilot in tropical gear craning his head to one side to see past the engine and his weaver's scarf flapping in the slipstream brings life and atmosphere to a type that otherwise looks rather staid and portly sitting there forgotten by the men who took her into battle.

Edited December 11, 2008 by Nick Millman

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

I agree with Nick - I'd love to see a decent selection of aircrew figures doing what they are meant to do.

[Tango India Mike]

Hello Bill,

PJ do a pack of 2 seated world war 2 RAF pilots. Unfortunately they're the same figure repeated twice;

http://www.pjproduction.net/index.php?productID=217

They may be a starting point for conversions, resin being fairly amenable to 'cutting & shutting'!!

I have some of their modern pilots & they're nicely moulded, but I suspect they may be a little small in stature.

I think the TIM that Miggers was referring to may have been the one who posts as Tango India Mike. He's posted some superb images of WW2 models 'in flight' in 'Ready For Inspection', crewed by fantastically realistic pilots, many of which are apparently conversions of Airfix ones! Unfortunately he was involved in a bit of a heated discussion regarding the colours in a photo of a Spitfire flown by AVM Park on here a few months back, & I haven't seen any posts from him since. I hope it's only a temporary absence, as his photos of 1/72 scale stuff were some of the best I've ever seen.

Keef

A temporary absence it has been indeed Keef. I've been ridiculously busy with theatre commitments for so long that there's been little time for anything much else. Thankfully it has now all come to an end for the time being and I'm looking forward to a nice long break, during which I intend to do some modelling - for the first time in nearly three years! One thing though, I am NEVER again going to express an opinion about colours on this forum or any other, and that's all I have to say about that.

Now, aircrew figures. Is there anyone here who can do resin casting? I seem to spend almost as much time turning out figures to put in my cockpits as I do building the models themselves, which can certainly be tiresome. If I could pass on my customised figures to somebody who could then copy them in resin, then I see no reason why they shouldn't be mass-produced and made available to other modellers through a forum such as this. There clearly is a demand for them, so . . . any takers?

Cheers all,

Tim.

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

Can't help with the casting, but I'd be very interested in buying some when done.

[Smiffy]

What are my options for populating a WW2 RAF heavy bomber? I can't see many options by searching the Hannants site, anyone got a suggestion? I'm looking for pilots, gunners, and ideally a bomb aimer lying prone. I know I could scavenge these from older kits, but I'd like to find something reasonably human looking....

Cheers,

Bill

It's funny you asking this question, cos I'm looking for exactly the same figures (also for a Lanc project).

I've ordered a couple of sets of Presier figures and will have a go at modifying them to look like RAF bomber crew.

[Miggers]

Love to help but mine are all 1/48 and they're all Eduard/ICM doing the stuff Al describes: standing, polishing and generally stooging around - there are 1/72 figures doing that.

Herald wants people in the planes manning the positions. I don't do 1/72 stuff now but I remember the poor quality of the crew figures in the Airfix kits, but there must be some out there from the likes of Revell, Trumpeter, Tamiya and Hasegewa that are a bit better surely?

Not this Tim,but Tim Prosser,AKA Tango India Mike.He's the gent that occaisionally posts some fantastic photos of his models in some very realistic settings.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16836

Mark

Edited December 11, 2008 by Miggers

[Nick Millman]

Smiffy if you can find someone who has made the new Zvezda four-engine Russian bomber (can't recall its designation) but not used the crew you might be able to adapt them. They are quite comprehensive and include gunners.

[keefr22]

A temporary absence it has been indeed Keef.

Excellent!! Great to see you back posting Tim! Wish I could help you with the casting, I'd love some of your figures too. Unfortunately I've just stuck my toe in the water with it so far & wouldn't be able to cope with anything as small as 1/72 figures. Give me a few years.....!!!

Keef