Pilot Figures

I am looking for a good source of pilot figures that would look "right" in a 40 to 60 size plane. The William Bros. brand doesn't really seam fo look just right.

Bob Hunt makes a video called How to Paint Model Pilot figures or something like that. I would recommend checking that out because it really goes into detail about how to paint the pilot, etc.

There's this guy here in Rio that makes amazing pilots, cockpits, etc. Bené Rodrigues uses his stuff for his P51.

In Christ,

Carol Layton makes excellent, lightweight, painted pilots of various sizes. I believe she also does custom work. Contact her at one of these email addresses (I'm not sure which is current)

[email protected]
[email protected]

Here's a sample of her work:

Fred

Wonder what the scale is on that new George W. Bush doll? It is apparently made in China and is selling like hotcakes for $39.95..

(Kinda expensive for a pilot, I guess. )

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"Why is it drug addicts and computer afficionados are both called users?" -Clifford Stoll

try "www.plasticmodels.com", lots of good figures both real and fantasy.

Now there is a great subject for an article in Stunt News.

"How to do cockpit detail and pilots"

I'd read it, for sure. I'm lousy at cockpits and have, for the past couple of years, given up and done simulated canopies.

"How to do cockpit detail and pilots"

Man!, I read this "how to do cocktails and pilots". Is that another form of dyslexia?

James, have you tried the 1/8th scale Williams Bros pilot? For a real laugh try carving your own. Mine looks like the robot on "The Day The Earth Stood Still". One ooogly pilot. Must be air force not Navy. Ha

Careful Ty, I've heard some of the Navy jocks get funny when you think they're "pretty".

AF pilots don't have that look on their faces because they haven't had their b***s pushed into their bladders making arrested landings.

Hmmm! Those Navy jocks have perfected being arrested in several different ways.

Model Aviation ran a picture story a few years back on scratchbuilding pilots. The model they illustrated was Roscoe Turner. With a frontal and side view of the head/face, it was just like carving a wheel pant! What started as an elongated block was jig-sawed in profile, then flopped 90 degrees for the rough jaw profile, the rest merely whittled with Xacto blades. With constant comparison to the photo, one can get it. Imagine! Ted Fancher, flying one of my planes from the cockpit! Or anyone...
Actually, it's one of those "just do it" things,really goes faster than you would think. If it doesn't turn out, jus put some 'gang member' gear on him, and say it was 'plane-jacked'. Pirates are easy, look better unfinished. My pirate looked pretty good, but the guys thought he was a 'biker'.
Dremel tool with some real skinny ball-bits work great, use them for fine facial finish, eye sockets, and jacket wrinkles.
Photo is the plan, so if you can make a P40 look like a Warhawk, you can make balsa look like Bill Clinton. Or Al Gore. Try it with dense foam first, sharp blades; Foam gave me so much confidence I couldn't stop! Fun...

Ron B.
F4Fguy

CLGeeBee said it,carve your own, it's easy and fun(and can be addictive).Just get some chunks of the green foam that florists use(rigid urethane*),and carve away anything that doesn't look like a pilot.When you've got the guy you want,brush on a few coats of clear to harden the surface,then paint him,or her(gotta be P.C.)to suit.

*It's practically inert,so you can use any kind of paint.

Sure you'll ruin a few before you get the hang of it,but it's cheap fun,and you get to brag.

A couple of samples:(Sorry for the photo quality,I haven't quite got the hang of this digital thing)
(1)Phearless Phreddy Phillpot,Phamous Phord Phlivver Phlier Phrom Philly
(2)Bryce Butterbar,2nd Lt.,USAAC
(3)I.C.Nips,Lt.Cdr.,VF6,USNR

I once again viewed Bruce Hunt's (Heavy Stunt) VSC 15 tape and must say if you want to learn to carve pilots, contact Bob English!

Ok, here it is the definitive model pilot. The trick is get him in the model without interfering with the pushrod.

You know, these are probably best viewed from a distance. Close up, they look like some of those characters from Pirates of the Carribean (if you watch this, wait until the end of the credits before leaving!).

get goofy and put anything in

When I built an Ambroid Stuka Stunt in the early 60's, I installed a figure of Popeye as pilot and Olive Oyl as the rear gunner. These figures were from those string activated "puppets" that sat on a base and you pushed on the bottom of the base to make them move. I glued all their joints together to get the sitting position I wanted. They weighed next to nothing.

>Start with a Williams pilot and artfully customize. Works
>for me.
>
>Al

Hi Al,
Any suggestions on the oxygen mask for WW II fighter pilots? Can't seem to "think" of a good way to do them. This is for the William's Bros. Pilots.

Thanks, Bill

Go check out the action figures in the toy dept. at your local Walmart. Many of the action figures are aviation oriented and can be used for aircraft models. Just chop them off at the shoulders or mid-torso and wala, you have a pilot figure.

Al,

This is unrelated, but what was the Stock number of the Harbor Freight
HVLP gun you bought?

Thanks,

I'm looking for Mr. Bean rrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaahhhhhhhh

The thing about GW in a flight suit is blown out of proportion by the news media. He was a fighter pilot in the TEXANG. Not just anyone gets to fly those things. He was not posing and to sit up front the Navy makes you wear that flight suit.

Thanks

Gort, yea, Gort. Nanoo, xacto, perfecto, kill. What was it she told him?? Gort is Italian for big ugly tin can.

Patricia Neal told Gort to revive Michael Rennie.
She said: "Gort. Klatu. Verata. Nictu."
And Gort revived Klatu and Klatu threatened to reduce the earth to a burnt cinder, and they left us "to our petty squables".
That's when the Communists crossed the 32nd parrallel, and the rest is history.

>Patricia Neal told Gort to revive Michael Rennie.
> She said: "Gort. Klatu. Verata. Nictu."
>And Gort revived Klatu and Klatu threatened to reduce the
>earth to a burnt cinder, and they left us "to our petty
>squables".
> That's when the Communists crossed the 32nd parrallel, and
>the rest is history.

Ahh, Patrisha Neal, she was no Jennifer Lopez, but I always kind of had a thing for her.

Larry,

I prefer action figures, I suppose. When I've talked myself into an actual canopy with pilot, I've used:

Spiderman
Venom
Captain Fantastik
Evagelion

And some other's along with several GI-Joe type fighter pilots. These are the coolest and look pretty good, too.

I never said he flew it. Heck no, he is ANG not carrier qualed. But he did sit up front.

Such are the priviledges of being President..

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"Poetry is like fish: if it's fresh, it's good; if it's stale, it's bad; and if you're not certain, try it on the cat." -Osbert Sitwell