1:24 RAF/FAA/Fleet Air Arm pilot 1950's

A British airman of the fifties in a large scale

The figure captures a member of the Royal Air Force or of the Fleet Air Arm from the time shortly after the Second World War. The scale of 1:24 means a height of about seven centimeters, so the face, the hands and the folds of the kit stand out and the figure will take a close look. It is supplied unpainted, and cleaning up the surface is part of working with it.

The period the figure belongs to

The fifties were a period of headlong replacement of equipment in British aviation. Piston-engined Sea Furies served alongside the first jet Meteors and Vampires, and later came the Hunter. In the same decade the Fleet Air Arm introduced the steam catapult, the angled deck and the mirror landing aid, that is three inventions without which heavier jet machines could not have been kept on ships. The kit of the crews adapted to that: hard helmets, oxygen masks and bulky life vests were added.

Cleaning up and painting

Wash the figure in lukewarm soapy water and let it dry thoroughly. Trim the mold seams and the remnants of the gates with a scalpel and smooth them with fine abrasive paper. For skin a warm base and gradual shading with heavily thinned coats have proved themselves; the eyes come last of all.

Where to place the figure

• With a large-scale model of a British aircraft
• In an airfield scene with equipment and gear
• On a plinth as a display figure in its own right
• With a model under construction for a comparison of scale