1:32 German pilot + mechanic WW I

Black Dog 1:32 German pilot + mechanic WW I

The set brings together two roles from a German airfield of the First World War, a pilot and a mechanic, in 1:32 scale. The 1914 to 1918 period is exceptionally rewarding in a large scale, because wood, fabric and bracing wires can be reproduced with great accuracy. With large biplanes it also often happens that a finished model looks empty until a human being stands beside it.

Why a pair works better than one figure

A pilot alone beside a machine looks static. The moment he stands facing a mechanic, a relationship arises between them and the viewer imagines a conversation before takeoff or a report of a fault. The scene then needs very little: a patch of grass, a drum, a wooden crate and a propeller leaning against the hangar wall. Keep the gap between the figures short but not zero; two figures stuck together merge into a single mass.

Painting figures of the Great War period

Flying clothing of the period was long, leather and very dark; to keep it from merging into a black blot, build it up from a brown-gray base and work with lightened edges. The mechanic takes a dirtier treatment with more pronounced stains, because the rotary engines of the day sprayed oil over everything around.

Who to recommend the set to

• builders of large models of First World War aircraft
• makers of dioramas with a hangar, a workshop or a field airfield
• painters who want to practice leather and period textiles
• collectors who prefer a pair to a single figure
• modelers looking for period-appropriate figures for older machines