1:32 USAAF Fighter pilot 1940-45 N°2

1:32 USAAF Fighter pilot 1940-45 N°2 from Black Dog

An American fighter pilot of the years 1940 to 1945 in 1:32 scale. The second number of a line that gives large American fighters a figure in flying kit, which is exactly what most display models lack.

Which moment it belongs to

The natural place is the moment before takeoff or after landing: the pilot at the wing, a platform propped against the fuselage, a helmet left on the cowling. The figure also serves beside a model on a stand as a reference for size, because only next to a human being can you see how big the machine was. Anyone building a whole scene will add a mobile battery cart and low grass. Leave open space around the figure; a crowded board makes the machine look smaller.

Painting the flying kit

American flying kit of the period rests on a combination of brown leather, khaki fabrics and lighter survival items. Leather looks good when it is built up in layers: a mid tone, a dark shadow in the creases and only very careful lightening of the edges. Keep the straps and buckles contrasting, so that the kit separates visually from the flight suit. Keep the lighter survival items noticeably less saturated, so that they do not shout on a small figure.

Who the figure is for

• builders of American fighters in one of the largest aviation scales
• modelers who want a reference figure beside a display model
• painters interested in leather and fabric on one figure
• collectors of an aviation figure for a themed shelf
• modelers who want more in the display case than a clean aircraft