1:32 Warsaw Pact Aircraft Mechanic 4

Warsaw Pact aircraft mechanic No. 4: a 1:32 figure

The fourth number in the range of figures of aircraft ground personnel from Aires/Aerobonus. The figure in 1:32 scale is made for modelers who want to capture the moment between landing and the next takeoff beside their machine.

The subject and the period

The air bases of the countries of the Eastern Bloc lived in the alert rhythm of the Cold War. Mechanics spent their duty beside the machines in all weather: hanging drop tanks, checking landing gear and power units, refueling and preparing aircraft for readiness. Their work made up the indispensable background for operating types such as the MiG-17, the MiG-21 and the Su-22, which today belong among the most popular subjects of eastern equipment.

Ideas for the build

The figure comes into its own beside opened engine panels, beside a ladder to the cockpit or beside a ground power unit. Try combining it with the other numbers of the range: a small group of figures in various activities turns a static model into a story told. Paint with acrylics over a primer, let the individual layers dry out properly, and a final matte varnish will even out the differences in sheen. If you are building a particular machine, reach for period photographs from Eastern Bloc airfields: they will tell you what the personnel of a given unit really looked like and what they had around them.

Who will use it

• builders of equipment of the Soviet school in 1:32
• diorama builders with an interest in the Cold War
• modelers completing the figures of a flight line
• everyone looking for a figure other than the usual pilots