1:32 German Pin Up N°1

1:32 German Pin Up N°1, a Black Dog figure set

The item 1:32 German Pin Up N°1 belongs to the figure range of the Czech maker Black Dog in the large 1:32 scale. It is not an aircraft model but a figure accessory to a finished model or a diorama. The subject is a pin-up motif in a German treatment, with the serial designation N°1 in the name; the range offers a further numbered item to go with it.

The real subject

The pin-up subject came out of the calendars and magazines of the day and took hold in modeling as a counterpoint to hardware. While an aircraft by itself carries only shape and color, a figure beside it gives the scene scale, the atmosphere of its period and a human dimension. In the large 1:32 scale it pays off: figure painting here has room for the shades of skin, for the drapery of cloth and for the small things of a face that would be lost in a smaller scale. In a diorama such a motif most often appears as the accompaniment to a scene from an airfield or a workshop.

Tips for painting and placing in the scene

Degrease the surface and coat it with a thin layer of primer, so that the paint holds on the smooth areas. Build the skin up in layers from a mid flesh tone to lightened areas and shadows, and leave the face until the very end. Cloth comes out after highlighting the edges and darkening the folds; smooth areas deserve a gradual transition, not a sharp division. Build the hair up from a dark base to lightened strands. Before painting, try the placing in the scene and check where the light falls on the figure in a display case.

Who the set is for

• builders of dioramas who want a human motif in a scene
• modelers of large models in 1:32 scale
• anyone interested in figure painting with an emphasis on skin and cloth
• collectors of the Black Dog figure range