1:72 Pilot Swedish Airforce 1950s to 1970s

How one figure changes the perception of a model's size

An empty cockpit is treacherous. The viewer has nothing by which to judge the dimensions of the machine, and the model then works as an object rather than as an aircraft. Set a figure into the tub and the scale settles at once: the helmet beside the canopy frame, the shoulders between the cockpit sides, the head just under the arch of the hood. This effect is strongest in the smaller reduction, where the model is small in itself and the eye has no other guide.

The figure represents a pilot of the Swedish Air Force and it matches the equipment used on most Flygvapnet types from the early 1950s to the mid-1970s. It is therefore a figure usable across a large part of a Cold War collection, not an accessory to a single machine.

At the chosen reduction an adult man corresponds to roughly twenty-five millimeters, so the casting really is small and a great deal depends on the silhouette. Painting therefore goes through contrast, not detail: a lighter flight suit, darker straps, a pronounced helmet. A fine glaze will bring out the folds, while an excess of shades is lost in a finished display case.

The material is cast resin and the figure comes without paint. Cut off the remains of the casting block and simply place the figure loosely into the tub: at this reduction even a tenth of a millimeter decides whether the hood will close.

Anyone building a case with several machines will appreciate that one and the same figure unifies the whole display. The viewer then compares the sizes of the aircraft against each other, because each of them carries the same human scale.