1:48 X-47B UAV Operations Staff ver. 2017 US Navy Deck Crew

The real subject

The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is full of people, and without them a model of a machine looks like an exhibit in a cabinet. The unmanned X-47B did without a pilot in a cockpit on deck, but not without a crew: the launching, securing and controlling work around it was done by people just as with manned machines. It is precisely this group that the set captures.

What the set contains

Figures of US Navy flight deck crew in 1:48 scale, intended for a model of the X-47B. The ver. 2017 designation distinguishes the configuration within the range. The figures are caught in working poses, so they add action to a model and give it scale at the same time; without a human figure beside it, a large carrier machine looks smaller than it really is.

Painting tips

• Paint the figures separately from the model and fix them to the base only at the end.
• Wash and degrease them before painting, otherwise the paint cracks on the small surfaces.
• Flight deck crew wear color-coded vests according to their role, so the set can be painted colorfully; compare the choice of colors against photographs.
• Work from the base shade to the shadows and only then to the highlights.
• Leave the faces for last; the skin tone is judged more accurately on a finished figure.
• Pick out the helmets and ear defenders with dark shading, or in 1:48 scale they will merge with the head.

Who it is for

For a builder preparing a scene on deck rather than just a model on a base. The figures also suit other machines of the same scale, as long as the scene matches deck operations.

Terms of supply

The figures are supplied as described. The model of the machine, a base, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.