1:48 PILOTS OF THE USSR Air Force (ZSH-5). SET No. 21

Soviet pilot figures with the ZSh-5 helmet, set No. 21, 1:48, from Temp Models

The set holds resin figures of Soviet Air Force pilots in gear with a protective helmet, which the manufacturer designates as the ZSh-5, in 1:48 scale. It is not an aircraft kit but an accessory for models of Cold War machines. The helmet gives the figure a different silhouette from the newer types.

The real subject

From the 1960s to the 1980s Soviet pilots wore protective helmets of the ZSh series with a hinged visor and an oxygen mask. The individual versions differed in the shape of the shell and in the way the mask was fastened, so the helmet makes it possible to pin down the period fairly precisely. The helmet went with a flight suit, a pressure suit and a survival vest. A figure in this gear is a natural companion to a model of a MiG-21, a MiG-23 or another machine of the time.

Building and painting tips

Wash the 3D-printed figures in warm soapy water and cut the print supports away with a sharp blade, carefully around the fingers and the gear. Sand them with respiratory protection and glue them with cyanoacrylate glue (super glue). Apply a thin primer as the base, paint the faces and hands with a brush and lighten the shades step by step, and finish the flight suit with a dark wash in the folds. Add gloss varnish to the helmet and the visor.

Who the set is for

• Resin figures of Soviet pilots with the ZSh-5 helmet, 1:48 scale
• The gear matches the Cold War period
• A diorama accessory, not an aircraft kit
• Numbered set No. 21 from a wider line
• Needs cyanoacrylate glue and a primer under the paint

The figures are supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.