I needed a 1/17th scale pilot for my Lancaster project, so I decided to make my own using cheap action figures as I did on the B-24. This time I took some pictures to share. The whole process took about 3 hours. The action figure is actually 1/18th scale. There are several scales to chose from and often you will find figures at the 99 cent store that work well (that's what I used on the B-24). I wanted something with goggles this time so I went to Toys-R-Us and found this series of action figures for $3.99

The bodies on these things usually won't work for me, not to mention the weight, so I make my own. First, off with their heads! I used a little soft pastel coloring on this one so it wouldn't look so plastic

Here is the rest of the process. Funny, I didn't notice his facial scars until I took the photo, kinda cool Maybe FLAK got a little close one day

And here is the finished pilot, ready to take the controls of a Lancaster

I used masking tape for everything, fixed on with CA. I stuck the foam on with Super 77. The Mae West is masking tape with paper towel in-between. The earphones are slices of wire insulation. Pretty simple and better than most figures you can buy, I think

Ed

Way too cool!

Ed,

WOW...that's something I would never have thought of. I was going to use Tamiya/Dragon 1/16th figures, but that looks a much better way of doing things...cheaper too

Rich

P.S. I'll give you 99 out of 100....You forgot the handle bar moustache eh what old chap

LOL I don't know about the moustache but I might add an oxygen mask hanging off to the side like this

Oh jolly good...well done that man

Looks like his batman has put extra starch in those trousers...can't be letting down our standards while we're battering the hun eh?

Excellent!

Thanks for some great ideas there Bomberguy- especially like the masking tape one. I fabbed up a Me163 Komet pilot from a modern jet pilot a while back and found chamois leather very useful for making helmets (or in this guys case the whole head) and using masking tape for clothing is a fantastic innovation.

Brian

Those figures look great, easy you say, I see extra talent there. A new puppy in the house is eating up my building time for airplanes much piolt figures. Great job. jim

Great job Ed, very original. Shows what a good imagination can do.

J

Thanks Guys, makes up for the ribbing I was taking from the wife while I was doing this

I never took pictures of my B-24 captain, here he is in the plane. I used kapton tape for the "Raybans" and servo grommets for the headphones. Everything else is masking tape. The figure was from the 99 cent store.

Oh yea, Rich, this one has a moustache ala Clark Gable

Bomberguy

And here was I thinking you were a master sculptor after looking at that chiselled face.
sheesh!

Seriously, a great and novel approach to providing aircrew. Cheap, easy and as you say, probably better than you can buy.
Good one.

Chas