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Empty seats: ideas sought!


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I had this grand plan to sit a driver and conductor in my 1/48 Hasegawa F/A-18D.

Unfortunately, the obvious candidates from the Hase Navy crew figures set can't get their legs around the centre consoles. :bandhead2:

I could thin them down, which would make them look like stick-men from the waist down; or amputate and re-align the unruly limbs wider apart. Then they'd be the proverbial ol' cow-hands from the Rio Grande...and would foul the cockpit sides.

Anyone know of some a/m crew figures that actually fit this bird? I know it happens, I've seen it done!

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Why not just cut the stick and mount it in the correct hand leg position, if your not going to be removing the figures.

Curt

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You do have to thin the inner legs a bit to get the Hasegawa dudes to fit in the Hasegawa cockpit. But really, once they are in place you can not see the legs.

I usually thin the back and butt a bit as well to get them into a more natural looking pose.

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Gentlemen, I thank you for your kind responses.

Sorry Netz, I wasn't too clear there: no problem with the stick/throttle contact points; just the guys' legs are opened too narrow to go around the centre consoles under the instrument panels. Waaayyy too narrow!

The figures in the kit are different from the ones in the Pilots/Ground Crew set, in that their trousers bulge out above their boots (as you can see in the instructions above), making the between-leg width even less -go figure!

phantom, I really feel these fellas would look grotesque if I thinned their pins enough to fit...I'm still experimenting (there are several figures in the Crew set, so some of them are likely to end up 'Special Mobility Needs'!) but to be honest I doubt I have the skills to do anything vaguely convincing. It will probably end up being another unoccupied build. Which means painting over the 'live' MFDs, dumping the Aires open cans and flaps drooped. Again. *Sniff!*

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Somtimes I've found that you need to cut the limbs at their joint locations (hips, knees, shoulders, elbows, then tack them together to test angles that fit the cockpit. Once you are happy with the pose, permanently glue together and use putty (I use milliput) to fill in the gaps.

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Somtimes I've found that you need to cut the limbs at their joint locations (hips, knees, shoulders, elbows, then tack them together to test angles that fit the cockpit. Once you are happy with the pose, permanently glue together and use putty (I use milliput) to fill in the gaps.

Pretty much what my 'experiments' entail -I'm like a low-rent Dr Frankenstein at the moment; also drilling into the severed joints and inserting wire for some degree of articulation so I end up with something like an artist's maquette.

All this with no medical training whatsoever... :blink:

I'd like to end up with something like this, OK I know that's an F-14 but the crew seem quite comfy!

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