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US navy walking fighter pilots by reedoak


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On 11/29/2018 at 11:41 AM, Collin said:

Norbert:

Your walking jet figures have the seat harness already. All you need to do is get rid of the g-suit. We (S-3 Viking crews) wore the same gear that a Hornet/Tomcat/Prowler crew wore (SV-2 and harness) except the g-suit and our helmets also had a boom mic in addition to the standard O2 mask. 

E-2 and helo crews in addition had the HEEDs bottle on the front of their SV-2 survival vest. 

 

I have reference pics pics if you need them. 

 

Im not much for walking figures, but in-flight poses for US Navy/USAF WW2, Korean War, Vietnam War, and more modern pilot figures are very welcome. Some British fast jet pilots (Cold War to modern day) would be terrific as well. 

 

Nice to see you creating products like this. 

 

Cheers

Collin

Hi Collin

ref pictures are mostly welcome. If you have some from different time-frames, they are welcome too. 

I'm also looking how the mask is attached to the vest when removed from the helmet, and how the regulator pouch looks like.

cheers

Norbert

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29 minutes ago, norbert said:

Hi Collin

ref pictures are mostly welcome. If you have some from different time-frames, they are welcome too. 

I'm also looking how the mask is attached to the vest when removed from the helmet, and how the regulator pouch looks like.

cheers

Norbert

Let me start digging through pictures. I may have to scan them, they are during my flying days in the 1992-2002 timeframe. 

Normally the pull down straps on the side of the mask had a small male button that connected to a female button-side on your SV-2. That way you could hang your mask off your vest (vice hanging from one of the side helmet fitting) but it was easy to slap on when needed in the S-3. We normally had the mask to the side but put it on during all air refueling ops (when we were receiving gas) and low levels overland. Other than that it was boom mike. Hornets/Intruders/Prowlers/Tomcats were all mask on flying, although I would let my mask hang off to the side sometimes in the Hornet or A-4, but 95% of the time it’s connected. 

Cheers

Collin

 

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18 hours ago, norbert said:

Hi Collin

ref pictures are mostly welcome. If you have some from different time-frames, they are welcome too. 

I'm also looking how the mask is attached to the vest when removed from the helmet, and how the regulator pouch looks like.

cheers

Norbert

I'm still looking....but I had these on hand:

collinrockeye.jpg

 

S-3BCollin.jpg

 

Cheers

Collin

 

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This is my older -55 helmet, before we went to the new one (much to my dislike, but I flew many more years with the HGU-68, and it was a decent but heavier helmet).  I had a rose colored visor, also had a yellow and the standard clear and dark visors in my helmet bag.

 

I wore my flashlight upside down with a red lens already put on.  In the S-3 cockpit, if we lost electrical power in the jet at night and we had a completely dark cockpit (only happened once on a cat shot off of Korea), a quick flip of the "on" button...the flashlight upside down was perfectly positioned to put light on the standby attitude gyro so we could at least know what way was up and fly the jet (you could hear the engines so no need to see those instruments).  I had a mini-flashlight in my bag for nighttime pre-flight walk arounds (you used a white light for that, so you could see the reddish colored hydro fluid if there was a leak someplace.

 

A lot of us carried some sort of rag or cloth on the SV-2 D-ring as a sweat rag.  You sweat like a demon manning up and sitting on deck waiting to launch.  You can see that in the upper photo. 

 

My O2 mask is hanging off that male/female button I mentioned in an earlier post.  The regulator was in a velcro pouch about 4 inches long, that velcroed onto the side of the large radio pouch on the front of the SV-2.  If you follow the picture from the O2 mask down....you see the mask, follow the hose down and you will see the fabric cover that you put over the O2 mask when stored, then the hose (with the black comm cord) curves up and into that regulator pouch that is velcroed between the two larger front pouches. 

 

Second photo is just for reference.  HGU-55 helmet, boom mike in the raised position.  O2 mask out of the pic but still hanging by the strap.

 

Let me dig through some more pics. 

 

Cheers

Collin

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s39.jpg

 

Newer HGU-68 helmet years after the 1996 photos I posted.  We had lip lights installed on our boom mics which were super helpful in a dark cockpit (vice pulling the cockpit lamp lights off to write notes or look for something).   You can just make out the O2 mask silver colored bayonet fitting sticking up from the bottom of the photo.

Cheers

Collin

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Hi Collin

was fully merged in the design of a future mirage IIIC pilot, 1969 - 1972 period.

yes, the pictures help, especialy those of standing.

Nice to see also the navy version of HGU-55. I have a Black Panther helmet here that I bought as a HGU-84, but without microphone and with MBU-20 mask fittings. i'm prety sure it is an HGU-55 of that time-frame (without the triangular side protections)

 

cheers

Norbert

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I had a chance to see the Reedoak figures with my own eyes at Scale Modelworld, and they look more impressive in real life than in pictures.  So realistic it is spooky.  How do you go about creating these Norbert?  3D scan real people?  3D modelling/sculpting?  A combination?  I too would welcome seated pilots for a range of aircraft/periods.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Looking GREAT Norbert. I know I've asked before, but still just checking. Any chance you guys would offer separate head/helmet combinations or head sets? I know you guys offer helmets by themselves but perhaps the heads would sell also? What I'd like is a Blue Angel style 1/32 scale head with the proper style helmet with visor down but no mask. I know you guys probably get a ton of request, I just thought I'd make a wish known. 

 

Keep up the great work.

 

Bill

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