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a 1:48 resin pilot rant


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saw a recent Aerobonus pilot release, modern MiG-31 pilots and ejection seat, 2 pilots, both with no  mask on or visors down, has it occurred top anyone that some of us build aircraft because Armor may require the painting of faces?  Is there anyway to get the modern manufacturers or aftermarket to understand that if the pilot is in there its likely the wearing a mask and often with visor down, unless its Tom Cruise in the movies.life would be so much easier if they would sculpt a head with mask on and visor down

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most models are done "gear down" ...and some even do it with "open canopies"... Maybe they're the target customers???

maybe you don't "need" resin pilot to have them "mask on/visor down"...those in plastic are mostly that way...

 

 

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I recently did a US Navy pilot visor down, mask on, and it took not long somebody asked for visor up, mask hanging...

I guess there are people interested in both head versions

 

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Throwing a crazy idea out here for norbert (or any manufacturer for that matter), but would it be hard to make a figure with a switchable face area? Have a "plug" that fits in the helmet with a face, mask off, another with a face mask on visor up, and then another that plugs in with a visor down mask on...perhaps even visor down mask off (like I've been needing in 1/32 scale for a Blue Angel. :whistle: It might be a cheaper way to do instead of having 3 or 4 different full figures in various configurations. Just a thought.

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14 minutes ago, niart17 said:

Throwing a crazy idea out here for norbert (or any manufacturer for that matter), but would it be hard to make a figure with a switchable face area? Have a "plug" that fits in the helmet with a face, mask off, another with a face mask on visor up, and then another that plugs in with a visor down mask on...perhaps even visor down mask off (like I've been needing in 1/32 scale for a Blue Angel. :whistle: It might be a cheaper way to do instead of having 3 or 4 different full figures in various configurations. Just a thought.

I think many do different heads.  I believe it was the 1/32 academy F-18 that the pilot had different heads for all the configurations.   As some one who likes putting pilots in my cockpits, I'm all for any pilots in any configurations we can get.  

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2 hours ago, niart17 said:

Throwing a crazy idea out here for norbert (or any manufacturer for that matter), but would it be hard to make a figure with a switchable face area? Have a "plug" that fits in the helmet with a face, mask off, another with a face mask on visor up, and then another that plugs in with a visor down mask on...perhaps even visor down mask off (like I've been needing in 1/32 scale for a Blue Angel. :whistle: It might be a cheaper way to do instead of having 3 or 4 different full figures in various configurations. Just a thought.

Verlinden 1/32 TOPGUN pilot is perfect for a Blue Angel - HGU-33 with visor down, no mask 😉

-brian

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3 hours ago, norbert said:

I recently did a US Navy pilot visor down, mask on, and it took not long somebody asked for visor up, mask hanging...

I guess there are people interested in both head versions

 

You did one of the most awesome seated pilots ever made! And no matter what you create, there are always people that want it 'their' way 😉 I know, I'm one of them hahahaha. You keep making the figures that you want. I've found that's the best way to do aftermarket - make what makes you happy. For the time and effort it takes, you have to enjoy and invest the time. And then share what you're proud of and let the customers work it out. 

cheers,

brian

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2 hours ago, Brian P: Fightertown Decals said:

Verlinden 1/32 TOPGUN pilot is perfect for a Blue Angel - HGU-33 with visor down, no mask 😉

-brian

is that still available? I mean I've seen it on Ebay for ridiculous prices, but it's been a while since I've seen it on the market. Plus that 'stach....:coolio: 

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2 hours ago, Brian P: Fightertown Decals said:

Verlinden 1/32 TOPGUN pilot is perfect for a Blue Angel - HGU-33 with visor down, no mask 😉

-brian

Sometimes, I was thinking doing one with same pose as a tribute to François Verlinden who made us discover aftermarket decades ago. 

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1 hour ago, norbert said:

Sometimes, I was thinking doing one with same pose as a tribute to François Verlinden who made us discover aftermarket decades ago. 

 

Yes please. And since your figures are adaptable in all the scales it will be great.

 

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Yeah, I'd also like to see more seated pilots with mask and visor on. Some manufacturers include pilots and I admire that (I know Tamiya F-14 has them, Academy F-4, Hasegawa F/A-18E/F/G...). Too bad that Tamiya doesn't make pilots in plastic alone for couple of bucks. The quality of their figurines is very good, especially as for closed canopies.

Edited by Tapchan
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I can imagine someone wants to depict a moment of pre-flight checkup with canopy open, crew around, different surfaces being controlled and pilot without visor and mask, but this, IMO, is the least often.

 

Lack of mask and visor is actually the reason I am not buying Aerobonus pilots. Why don't they just include 2nd head option?

Edited by Tapchan
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On 1/6/2020 at 10:33 AM, Brian P: Fightertown Decals said:

Verlinden 1/32 TOPGUN pilot is perfect for a Blue Angel - HGU-33 with visor down, no mask 😉

-brian

That figure won’t work for a BA pilot. He’s wearing g-pants, plus the Blues wear a flight suit that’s cut different from the standard CWU 27 flight suit. 
 

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3 hours ago, okthree said:

That figure won’t work for a BA pilot. He’s wearing g-pants, plus the Blues wear a flight suit that’s cut different from the standard CWU 27 flight suit. 
 

Of course the pilot won't work. There is no pilot out there that's a Blue. Maybe use the Academy pilot and sand down all the detail...

I'm just talking about the helmet for a seated Blue Angel 😉

brian

Edited by Brian P: Fightertown Decals
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Personally I've found that the heads are the weakest part of the aerobonus figures. At least they are usually separate so I tend to graft on a head from a plastic figure from my spares box that suits.   Maybe harder to do with eastern bloc gear though.

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12 hours ago, okthree said:

That figure won’t work for a BA pilot. He’s wearing g-pants, plus the Blues wear a flight suit that’s cut different from the standard CWU 27 flight suit. 
 

Yup,but as Brian says, I understood that you'd have to use a different body. The body isn't that hard to come up with something that will work for a seated pilot with no g-suit with a little sanding and sculpting, but the helmet, visor and face combination make it difficult to make the head look right. I guess one could attempt to hollow out a helmet and graft a lower face into it, but even at a larger 1/32 scale that would be quite a challenge.

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4 hours ago, AndrewPerren said:

Personally I've found that the heads are the weakest part of the aerobonus figures. At least they are usually separate so I tend to graft on a head from a plastic figure from my spares box that suits.   Maybe harder to do with eastern bloc gear though.

I've always thought the helmets were disproportionately large on the Aerobonus US pilots. They look like characters from Spaceballs. 😁

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