mcaulk Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 (edited) Last Christmas break I was able to bash together a 12" figure of my younger brother as he looked on patrol on Vietnam. This year I did a head and shoulders depiction of my oldest son serving with an aircraft carrier battle group. Matt returned from the Persian Gulf last year after serving as one of the flight deck crew on the USS Eisenhower. He was a plane captain launching and recovering F/A-18s with the VFA-131 Wildcats. Back in the summer I had decided to do kit bash a 1/6th scale figure of him in that role. The project proved more time consuming than I had anticipated but I think the outcome was pretty good. Regards, Mike The real Matt The Repro Matt This is the original figure I started with. The basic "cranium" helmet was good but the headphones had to be scratch built as the Navy Seal figure were totally different. The Micky Mouse Ears were made using epoxy putty and the hardware was mostly plastic stock with some aluminum pop can for support. The 4P (4th Squadron Plane Captain) was made using an ink jet printer and decal paper and the velcro light patch is medium grit sandpaper. Here's another shot of the 1/1 scale Matt vs. the copy. Edited January 2, 2011 by mcaulk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 Mike, Fantastic Bust of your Son ! :D The figure of your Brother is really nice as well ... Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jinxter13 Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 That is a great bust, looks almost as if he's in a post or pre launch mode......., my guess post..and watching his charge go to work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Middleton Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 wow - amazing work! Very well done - and congrats on a fine tribute to your son, and thanks to him for his service Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mcaulk Posted December 31, 2010 Author Share Posted December 31, 2010 Yea the flight deck was a pretty dangerous place and I am proud of Matt and his shipmates. Thanks for the kind words. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jgrease Posted December 31, 2010 Share Posted December 31, 2010 Fantastic work! God bless your son for his service. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mcaulk Posted December 31, 2010 Author Share Posted December 31, 2010 Guys thanks for looking and for the kind words. My son is home for Christmas so I was able to give this to him face to face. These kids do a great job under seriously dangerous conditions so this was a labor of love for Matt and his shipmates that keep the bad guys where they belong. Mike Out. I'll include a couple more shots if you are interested. Here is a shot of Matt and Dad on the Ike flight deck just before deployment. This is me getting checked out in the Bug at Oceana... had the wrong jacket on that day. The head sculpt is a little pristine compared to what these kids looked like after the hours of strain up on the flight deck. Matt and his buddies look a little weary after flight opps... Thanks for serving! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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