# Why no pilot?



## diddyriddick (Oct 20, 2010)

My apologies if this has been posted before.

I'm not an expert model builder, so I wanted to ask the input of the group. Why don't you incorporate the pilot figure into your finished builds?


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## Capt. Vick (Oct 20, 2010)

If I may be so bold, at least in 1/72 scale, no matter how good they are painted (and they usually are not due to many factors) they still look "fake", that is toy like, and actually take away from the look of the model. Plus they hide cockpit detail. My 2 cents.


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## Colin1 (Oct 20, 2010)

Capt. Vick said:


> If I may be so bold, at least in 1/72 scale, no matter how good they are painted (and they usually are not due to many factors) they still look "fake", that is toy like, and actually take away from the look of the model. Plus they hide cockpit detail. My 2 cents.


Yep
my impression of the pilot figures that came with the kits is that they always seemed to be an afterthought, there was no attempt to animate the pilot in any way eg head and torso cranked round to get an eyeball on what it was that just flashed past him.

Even well painted (in the larger scales) he really just sat there, bolt upright, hands in his lap looking dead ahead; I can't remember seeing a kit where the pilot came as a head, arms, legs and torso and the modeller could animate him - I think the Monogram 1/32 transparent P-51 Mustang had one but that's a dim and distant memory I'm trying to call on.


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## BombTaxi (Oct 20, 2010)

I would agree with Vick, the pilot figures do not look good unless you are willing to spend serious wedge on resin figures, in which case the crew may well cost more than the kit did. Also, many 1/72 kits do not include figures - Italeri kits usually don't, nor do some Airfix releases. If you have done a really good job on the cockpit, or done some scratchbuilding, or splashed out on some PE, the figure obscures the view anyways.


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## N4521U (Oct 20, 2010)

They just look dorkey staring into space, never bloody blinking! Never letting go of the stick!


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## vikingBerserker (Oct 20, 2010)

To me, it just takes away from the finished product.


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## Wayne Little (Oct 21, 2010)

Never used a pilot figure...mine are always posed 'on the ground' with canopy open to display whatever cockpit detail that can be seen...don't want a figure blocking the view!


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## rochie (Oct 21, 2010)

i'm crap at painting pilots so i dont !!!!!!


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## zoomar (Oct 26, 2010)

In the the "old days", I seem to remember that most plastic kits usually did include a pilot figure. Some, like those from Aurora, even had him molded right into his cockpit. I mean the real old days of the 1960's when plastic models were still marketed mainly as toys. Back then you wanted a pilot because how else was your P-51 Mustang going to look cool hanging from your bedroom ceiling shooiting a Zero with cotton balls stuck on it to represent MG hits?

When plastic models improved in quality and modellers got older (not sure which was the chicken and which was the egg), we wanted detailed cockpits (which was a natural place to add detail). If you stuck a pilot in his seat (no matter how well painted he is) people couldn't see the hours of work you put into the teeny throttle down by his left knee or his rudder pedals. So, kit makers generally stopped providing pilots, although occasionally you could find kits with really nice multiple piece pilots that could be realistically posed. Now, it seems pilots are generally absent, except as standing figures to be placed next to aircraft in a mini-diorama. I recently saw a kit of a Soviet Pe-8 (Zveda, I think) that was Stalin's personal aircraft with tiny figures of Zhukov, Molotov, and the Great Leader himself you can pose by the doorway. Now that's cool.


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## Ivan1GFP (Oct 26, 2010)

This may be sacrilege, but I prefer to build aircraft in "Air Superiority" configuration: For a fighter, no bombs, no drop tanks, and basically as sleek and dangerous looking as possible. They look kinda silly in the air without a pilot. Eventually I plan on modelling and casting a few. Pity they don't come with a lot of the newer kits.

I have never been much into building a plane with its drawers down and all its guts hanging out, but even I don't consider myself a serious modeller in the competition / super- detailing sense.

- Ivan.


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## mikewint (Oct 26, 2010)

Diddy, same here. i toss them and don't even try to paint or animate. a few come with ground crew for diorama use but i don't do that either so those get tossed as well


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## fisty (Jan 11, 2011)

I have allways wanted to know why the 1/48 scale kits like the B-29 never came with pilot and copilot and other crew, and no one seems to make them either. If they did i would love to have them.


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## mikewint (Jan 11, 2011)

Fisty, the 1/48 B-29 I just built came with 4 figures. Two appear to be mechanics and two crew but they are all standing. My assumption is that with the canopy on you cannot see much of anything in the crew compartment so why waste a figure


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## fisty (Jan 11, 2011)

well the pilot and copilot and the Bombardier are very easily seen with the glass on, but there seems to be no crew to use for that.


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## mikewint (Jan 11, 2011)

Yea, the bombardier is right in front and you might make out the other two but not very well. Also with the wheels down the crew would be on the ground so I guess it's set up for a diorama set up


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## Bernhart (Jan 11, 2011)

have built the b 29 with the mechanic inside the bombadiers spot,making it look like he was working on some of the electrical systems


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## tonyb (Jan 12, 2011)

Majority of my models have no pilot figure as they generally look bad imho.
It's a real struggle finding ant decent figurines to be honest.
Does anyone make any good 1/48 pilot figures?
I have seen quite a few but they all have stupid poses imho (bending down,climbing into cockpit etc) I'd love a figure that will just stand next to the plane with,say, an elbow resting on the wing.
Only instance that I have put a pilot in the plane unintentionally is with the Airfix 1/48 Hurricane and that was purely because I made a pigs ear of the cockpit! LOL!
Cheers,
Tony.


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## Loiner (Jan 12, 2011)

I'm quite a fan of including figures, as I think if done well, they can give an additional bit of life to the subject with the inclusion of a bit of 'human' interaction and activity, and also adds a human proportion to the scene to help make the aircraft appear the large size that the real things really are.

I therefore generally include a pilot figure, but also like to use ground personnel for small dioramas. Just my prefered way of displaying a model, but I suppose different people have a different perception of the model presentation and what it is representing or trying to disply.


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## ppopsie (Jan 12, 2011)

In my case; a Monogram 1/48 B-17G, after viewing the film "Memphis Belle" (not the recent fake film) more than 50 times. I play the DVD again and　again while I was making the model, as BGM. 
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/bu...king-rivet-heads-model-kit-surface-21874.html

All of my recent build are in inflight condition. I don't like any airplanes sitting on the ground.


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## mikewint (Jan 12, 2011)

Great looking figures guys. My problem has always been making them look "real". A simple coat of "flesh" paint looks dumb and even in 1/48 eyes, nose, lips are really too fine for me to paint so???


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## Airframes (Jan 12, 2011)

Must admit, I rarely have a pilot figure in the cockpit, unless part of a diorama scene, but I often have figures around the aircraft. Very few of these start out as 'pilot' figures, being mainly very simple conversions from other suitable figures. In the pic here, all of the figures shown are converted from 1/48th scale Tamiya Panzer servicing crew or Infantry figures. Eyes are done with a pencil, lips painted, and flesh tones 'damp brushed'.


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## fisty (Feb 8, 2011)

Some thing i find odd is that in model railroading we had all these great Figures in 1/87 HO scale they realy looked great, so i allways asked why are there no good figures made in 1/48. Then i saw the O scale train stuff. it is 1/48 scale. and some of them are very good looking, and can be made to fit in with air crew or even as pilots. I also have been going through all my kits finding some good pilots and casting them in resin so i can have extra pilots.


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## mikewint (Feb 9, 2011)

I'll have to check that out.
Ppopsie, nice job on the pilots


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## Lucky13 (Feb 13, 2011)

Nice figures fellas!


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## aircro (Feb 17, 2011)

Ahm, from my point of view planes spend 98% of its time (correct me if I'm wrong) without pilot so why put it in cockpit(?)


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## stona (Feb 17, 2011)

Sometimes I build an old kit which is seriously lacking in detail. Solution? Stick in a pilot to hide the cockpit,get the wheels up,shove an acrylic rod up its a**e and pose it in flight. I did this recently with Revell's 1/32 Spitfire Mk22/24. The pilot figure is probably the best thing in the kit anyway. Sorting the cockpit and wheel wells would have cost three times as much as the kit!
I like the look of some aircraft in flight and the Spitfire is one of them. It's one of the few aircraft I build which doesn't have a swastika on the fin.






If you are thinking of building one of these make sure that you've got plenty of filler!
Cheers
Steve


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## mikewint (Feb 17, 2011)

Reminds me of a time when most airplane kits came with a stand for posing them "in flight". That's a pretty neat idea Stona


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