WWI Pilot Figures

Wings Cockpit Figures, 1/32 scale

Reviewed by Rob Baumgartner

Eduard's 1/32 scale F-117 Wheels are available online from Squadron.com

The last few years have seen quite an explosion of 1:32 scale aircraft kits.

Those from Wingnut Wings have kept WWI enthusiasts especially happy. Unfortunately only a smattering of figures have been released to accompany this range. These items from Wings Cockpit Figures are here to address this imbalance.

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The masters were all sculptured by Steve Warrilow so one can expect a high level of detail on each piece. And here he doesn’t disappoint. The poses are natural with the majority of subjects being single piece castings.

MDC are responsible for their manufacture, and they have done a great job in capturing all facets of the original. Some of the figures will require a modicum of cleaning up but it’s nothing a sharp scalpel and a piece of wet ‘n dry paper won’t fix.

The SE5a pilot suffers a bit more than most in this regard and will require a degree of patience. Once again it’s easily sorted out, but this time a little bit of filler for the pin holes won’t go amiss.

Two of the airmen in this series are seated. These welcome additions are tailored to suit a particular Wingnut Wings kit. The resultant pairing should prove to be a more natural combination when compared to using generic figures.

Not surprisingly, some compromises must be made to accomplish this. The most obvious is that the figure is seated in a much smaller space (taking scale into account) than the real aircraft. This being due to the thickness of the plastic fuselage and other interior items. Allowances have been made for the above, and with a little care, both pilots should fit snuggly inside the respective “offices”.

The releases are as follows:

• RFC 01 – Standing RFC or RNAS pilot in leather flying coat and scarf, 1915-1918

  Overall height = 58mm

• RFC 02 – Standing RFC or RNAS pilot in Sidcot flying suit, March 1917-1918

  Overall height = 57mm

• RFC 03 – Standing RNAS pilot in naval jacket and fug boots, 1915-April 1918

  Overall height = 56mm

• RFC 04 – RFC mechanic swinging the propeller for start-up, 1914-1918

  Head height in swinging position = 45mm

• RFC 05 A – RFC or RNAS seated pilot for Wingnut Wings SE5a, arms inside machine, choice of 3 heads. Posterior to top of head = 32mm

• RFC 06 – RFC seated pilot for Wingnut Wings DH2, with a choice of two heads and two right arms. Posterior to top of head = 33mm

• LSK 01 – Standing, confident looking, German ace in flying leathers, 1915-1918

  Overall height = 59mm

• LSK 02 – Standing German pilot in flying coat, adjusting his goggles, 1914-1918

  Overall height = 62mm

This is an excellent new range from Cockpit Wings Figures.

The poses are natural and the level of detail is commendable. Each figure is of a slightly different size to the one before it and this reflects the variety of human body shapes. In most cases the proportions are very good so there's very little for the modeller to worry about in that department.

The subjects are packed separately in their own zip-lock bag but you’ll need to look elsewhere for painting instructions.

There are plenty more to come in this series and they will make an ideal accompaniment for your latest WWI masterpiece.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Wing Cockpit Figures for the samples.

Review Text Copyright © 2013 by Rob Baumgartner
Page Created 20 May, 2013
Last updated 20 May, 2013

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