1/72 pilots - a brief look at some in my stash

[Dave Ward]

I wonder how manufacturers decide whether to put pilot figures in their models? Some don't ( Trumpeter/HB ), and some sometimes (Airfix ) - I can't see any pattern! In the old days, last century, Airfix, Frog etc always put pilot/crew figures in their models

Albeit like michelin men on a park bench! - Novo ( ex Frog ) Blenheim I

Or the slightly creepy heads only - Novo ( ex Frog ) Gannet!

Things have improved - Airfix Folland Gnat

Hasegawa S-60 Seahawk

And now, going over the top? 4 piece pilot from the Zvezda Yak-130 ( arms elsewhere on the sprue )

A lot of my short run models don't attempt to provide crew - so I have to search my spares box for suitable figures.
Do you think that crew figures should be included, and which makers do have the best figures? I'm not talking AM figures - which can cost as much as the original model!
Dave

[Guest]

I do think aircraft kits should provide a pilot figure — a fair number of 1:72 scale aircraft I’ve built in recent years have been intended for wargaming, and a plane without a pilot just looks very strange over a wargames table

[Allen Dewire]

Hi Dave,

As you know, I am not a wing thingy builder for many years. Almost all of the kits I built back then had a pilot or crew figures included. What I noticed then (late 60's - 70's) was that the scale/size of the pilot figures were not constant. They ranged between 1/72 and 1/76 or so.....

I think kits today should include a pilot or crew figures to give the builder a chance to show the aircraft being manned or in a diorama as long as they are to scale. It also gives one the idea of how big or small the aircraft really was. The builder has the option to buy an AM figure for more detail if he wants too. My two cents on the matter!!!

[papa 695]

I think if they have the option of having the aircraft/helicopter or any other flying machine in flight, they should at least have a pilot in the kit.