Though not entirely an aircraft topic, it is aircraft related. Would HO scale model train figures be close enough size-wise to work in a 1/72 aircraft model? Because they’re for my HK-1 Hughes Flying Boat, so I need civilians more so than pilot figures.
Another possibility is using OO scale railroad figures - that scale is 1/76, so it’s not too far off from 1/72, and probably not noticeable if they’re for the interior of the HK-1. I found these examples: