Hi folks. Maybe you can help me out on this one. At the moment I’m building two aircraft for the prototypes group build, and I have run into a problem. Having decided I want to do them ‘in flight’ , I have to have a pilot in the cockpit. Btw, these are an XP-55 and YF-23, both 1/72 scale. Of course, neither of the kits comes with a pilot figure… The local hobby shops and internet searches have so far been unsuccesful, so I figured maybe you guys have an idea where to get pilot figures. I really like the look of the planes on a stand, so I’m planning on doing more this way. If I can find the appropriate crew, that is. Anyway, thanks for looking.
Didn’t Airfix use to have them? Seems like I saw some somewhere.
Do a search on Hasegawa X72-7 US Pilot/Ground Crew Set. It’s a 1/72 accessory set containing various pilot and aircrew figures and equipment (which of course includes seated pilots). You’ll find a list of online shops selling it. Hope this helps.
Good luck on your builds. Please share with us your models’ pics when you’re done.
Regards,
Onyan
Yes, Airfix kits up to about 1980 did have pilots. Many of these are still available. A good source of modern pilots is the Gazelle helicopter, which has two aircrew, perfectly good enough if you keep the canopy closed. For a WW2-era pilot, try the Airfix (not Heller) Spitfre Mk. Ia.
Both these models are good kits in their own right, so you’re not just buying them for their aircrew. In the UK, they retail at £3.99 each, and Squadron has both of them for $4.47 each (that’s £1.50 cheaper than in the UK [:(])
Hope this helps
Chris.
Thanks for the advice guys. I think I’ll give the Hasegawa set a go for the YF-23, and maybe look at the Spit for the XP-55 pilot. That’ll be a nice bit of nostalgia! I grew up on Airfix and Matchbox 1/72 WW-2 kits. I’ll post the pics in the prototypes GB thread when the kits are done.[tup][bow]