Do You Include The Pilots In Your Builds?
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
- #scalemodel #pilot #figure
Do you include the pilot figure from the kit in your build or rather use some photo etched seatbelts instead? Are these pilot figures useless and too costly to produce for the manufacturers or should pilots be included in every aircraft model kit anyway? Let's talk about it!
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0:00 Pilot figures vs. photo etched seatbelts
3:47 Airfix pilot figures
7:12 CZcams poll results
8:53 Female pilot figures
10:23 The sum up - Jak na to + styl
First off, a couple of points to consider here. We get jets and in line engine fighter aircraft with full engines. We get cockpits where it is nearly impossible to see anything except the seat. We get bomber aircraft with full (or at least nearly full) interiors. The model manufacturer doesn't seem to concern themselves with the added cost of creating all this extra detail. The model builder ultimately decides if they want to purchase the model at whatever price point it is at, and the modeler decides if they want to include extra detail such as engines in non radial engine fighters. Is there really any difference between an engine you can't see and decide to leave out or a pilot that you don't want to use because you prefer to show an open cockpit? The difference, if any is that the engine detail almost certainly costs more to mold and produce than the pilot figure. And leaving out the figure shuts out those who prefer to include their pilots. As for leaving it to the aftermarket, well why not leave out the engine as well, or as some manufactures do, give us a lump of plastic that in no way could be confused for the engine it is supposed to represent.
Bottom line, pilot figures added to kits as extra detail is hardly worth considering as an added expense. If manufactures want to sell kits without pilots, then offer them as something similar to what Eduard does with there weekend additions which have reduced parts count. Give those of us who like including their pilots (and crew) the option to do so. Furthermore, make it possible to have them in realistic poses handling the parts of the aircraft they are interacting with. Instead of two seats, one without seat belts and one with molded in seatbelts, include a third seat with the pilot in place and holding the throttle and or control stick.
Hi Chris, very interesting subject. Since I was child, I have preferred kits with the pilot seated in the cockpit. It is like a soul/body thing to me. It can add a lot of spirit to your build, specially if you like History and the human beings behind the goggles in any particular plane. I mostly build 1/48 scale models.
Absolutely agreed! Thanks👍🏻🙌🏼
When I started building aircraft kits (in 1978) I always included the pilots. But a few years later (in late 80s) I followed the trend of grounded aircraft with no pilots until 2021, which was when I started liking to see my aircraft as in flight or about to take off. So the pilots had to be included of course. Painting the pilots became part of the hobby again like in the early days. :)
Wow a very long journey youve been on👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I started to build flying aircraft models on display stands this year, when i suddenly remembered: aircraft were build to fly up in the air not down on ground
I do pilots sometimes. It just depends on my mood and what I want to display on the kit. If the cockpit is really well detailed, I mostly don't include a pilot. If the cockpit isn't quite as detailed a pilot is a good idea. If there is no pilot, I will utilize a nice herness set.
For me the problem is the harness AND the pilot. The pilot may have a harness molded on, but it doesn't connect to the seat. In the past I have used strips of tape or paper to make a bridge between the figure's molded on harness and the connection point on the seat, but it can be tricky.
Thats a good idea to use masking tape. But yes, i can imagine it being not so easy to do sometimes
For armor we have hundreds, even thousands of figures to compliment the vehicle. Even if it's not in a diorama, just having the commander looking out the cupola, gives so much life to it.
I hate that with planes, manufacturers just don't care at all. Airfix and Revell throw in a blob of plastic, something vaguely resembling a human and call it a day. Others don't even care. And the after market is even more focused on making the cockpit more detailed rather making pilots in flight.
I understand that with planes the two most detailed parts are the cockpit and landing gear, but by the end of the day, most of them aren't going to be visible anyway, no matter how open that canopy is. Or you have to flip it upside down for seeing a tiny amount of detail. You might as well have a pilot sitting in there.
Some planes don't even give you the option the have the landing gear up. Even Tamiya has planes where there is no option to have the landing gear up, like their P-51D in 1/72 scale. At least Airfix provides that, so that is a big plus for them.
So unless modellers won't start demanding more figures and more options with presentation for the plane they're building, nothing will change at all.
I recommend PJ Productions for anyone who want decent looking figures in their planes.
Ah i never knew there was such a big difference between armour and aircraft kits. Im used to have "Pilot figure not included in the kit" written on the boxes
@@chrisveya7556 Sorry, my first sentence was a bit miss leading. I was referring more to the after market of figures for armor models. Although you can come across more figures in box from quite a few manufacturers. And they are usually much better quality than the pilot ones from Airfix and Revell.
Of course, if you go 1/72 in armor, suddenly there aren't too many figures either.
It really shows that the market dictates what companies will or will not do.
I use pilot figures if thet are included with the kit. In 1/72 detail is not as pronounced, I can understand large scale figures would be hard to paint. I prefer figures with my models.
I always thought having the option was the point.Also it's always handy to have a pilot to put inside if I've made a mistake or if it's an older kit that has little detail that you won't be able to see anyway.
I recently completed a 1/72 Edward Nieuport 17 and broke the seat so instead of disassembly I added a spare pilot and it really makes the model stand out.As for aftermarket, I only do decals, mainly because of pricing and availability or aftermarket sets which I can't seem to justify using on a kit that has plenty of detail anyway.
Ah good idea to use a pilot to hide something else, comes in handy. I got to remember this😄
In my opinion the pilots included in the kits are usually plain and don't add anything to the build. I normally buy an aftermarket, more detailed pilot if I'm going to use one.
Thanks for the feedback!👍🏻
I believe a figure is part of the kit.
And i think your absolutely right!
Time to ask the really hard hitting questions that split the modelling community: When you are done, do you pick up your model and make vroom vroom noises while pretending it flies?
what do you mean when you are done? as soon as its assembled!
I used to always put pilots in the aircraft when I was younger. Aircraft models aren’t my main interest now but if I do build one it’s a 1/32 WWI era airplane. With all the detail in the cockpit I’d rather leave the pilot out. I do normally have a standing pilot next to the model.
Thanks for sharing!👍🏻
I love to add pilots to my model kits, but 99% of them are aftermarket products.
For me. it's always 1/72 scale. Wheels up, flaps closed, pilots in cockpits. As far as I'm concerned, Mfr's can keep their crappy wheels, crude struts, and ill-fitting flaps. I've never been tempted to model seat belts in any scale. I use 2-part epoxy to cast my pilots based on decent moldings of pilots from previous kits. I cut new flaps from aluminum soda cans. I have no knowledge of aftermarket alternatives which satisfy the need to put a specific pilot in a specific cockpit. Again, it's 1/72 scale: I do not agree with cost impacts as an excuse for not providing pilots. Airfix can cry all they want about how much it costs to sculpt pilots yet have no qualms about putting the same crappy 1950's kits in new boxes and selling them for a new higher price.
I would love to model a female pilot. A Russian Night Witch for example.
Now i talked about the subject, i feel the need to build a model with wheels up, pilot in the cockpit and use a seatbelt set in addition to it. An aircraft can look quite different with wheels up.
@@chrisveya7556 My man-cave starts at the bottom of the stairs, where I've created a huge mobile of all the countries' WW2 aircraft. I hang them extra low to aggravate my wife. She sews quilts and we love and respect each other's hobbies.
I often build my aircraft with the wheels up, as it saves room on my display shelves, and an aircraft with the wheels up must have a pilot (unless it's unmanned and remotely piloted, of course). I prefer having the option of having a pilot if I want one, so I often choose a kit with a pilot rather than another manufacturer's pilotless version of the same aircraft. Airfix's reason doesn't hold water for me: it can't be that expensive to tool and mould pilot figures, especially when one considers how many kits they end up selling. Another thing: how many models are viewed from close enough so one can actually see the pilot in detail, especially in 1/48 or smaller scales? I think this really only happens at model shows, but I may be wrong. Also: perhaps there would be more aircraft with pilots in them at shows if the pilot figures came with the kits. Rather give me the pilot than bombs/missiles/rocket pods of which one only uses a few, in any cae.
Someone who even selects his kits by the included pilots, nice! Thanks for the feedback!👍🏻
I love your emotional presentation, and i love your suggestion of female pilots? wow what a great idea, as i never bother with pilots as it adds a lot more difficulty to the complete build. yeah i love the idea it motivates me to paint a pilot with a lot more enthusiasm "let them all be female", i can think of some real goddesses to put in the pilot seat, based on some beautiful actresses that i like, some people won't like that idea but there is almost a complete absence of female pilots in kits anyway whatever they look like, i am sure women's Lib won't mind, apart from some objectivising modelling by us male model makers. good looking or not at the end of the day women can fly these birds just as good as us men, great idea bro.
Now i want more pilots in my builds and will strap them PE seatbelts on😄
Me too😄
Hmm das ist eine gute Frage, meistens verbaue ich die Figuren aber wenn schöne PE Teile dabei sind dann haben diese Vorrang.
Ja eben, ich muss jetzt unbedingt mal beides kombinieren, Pilot und PE seatbelts
I do not include the pilots because I am not very good at painting them.
But to me this sounds more like a reason to start including them and practice the figure painting skills 😄👍🏻
I normally only use figures,pilots and ground crew,if im doing a diorama but if its just a stand alone model i dont.....and ofcourse the moulding of the pilot also matters to me....i hate the current Airfix jet pilots
In which scale do you usually build? I dont build a lot of jets so im not aware of how they currently look. I'll check👍🏻
I think that pilot figures never look quite real. They always end up looking plastic-y. Representing a static, liveless object made from different metals and paint and glass and rubber works with well with model kits. But once you have a human or an animal as a piece of plastic, and be it the nicest aftermarket resin kit, it just feels dead and a bit uncanny. I'm not very good at painting pilots, but even with really detailed paintjobs, there is something stiff about them. Especially when they have that excessive black shadows thing going on. That being said, I think the landing gear often just ruins the lines of any aircraft so I actually include pilots more often than not, just to be able to show the plane in flight. With the canopy frame painted, and viewed from a distance my painting sins fade away and the vague silhoette of the pilot actually adds something cool to the model. And there's another reason for flying models, recently I built Charles Tuckers pink P63 and all the photos I found during research were stationary. Chaining my model to the ground felt cruel, if there isn't even a single picture of it flying then at least my model should show it soaring through the sky
Somehow i always feel like every aircraft was designed to by flying, so why do we build most of the models down on the ground? Now i've started to build more aircraft models on display stands, it feels much better. Actually big aircraft have a problem being grounded for too long, gravity gets them
Thanks for the feedback!
If model manufacturers don't want to include pilots in their kits, then stop including them in the boxart with the model inflight! If the argument is that "no one wants to build them inflight with a pilot" stop advertising this in a misleading way with inflight boxart....
At the end of the day, the hobby has devolved down to only about 1% of us actually building a model aircraft inflight with a seated pilot....