1:72 ground crew [Archive] - The Diecast Aviation Web Site and Forum

P51D

14th April 2005, 20:36

Anyone happen know if you can buy pre-painted sets of WW2 ground crew.

Not really into dioramas but a few figures round the planes (all displayed on undercarraiges) would be good.

If no pre-painted ones available any suggestions on the best ones to paint up?

planejunky

14th April 2005, 21:08

No there isn't any prepainted sets, so time to get your brushes out! ;) Although the RAF set is still available from Airfix, the USAAF set is now in Heller boxes. These are very basic for my taste, so I tend to use white metal figures which are available from Han*ants. Check out this page for my Dragon Fw-190D-9 and Dragon P-51D Mustang diorama's. http://www.diecast-aviation.co.uk/html/diorama.html
The F-15E is also mine, but the figures used in that diorama were standard Hasegawa and Esci plastic figures.

I'm currently looking at doing a 1/48th Vietnam helicopter diorama using Corgi's "Unsung Heroes" series USMC UH-1E Huey and AH-1J Cobra, but the figures will be in resin for this project.

P51D

14th April 2005, 21:18

Planejunky, those diorama's are superb, show the Dragon planes off a treat!!

Thanks for the info, will dig out the brushes.

CFBC

14th April 2005, 21:44

P/J - U have to still paint em? :)

charley

14th April 2005, 21:47

If your naff with a brush send a set of unpainted figures to a model maker..... Cheating i know but hey..... They usually advertise in the back of the aviation mags....Not sure what cost would be involved?

CFBC

14th April 2005, 21:52

Yeah.. I am naff with a brush!! Thanx.... :p

Good idea though....

charley

14th April 2005, 21:56

Me too..... :o

planejunky

14th April 2005, 23:54

P/J - U have to still paint em? :)

Yep, still have to paint em! I'll have to start digging around for Vietnam era USMC uniform colours etc, but I'm sure the basic uniform was pretty standard across the US forces.

Here's what they look like when painted, (hope the link's ok under forum rules, if not I'll remove it ;) ) http://www.hannants.co.uk/search/?FULL=CMKF4853

Andreas

15th April 2005, 22:30

Anyone happen know if you can buy pre-painted sets of WW2 ground crew.

There is at least one ground crew set available from Preiser. It features 6 Luftwaffe mechanics and they are fully painted.

P51D

16th April 2005, 08:28

Thanks for that Andreas, had a quick look at the site but it seems that the painted stuff is all 1:48 scale.

May be looking in the wrong place but all the 1:72 looks as if it needs painting.

CFBC

16th April 2005, 08:38

Here we go chaps...

http://www.eurorailhobbies.com/erh/eurorailhobbiesdetail.asp?pageid=&erh_find=ground%20crew&MN=10&stock=PR-72410

:) Very tempting....

Andreas

16th April 2005, 15:16

Hi P51D,

the link to the shop you will find below. The shop itself is located in Switzerland, however they do have an online shop and as far as I know they will ship worldwide!

www.flugzeugmodelle.com

From the left menu-bar select "1:72-1:82", then select Figuren and the item itself is called "Luftwaffe DR1935-1945 Bodenpersonal"!

Happy shopping!
Andreas

lovethoseplanes

16th April 2005, 16:17

To be honest there are a number of UK retailers also selling the ground crew too. :)

charley

16th April 2005, 18:01

ah but painted?

lovethoseplanes

16th April 2005, 18:55

Yes. :D

spitty

16th April 2005, 19:00

well would it be possible for you too tell us all where to get them from ? :D

charley

16th April 2005, 19:24

Yes. :D

AND............................................... .................... :p ......................PLEASE...................... .......... :o

CFBC

16th April 2005, 20:22

And we wait..... :mad:

charley

16th April 2005, 20:39

ssshhhhh...he's busy painting figures..... :p

CFBC

16th April 2005, 20:46

Probably painting em overnight....!!!! :rolleyes:

charley

16th April 2005, 20:55

be on ebay tomorrow! :D

spitty

16th April 2005, 21:07

yeah i flogged some(well3) that id painted on there............with a bit of hairy grass :eek: .for a grand total of .......................wait for it...................£1.04.....................sti ll you gotta try these things i guess..................i dont actually mind painting them.......when im in the mood that is ;)

CFBC

6th May 2005, 08:14

Ive just ordered some ground crew and pilots in 1/72nd scale, painted... Will let you guys know what they are like when they arrive... :)

guignol1971

6th May 2005, 11:37

Ive just ordered some ground crew and pilots in 1/72nd scale, painted... Will let you guys know what they are like when they arrive... :)

CFBC, :)

From which maker ? Preiser ? Resin, metal, plastic...

CFBC

10th May 2005, 20:04

CFBC, :)

From which maker ? Preiser ? Resin, metal, plastic...

Apologies Mr G,

I originally missed your reply... I have ordered a number of the ground crew along with a few other things which include some "Preiser" items....

I rang them today and cancelled some gas cans, etc as that is what they were waiting for to come in (back order), so I am hoping to receive them very soon...

Will let you know what they are like when I receive them.... :)

guignol1971

10th May 2005, 20:11

Apologies Mr G,

I originally missed your reply... I have ordered a number of the ground crew along with a few other things which include some "Preiser" items....

I rang them today and cancelled some gas cans, etc as that is what they were waiting for to come in (back order), so I am hoping to receive them very soon...

Will let you know what they are like when I receive them.... :)
Thanks CFBC, :)
I'm waiting for your great pics, as always... :)

CFBC

19th May 2005, 16:30

Apologies for not replying sooner Mr G. :)

The ground crew in my "Latest Landings pics" are from Preiser 1/72nd and are all pre-painted as I am no good with a brush, kits and I just simply do not have the time... Sorry. (I would equally pay someone to paint any RAF crew/pilots up too).

I paid around eight/nine pounds for these and you get six per pack. The L/W ground crew came with the "Uhu Glue" barrel and the L/W officers came as is.. Again six per pack.

To me, this is excellent as I can play around all day and night until my heart is content..... Especially more next week.... :D

I just want some 1/72nd RAF ground crew now..... :o There is a market!!! :cool:
(for lazy, no time and useless painters like me)

Sailor.

19th May 2005, 17:30

Look more like the Village People out on the razzle than a bunch real warriors! :p

NeilD

19th May 2005, 19:04

Look more like the Village People out on the razzle than a bunch real warriors! :p
:D :D :D Y-M-C-A.. is this CFBC comming out of the closet!! :D

Neil

CFBC

19th May 2005, 19:30

:D :D :D Y-M-C-A.. is this CFBC comming out of the closet!! :D

Neil

Best ignored that coment!! :p

guignol1971

19th May 2005, 19:34

CFBC

19th May 2005, 19:44

Hmm. They could be Mr G.... Will have to research them a little more me thinks... I am just sifting through all teh offers of painting-up some RAF 1/72 crew.. :D

minter

23rd May 2005, 12:14

just been wandering through the web and found this name relating to figures...Priesser air men kit, something to do with 1/7s figures for diaoramas etc...mean anything to anybody?

CFBC

23rd May 2005, 12:43

The ground crew in my "Latest Landings pics" are from Preiser 1/72nd and are all pre-painted

Perhaps the same as what I have acquired as stated in an earlier post Minter? :)

minter

23rd May 2005, 12:53

AH ha, excellent..just double checking :)

CFBC

19th May 2006, 11:49

Not sure if any stuff or product is available, but I am looking for some sort of blu-tak stuff that is clear if possible to allow me to stick (and be able to move) figures on a few diorama bases....

Anybody know of such product... I know there is clear glue and I remember one of our USA members saying a product, but I cannot for the life of me find the post/thread it was stated in.....

It is so I can put a few of my German tank crew and figures on the bases I have acquired for displaying and also in my Hornise with tank shells, etc... :cool:

Anyone help.... Cheers.

Agent X20

19th May 2006, 12:50

How about that prit-stick stuff...:confused:

DCRanger

19th May 2006, 12:50

If you buy this month's copy of Aeroplane and carefully remove the free CD you can then use the sticky stuff which peels of very nicely. It's a long way from ideal but it worked for me. I don'y know how long the stickiness lasts as it is still undergoing field trials.

If it is just for the benefit of the camera then another solution is to hide the bases out of sight. EG stand a figure behind a wing so that the base is not visible.

zed550

19th May 2006, 13:44

thats the stuff that looks like snot!

CFBC

19th May 2006, 14:19

Yep! Thats the sorta stuff DC, thanks.... :)

DCRanger

23rd May 2006, 21:14

Not sure if any stuff or product is available, but I am looking for some sort of blu-tak stuff that is clear if possible to allow me to stick (and be able to move) figures on a few diorama bases....

How about this as an alternative to blue tac. The figure on the left is on the standard airfix base. The one with all the ammo has been glued to a piece of paper which has been painted as close as possible to the colour of the diarama base. (my choice of colours is limited)

http://i4.tinypic.com/10gzeqa.jpg

The paint stiffens the paper enough to stabilise the figures and it should be possible to remove it without too much damage. Obviously the paper base will not last forever but then neither will blue tac of any shade/opacity.

CFBC

23rd May 2006, 21:29

Hey DC.. Good idea son! May give that a try and that picture... Well :cool:

You paint those figures then and the re-fuelling truck.... Excellent indeed mate along with the diorama. :)

DCRanger

23rd May 2006, 22:45

You paint those figures then and the re-fuelling truck....
The one with the ammo is one that I bought and the other two came with the tanker. The bought one might seem a tad expensive but the detailing is excellent.

The tanker was my return to plastic modeling after a gap of many years and provided me with hours of entertainment.:rolleyes: It probably wasn't the best subject choice after such a gap as the parts don't fit together as well as they might.

One two things have changed since I last built a model. I now have to wear glasses to see what I'm doing and the hands aren't quite as steady.:D Some things don't change, like the crappy instruction sheet and getting yellow paint on with less than six coats.

I still have the AEC tanker to build but it might be a while before you see that.

planejunky

23rd May 2006, 22:48

I little trick I learned is to remove the original base glue your figures to a small clear thin plasticard replacement. The base just shows through the clear plastic! :cool:

DCRanger

24th May 2006, 00:39

I little trick I learned is to remove the original base glue your figures to a small clear thin plasticard replacement. The base just shows through the clear plastic! :cool:
I have some figures with clear bases. OK, the bases aren't that thin but they are obivious. My solution I think would be better with some improved colour matching but as I said, the available colours are limited at the moment.

Below you see on the left, the standard Airfix base, my paper base and on the right, two clear bases.

http://i4.tinypic.com/10hitfc.jpg

Agent X20

24th May 2006, 08:18

Left hand side.. early Tommy Cooper shot.. 'just like that....':D :D :D

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/AgentX20/tommy.jpg

zed550

24th May 2006, 14:30

nice one agent...........or is it cert or decert.........cert or decert

DCRanger

25th May 2006, 21:50

I had a think about PJs sugestion and it dawned on me that thin clear plasticard is readily available. You just have to cut a piece from a handy blister pack. For this I recycled the lid from some fresh raspberrys.

From the left we have the original Airfix base, a bought figure which came with the acrylic base, a painted paper base and finally the raspberry base.

http://i4.tinypic.com/10oqnf7.jpg

Still think the paper base looks better though it does need better colour matching.

The Defiant Man

25th May 2006, 22:25

I don't have any raspberrys....will strawberry lids be ok?:p :D

spock1

25th May 2006, 22:42

I don't have any raspberrys....will strawberry lids be ok?:p :D

:D NO!........;) :D

DCRanger

25th May 2006, 22:43

Rhubarb! :p

CFBC

25th May 2006, 23:02

Still think the paper base looks better though it does need better colour matching.

Well reported DC, thanks... If I now send you all my figures, do you think you could put them on paper bases..... Coloured correctly of course! :)

P.S - Just joking and thanks mate. ;)

guignol1971

26th May 2006, 10:28

Hi,

Does someone try without any base ? :o :confused:
I have some Preiser painted sets for my MEs/FWs and others. Some of the figures can stand up by themselves without a base. OK, I have to say that it is very fragile and unstable, but I don't live near an earthquake area or with the tube just below so the figures stay quite well in position... :p ;) :)
For the rest, maybe I'll try to polish a little the under of the figures to create a planisher part... :o :unsure: , or try to use something like the "raspberry base", but cutting it everywhere except the points of contact of the figure with the ground...
On DC example, I'd just keep the "raspberry base", under the left foot and the right knee of the figure...

DCRanger

26th May 2006, 22:15

So how do you remove the bases without making them all clones of DB? I've tried a stanley knife, a scalpel and I have tried a heated blade but without much success.

guignol1971

26th May 2006, 23:40

So how do you remove the bases without making them all clones of DB? I've tried a stanley knife, a scalpel and I have tried a heated blade but without much success.
If the "rasp base" is hard to cut/work, then I think the painted paper base solution you have get, seems to be the best...
Could we use a drilling machine (sorry not sure for this translation...) from office stuff, to cut little pieces and then glu them on the figures feet ? :unsure:
BTW, sorry DC, but what means DB ? :o

DCRanger

26th May 2006, 23:46

what means DB ? :o
Sorry - means Douglas Bader, legless :D

bee52

27th May 2006, 13:41

So how do you remove the bases without making them all clones of DB? I've tried a stanley knife, a scalpel and I have tried a heated blade but without much success.

Hello DC, I'm not much of a poster (1st time!), but I thought I'd try to put you out of your misery! I believe, that some of your figures you purchased from me. To remove the base, of soft plastic figures, the best method is with a scalpel blade, for hard plastic figures I use a razor saw. For attaching them to dioramas, I would suggest using Cow Gum, which is available from art shops, this stays 'rubbery' & peels off when not needed. Even the ones with only one foot on the ground stay up quite happily!
Good luck!