ram3500-RCU

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"Think about all the BIG warbirds you've been seening lately. They really should have some of your pilots in them, instead of the current crop of "dolls"."


Read more: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10...#ixzz1C4DttE83

HINT!!!!!! HINT!!!!!! HINT!!!!!!! HINT!!!!!!!

[sm=thumbs_up.gif][sm=thumbs_up.gif]

David Bathe

Insane good '4Real!

Mud Duck

My Feedback: (94)

As always, amazing work Lyle!! The two that arrived at Steve's workshop are absolute works-of-art! ALMOST too pretty to put in a plane. Nothing even compares, now, please, your next project - 1/3rd-scale.

Fly4Real

My Feedback: (14)

Progress is being made on the chest area and arms of the figure. But before finishing them out, I have to do the hands....

Hands are tough! Hands are very expressive. When sculpting them, I sometimes become expressive as well, however the forum etiquette prevents me from recording my “expressions”!
There is just a lot going on in hands, they are small, several protrusions, and they can easily look wrong. My method is to keep carving away until nothing looks weird. Gloves make the job a little easier, because the bulk removes some of the subtlety, but also add more detail. Hopefully, when done sculpting the gloves, they look like hands are in them! So hands are a challenge. But when complete, they compliment the whole piece. Here is the left hand so far. I couldn’t find reference for what kind of gloves Sailor wore, so I chose the large “gauntlet” type. I like the color and they look like they would do the job very well.

Bluffman

My Feedback: (1)

Your sculpting is awesome, those gloves are going to work out great, did you go to art school. Ian

ZERO-322

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Yes yes come on now inquiring minds want to know LOL was it learned or natural talent or both ?

Fly4Real

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Thanks again everyone for the compliments and encouragement! Yes, I did go to art school at Missouri State University. My degree was in Graphic Design with emphasis towards illustration so I only took a couple of classes in sculpture. I also studied a semester in London on a transfer scholarship. I then became a designer, then moved into management and a couple of years ago, through the Great Recession, moved into the unemployment line! While unemployed, I finished up a Ziroli B-25 my dad had built and couldn’t find pilots for it. For fun, I always created or painted pilots for our planes. With time on my hands, I sculpted my own bomber pilots. When people were more interested in the pilot figures than the plane, I thought I might be on to something with these pilots.

I look back at my college days and remember the dean of the art department told me that although I was a good designer, my talents really soared in sculpture. I thought at the time there was no way to make a living sculpting. Funny how things go. I guess I should have listened to the Dean!

Here are some shots of some paintings I’ve done and the B-25 that started the pilot business.

Bluffman

My Feedback: (1)

It was great to see some of your work, you are very talented. Ian

smchale

My Feedback: (67)

Great progress on the pilot Lyle. btw, Fly R/C has a picture of your B-25 from Warbirds over the Rockies. Nice!

Moggy

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Are you going to put this figure on the market for us Spitfire maniacs?

Fly4Real

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Thanks smchale! I'm really excited about Miss B Havin in Fly RC. Also, if you check the cover, the pilot in the P-47 (built and piloted by my friend and RC "wingman" Steve Forrest) it is Best Pilot's Bob Sweeney pilot figure! That was an AWESOME photo, thrilled it made the cover of FLY RC.
Moggy - Oh yes, Sailor will be on the market for you Spitfire Maniacs. Which, by the way, I totally understand being. The Spitfire is quite simply the most beautiful aircraft ever made. To see one fly is stunning, model or the real thing.

Fly4Real

My Feedback: (14)

Sailor is checking out his new hands. It is always a mystery when a sculpt starts as to what pose the hands will take. I knew that if he is a British pilot, there is a very, very good chance he will be holding the unique “split stick” control column of the Spitfire and Hurricane. I read that their cockpits were so small that the geometry was a problem for the control column to get full travel for roll control. This was solved by making the control column rotate at about mid-stick instead of from the the floor. Genius! For elevator control, back and forth, the sticks rotation point was at the floor. American pilots said it took a little to get used to, but felt natural after a bit.

With this type of stick, Sailor will have a bit unique grip for the control column. The only way to figure out if grip is natural looking, was to fashion a circular grip, 1/5 scale, and see how that will work. I know my customers will have complete cockpits, so I want Sailor to plop right into position with his hand able to slip onto the control column. With some major “persuasion” of the right arm to get the anatomy correct (notice were the arm has separated from the torso, no big deal just a little fix), it looks like this configuration will work. I won’t cast the split control stick permanently in Sailor’s hand. With the variable “scale” of some kits it may be off a bit and some customers may want to put him in a plane that didn’t have that distinctive type of stick. If the control column isn’t a ring type-grip, it will look like he is getting ready to grip it.

Bluffman

My Feedback: (1)

So when do you think he will be ready to sit in my sea fury. Ian

Fly4Real

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I am thinking it will be mid to late April.

smchale

My Feedback: (67)

Lyle,

I didn't notice the pilot in the cover, thanks for pointing that out. I'm glad I picked up Pappy and Bob from you, I can't wait to get Sailor when he's finished. I'm also pleased that you molded the head separate from the body. I've just added Pappy into my Corsair and having the separate head made it easy to do this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxzGRSGy_jU

Cheers!

ZERO-322

My Feedback: (2)

Wow to cool ! now ya gotta tell ! how'd ya do it ?

Chad Veich

My Feedback: (60)

I'm going to have to build a Spit just so I can use one of these pilot figures. Problem is I doubt I could build the airplane nice enough to do the pilot justice! Fantastic work Fly4Real.

Fly4Real

My Feedback: (14)

Guys, you have to check out Sean's video. That is too COOL! Sean, it is very rewarding to see Pappy come to life! Kind of reminds me of the Hall of Presidents at Disney world! 10 out of 10!!

smchale

My Feedback: (67)

There really wasn't a lot to it but I can try and take a picture or two this week. I didn't take many during the construction but its very straight forward.
I used a 2-56 thread rod epoxied into his head, then ran that through a carbon tube in his body down through the floor. The rod was nice to hold while painting the head too.
I just ran the carbon tube down below the floor far enough to clear the pull-pull cables. On the thread rod I added a nylon control arm and connected it to a mini servo slaved off the aileron channel.
I did need to sand a little around the base of his neck as well as inside his collar to allow the head to turn. Also the carbon tube extends a fraction above the body so the head pivots on the carbon tube and not on the body.
I'll see if I can post a pic or two this week.

Fly4Real

My Feedback: (14)

HEADCOMPLETE!
This weekend was the big push to complete the head. I wanted the head complete, and hardened so that I can finally finish out the area that the head/neck is going to mount onto the torso. I think the last 10% of finishing a piece takes about 75% of the work! It essentially amounts to “polishing” and refining edges, dents and dings. The Sculpey clay is not very firm so things can and do distort, so that has to be fixed. I really like the wires that extend out of the headphones. Since this is eventually going to be cast from a mold, you can’t leave undercuts. Anything like a wire or tube structure, can not have space behind it. It has to extend to the neck. The trick is to do this and still have the structure look “natural”. I think I did that. Here are the shots all the way around the head after the clay was hardened in the oven.

Fly4Real

My Feedback: (14)

Here are areas that aren’t very exciting but have to be done to make the figure complete. I was really excited about how the headphones turned out and the wires. Notice the “cloth” texture on the wires that mimic the real thing pretty closely. Remember the “wire” is less than an 1/8” thick! Unlike a drawing, this has to look “right” from ALL angles. That is the challenge and fun of sculpting!

Fly4Real

My Feedback: (14)

TEXTURE. This is an area that I have really explored with this pilot figure. The most challenging thing about putting texture on a sculpture this small is being able to take a picture of it! The helmet has a leather grain to it. The headphones are smooth, with a bit of texture in the cloth insulated wires. The really neat and extra challenging effect was a SKIN texture on Sailor’s face. If you look closely you can see a slight dimpling just like real skin, only 1/5 scale of course. I am excited to see what effect, if any, this will have when painted. Also note that Sailor has eyelashes! These actual textures should really pop and add an unprecedented level of detail when the figure is painted.

spitmad

G'day Lyle

your sculpting prowess puts Michelangelo to shame !

Are you taking pre-orders for "Sailor" and have you worked out an approx cost ?

cheers

Alan

vasek

My Feedback: (4)

F4R, your pilot is so perfect NOBODY will be able to make a Spitfire to match the detail! :-O

Fly4Real

My Feedback: (14)

Spitmad- I won't be taking pre-orders, but will be taking orders when complete. Approximate cost will be $60 unpainted and $185 painted. Thanks for your interest! Vasek, NEVER underestimate the skills of our fellow RC Modelers. There are TONS of artist out there with Balsa, Fiberglass and glue!

This weekend was a marathon session to get the torso in shape and close to finished. I discovered that I kind of got ahead of myself in some places - like icing the cake before its baked - so some detail had to be deleted to make sure the underlying structure made sense. I redid the scarf and added cloth texture to that. And then on to the safety belts. Wow! Those take time. They have to symmetrical, consistent size and depth...and then there is the stitching. Overall, I am pleased with the result. I really like the bundled safety belts on the shoulders. The break away tape that wrapped around the belt looks very convincing.