Gidday Chevelle

What an interesting challenge to make an articulated pilot to "work" your model - or vice versa . I'm sure we can help you out and make a scale, period pilot for your model. I've Googled Curtiss and had a look at his face and that should be quite achievable to produce a head likeness fairly quickly to fit onto our 1/4 scale body. He has a distinctive face and a great moustache

What exactly has to move? Just arms forward and back and the chair rocks?

I'm planning on having Brad finished to a stage where I can post something to him by the end of the weekend as the boots are cut and the gloves are in the process. The Mae West is coming together nicely and I'll post some pics soon. A parachute and harness still need some thought but that can be worked on and come together later.

Richard's order for a full bodied, poseable Pappy Boyington to go in his Corsair which I was going to keep working on next isn't urgent so that can go on hold for the moment. It really shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks to have something useable for you if that would help. The clothing is just an adaptation of the patterns I've already made - shirt, trousers and jacket. The period cap can be moulded onto the head and it looks like he had bare hands rather than gloves? What sort of foot wear, from one photo I found of his whole body it looked just like shoes rather than boots?

If you have a profile photo of his face it would help greatly. In fact as many photos of his face the better. I'm guessing there's not an interview with him on Youtube like I found of Hanna Reitsch

David's comments are a bit disappointing suggesting stuffng a pair of action man overalls with cotton wool. Fly4real is certainly a very talented sculptor but what we are trying to do is a totally different thing. What we are trying to do is make an individual, recognisable and interesting pilot face/head quickly that is scalable to any size and attach it to a re-poseable, light weight, sculpted and properly proportioned body and then clothe it in real period, well fitting clothes. That's a bit of a mouthful but it's what we're aiming for. As I've mentioned before, this has been driven out of need from almost 35 years of Richard's modelling and not being able to get what he wanted.

It's certainly not there yet but think it's achievable and having both of us working together combining different skills makes it easier and certainly fun both going in the same direction. My previous thing was doll making and full size airbrushed portraits so this brings it all together but with the history of tihs, it makes it all the more engrossing.

cheers
Patti