Hi again

So many thought provoking suggestions and enquiries - and much thought it has provoked . As everyone knows these pilots are in the development phase so it's difficult to price them. But I'll give you an idea of what we're thinking at this stage so you know whether to run in horror or add it to your Santa wish list in the future. We're trying to find a balance between making it worth our time, and being affordable to modellers and it's not going to suit everyone.

For an unpainted head, the poseable lightweight body, a pair of unpainted hands or gloves, a pair of unpainted boots/shoes, a pattern for uniform - pants, shirt, jacket (or civilian clothing) plus a kit of the bits to make up that uniform/clothing (cut out fabric pieces, thread, buttons, buckles, crosses, epaulettes etc ....) $200-$300 Australian. That's working on 1/4 scale, the smaller scales slightly less and the larger scales a little more but that's ball park.

Each of those items would be available seperately so if you just wanted a head or a different uniform kit or a spare pair of boots for when the dog eats the original they'd be available.

Painting would be extra - probably $100 for the head or $150 for head, boots and gloves.

Obviously then the more a modeller can do themselves or get someone to do for them, the less outlay there is.

There will be a website in the future, it's all a matter of time to do everything, but it will happen. Then as we develop more products - heads, uniform patterns and kits, accessories like oxygen masks and parachute harnesses, a female range .... these will be added and available as seperate items for sale.

Now if anyone is still here , I've had a look at Erich Hartmann and I can see why he's a popular choice. What an Ace! And his face reminds me of the kid in Harry Potter "Draco Malfoy", but that's a bit off subject. I haven't researched any of the German pilots and have no uniform reference as yet - WWII anyway so any pictures or info would be helpful for when I get to that. I've only looked into Von Richthofen and Hanna Reitsch.

We made a 1/6 body a while ago and managed to dig it out of the reject box today. It was a trial with the thinner wire but I don't think that is necessary and the weight saving isn't worth it for the lack of strength. It was so weak that the legs wouldn't bend at the hips properly, the foam body overwhelmed the wire. It might be good just in the arms. So we're cutting another 1/6 body plug to be moulded and will try the different internals. Since 1/6 accessories are so readily available we'd be happy to supply a body for those who wanted that and even heads in that size as Rick suggested.

Rick, you didn't so much overwhelm me as just give me a head spin with so much to think about! Mind you I am a bit blonde so not hard to do
To answer your questions about the body length and proportions, I didn't mean that the body torso length could be altered, just the limbs, by shortening them slightly - chop them off! The first body we made was more bulky and we felt that it was too bulky a look for a pilot in the Pacific in WWII on rations (that's where this whole pilot thing started for us, wanting a full bodied, poseable, 1/4 scale, 1944 Australian pilot!). They weren't big, buffed guys so we leaned him down a bit. After talking to Tom who was in New Britain (New Guinea) he said they all lost so much weight and his photos from that time reflected that. My Dad went over to over to England as a navigator in Mosquitos with the night fighter squadron and he was as thin as a rake! The 1/6 action figures that we have bought are built like "Arnie" with massive pecs and bulging shoulders. If you stand with your arms straight down at your sides, your hands will come nearly halfway down your thighs - or maybe I have a touch of Marfan's Syndrom With the Brad pilot, I tried to make his arms to those proportions. I'm only giving you the reasons the bodies have been made this way but open to suggestions. Speak now guys or forever hold your piece!! If you think they should be stockier you better say now before any more moulds are made. For the 1/6 body we're about to cut, we have "beefed" him up a bit so that the BBI/Dragon/21st Century Toys clothing will fit better since that's what they're made to fit.

Maybe in the future if we're doing more civilian or custom heads and the bodies need to be bigger we could do a modern, off the rations, more filled out, older version. Generally those 18-25 year old pilots tended to be skinny kids.

More food for thought for everyone but I have uniforms to make so better stop all the talking!

cheers
Patti