RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

"Congrats John, you have the finest possible aviator for any thing Manfred flew. Thats a lot of airplanes especially counting observer/gunner time.
Doc"

I agree, Katherine's work is the top of the food chain and I feel fortunate to have the first 1/4 MvR. Unfortunately, I'm not so imaginative, he's for a Dr1 (GTM when he releases the revised version), just NOT 425/17. Maybe 152/17, we'll see....................John

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Hey Steff, apologies for not replying to you earlier, I just forgot! I have seen that video, amazing isn't it to have that footage from back then.

Hi Oakey, it's great having Katherine do all the sewing now. I can concentrate on the heads from the drawing/sculpting through to the moulding.

The new cnc mill is finally up and running. The mill arrived months ago and then we waited for patiently for weeks for the cnc kit to arrive. That took a bit of installing and then had a few teething problems. The weight of the head in the Z axis wore out the thrust bearing with all the little up and down movements so Richard took it off and replaced it with a much lighter spindle. The spindle is water cooled and needs the radiator/cooling kit and that took over a week to get here! Then the X axis jammed up and he had to sort that out but now it's working :D I've cut a new Spitty pilot as a test and also a 1/4 Erich Hartmann with flight cap so will mould those today and see how they look.

I'm hoping that I can turn out heads as fast as they can be 3D drawn and the caps/goggles etc can be fitted on to any head. I should even find the time to make body moulds for females, 1/6 and 40+% .

John, it was a long time coming but I'm glad you're happy with the results after that long wait. :)

cheers
PAtti

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Wow you guys have been really busy! it must be nice to have more time with Katherine too!
say Hi to the Big R for me too.

cheers

C

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Oakey, I forgot to mention that the 1/4 scale Boomerang will be flying by Christmas! I will do a posting on the Boomerang thread but it's all coming together wonderfully and the new one out of the mould with the 1mm cork core is so much lighter than the first lay up with the 3mm core which is all we could get at that time.

I also forgot to mention that I have FINALLY managed to make a successful and REPEATABLE! oxygen mask. I've got this nasty feeling that I was using the wrong casting material from the first one which worked [:@] I ruined so many moulds when it wouldn't release it isn't funny. That's the trouble when I leave something for so long and go back that I've forgotten the procedure ...... is that the start of dimentia?[X(] No need for you to answer that one Kat!!!

cheers
Patti

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

LOL

I refer to those as "senior moments".

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

This is very good news about the O2 mask Pati,,, not the dementia.:)

I'll check out the site and put an order in as my pilot is going higher, faster, further now with the sixth flight out of the way.

Cheers, and keep up the great work,

Brad

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

wow you guys are really making progress!

i finally got a 2.2kw spindle on my old machine. i did the same as you and bought a POC cooling kit with radiator and attached it to the top of the Z axis.

I am changing jobs at the moment so i am spending some family time after things were just too hecktic at the last place.

keep up the great work and please update the boomer thread i would love to see the progress

all the best from adelaide

C

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

I don't remember having "senior moments" Spidernad :)

Hey Brad, great to hear your Spitty is going higher, faster,further .... Did you get the canopy back onto it? I had a very UN senior moment today when I got to fly the 1/4 scale (103") electric Spitty!!!!! A couple of circuits and a roll and I can see why they're legendary. It seems a little unfair that I didn't even have to build it and still got to fly it where as I see the effort you guys go to first! But I'm not complaining :D

I'll scale that oxygen mask down to 1/5 now that I know it's going to work and get you one soon. I think that flexible, rubbery resin has potential for goggles too.

Oakey, you wont be disappointed with the spindle and it's so much quieter than the router. Good news about your change of jobs too. I will do a posting on the Boomerang thread, promise. I just haven't had a spare moment lately and I'm back as secretary of our club as well so just a few extra jobs there on the side too, but it's all going well so time well spent :D

cheers
Patti

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

That's the nice thing about senior moments - not remembering. You answered my question before I got a chance to ask. Goggles. I was hoping when you mastered the O2 mask that you might be able to do goggles.
I will need several in 1/3 and 1/4. I just picked up a 1/3 scale kit for a WWI german aircraft and will eventually require some Germanic looking young man of yet to be determined name.
Doc

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Hi Patti & Katherine thought you might be interested in a short vid of the progress on the Zero cockpit & your pilot figure.
Since the vid I now have his head turning with the rudder.
hope all is going well for you all.

Cheers Steff.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga3jQX0sJkU

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Cool vid Steff! I'd forgotten that you had just the cord in the limbs, they moved really freely. Nice job on your cockpit and great to see your kids get into the spirit of it :)

cheers
Patti

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

You have got to be kidding me!</p>

Remind me not to get into high end scale building, there's no way I can compete with that kind of over the top, next level detail.</p>

Everyone else can wave the white flag and surrender, You Win!</p>

Hail to the King!</p>

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Hi Patti...

Add another customer to your ever growing list :D

I just discovered this thread and wanted to congratulate you on your amazing work, outstanding!

Thank you.

Goose

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Very cool! Its nice to see others with some "respect" for the man in the plane! Half the fliers I know don't even use a pilot!

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Just got back from a few days holiday with the family at Exmouth, really nice, thanks for the kind words on the cockpit ! getting there slowly.
Steff.

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

WOW you do good work Patti. I tried to open your website but it seems to be down. I have a 1/4 scale gee bee I would like a pilot for and nobody seems to make any good ones for the 1930's racers. Do you think you could do one of Jimmy Doolittle?

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

What an awesome looking character.

Brad

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

That sure is a great looking face and what a part he played in WW2 history as well. I'd love to do a Doolittle head. I wasn't aware of any problems with the website - apart from my lack of work on it! PM me for my email address.

The new machine is working well, and I'm clearing the back log of heads and other body parts. It's just a continual refinement of tool paths to get neater, smoother cutting. Erich Hartmann is cut and moulded in both 1/4 and 1/5 but I haven't painted them up so no photos at this stage. They always look so different with the flying cap on compared to the iconic pictures we mostly see with them wearing the service caps.

I've just ordered some new products to try making the body moulds with and I hope that this will make it quicker than the fibre glassing process. The body moulds are a big job but I'd like to have females and other sizes eventually.

Brad, I'll get your bits and pieces on their way to you today.



cheers
Patti

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Mr Doolittle was a large figure in the early air racing days as well. Won the Thompson with the GeeBee R1 in 32 He flew a Travelair Model R (sister ship to the Mystery Ship, there were 5 of them built) that was sponsored by Shell in the early 30s and flew the Curtis biplanes in the Scnneider cup in the mid 20s so he is a valuable contender for many uses and scales.
Doc

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Thanks Patti.

Brad

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

I would love a Manfred 1/3 scale for my DR1
How do I go about getting one?

Craig

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Hi Craig

If you PM me I'll give you some details and email address.

cheers
Patti

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Greetings
a little inspiration
http://savex.cz/pilot.php?lang=en

Regards
Vaclav

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Hi Patti and Kat, I just wanted to let you know that my pilot body and other bits arrived safely and that the O2 mask looks very nice. (as well as the rest of course):)

Now, I want to tell every one that the 1/5th scale body that Patti offers fits very well into the 1/6th clothing of the 'Elite Forces' type of pilot figures. The body is about a 1/2 " longer if that and as you can see in the pictures does not look out of the ordinary. Arms and legs can be cut to required length with your bits added (gloves, boots etc.) The weight saving is great as you can see and the new body is much better to pose in a seated position. So save some weight and get yourself a foam body. All that is needed is a bit of a tidy up of the foam, some paint and shading and add the head and extremities. Those with pilots with long clothing are even better off.

Cheers,

Brad

RE: Scale poseable pilot making
 

Hey Brad

What timing, we've had exactly the same idea and have just made a 1/6 body mould today that has legs about 1" longer. The 1/6 clothing fits and as you'd know there's a huge range of 1/6 gear. This gives the option of making a tall 1/6 pilot(trim the extra inch off the legs) or a short 1/5 pilot from the same body. The clothing still fits and we haven't extended the arms so the sleeve length fits. The pants can sit slightly lower on the hips for the length but seated in the cockpit you wouldn't see if they were a bit short and in some cases the long boots would cover any shortfall. The bodies can be bent a little lower in a seated position to give a little extra height.

There's a large range of 1/6 heads or we can do 1/5 to fit onto the neck. It's a much cheaper option to get a pilot into a 1/5 or 1/6 cockpit - we'd be looking to get the bodies out for around $35.

As Brad mentioned, they look much better when the clothing covers the limbs as it is just an armature but being the creative modeller he is he'll make that look fine.

The BBI (may not be that brand) body only we have weighs in at a huge 7.65oz!, whereas our completed body with head, clothing, accessories, boots etc is the same as Brad (funnily enough!!)

We're working on the website again too so hopefully you'll be able to get bodies through there soon, otherwise just PM me in the meantime.

Great looking pilot Brad, we need a pic of him in the plane next :D

cheers
Patti