SPA Modeler

Very nice! But I am curious as to where he would get such an item...

Stikpusher wrote:Very nice! But I am curious as to where he would get such an item...

In war, enemy equipment gets captured pretty frequently, no? I got my inspiration from this photo...

Oh yes equipment does get captured. That photo looks to be an aircraft seat cushion or similar such item added to some some sort of beach lounge chair. Which makes perfect sense. I had just never seen any US issue chair of the type your modeling here... and if it was an Army Air Force item, I don’t believe any US occupied airfields were ever overrun by advancing German forces in the ETO/MTO. British, Russian, and French, yes. But by the time we got there into proximity with the Germans where it could happen, it never did to my knowledge. Not even at Kasserine or the Bulge. But now seeing your inspiration photo, I understand.

Looks just perfect now, a cigarette is indeed the right thing!
Very good, can almost smell the cigarette smoke..

- Kari

It was just an idea for a folding chair. And no, I didn't have any technical references for US-issue folding chairs. But who's to say some GI couldn't take a stencil and paint something on a non-issue folding chair for kicks? Or a German? Unless you can give me some proof that those kind of things couldn't or didn't happen, then my little chair is plausible. It's just a chair.

The textures and colors are incredible, John! Congratulations. I am excited by the realism you have created! You brought him to life!!!!!

Can just simply agree, very vivid figure!

Only now I pay attention to his right leg... What are those silver colored cylinders around the pilots foot ?



- Kari

I believe they were pistol flare cartidges in case they went down...

Yes, those are flare cartridges. But they were also for use in the air. Signaling to an air group while on radio silence. I don’t think they’d be of much use to aviators once downed unless at sea. Their were no helicopters for rescue & recovery except in a few rare cases.

Thanks guys! Just back from my overseas trip. Still have to process the photos that I took (over 3,000) so I won't be able to jump into the modeling room for at least a few days. My apologies to Stick for my snarky response about the pilot figure. It was a quick comment before leaving on my trip and upon reading it now, I can see that I should've phrased it more politely. Sorry Carlos. You were not off-base. The same question was asked of me on two other modeling message boards so I had a lot of explaining to do.

Hopefully, I can get the aerial mounted on Black 1 and then I have to prepare it for flight #3 across the Atlantic.