Mike's RNZAF Battle of Britain Pilot for Wings Cockpit

[Adrian Cowdry]

Brian

If you have VLC Media Player you could play Battle of Britain and take the odd screen capture to use as a background as well.

 

[bwildfong]

Hi again Brian,

"Trade Secrets" Not sure on this mate, nothing really special I don't think...

Was any of this of help mate?

Mike

Plenty of help Mike, thanks for sharing. The tip about using diluted colour to start is a good one for me, as is the idea of glazing over the lettering to gradually fade in the colour. As I suspected, there's no magic bullets to getting the lettering style, size, proportion right at this small scale other than the "practice, practice practice" and "learn to really see the forms you're trying to reproduce" and "touch up at the end" mantras I already try to use. In the end, it all just reinforces my admiration of how realistically you rendered the full scale subject in miniature.

Thanks again,

Brian

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

That certainly came out very well, love it!!

Cheers, Ski.

Thanks Steve glad you like it mate!

Mike

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Full shots of finished figure for review - your thoughts?

 

[DBenz]

I must commend you on the painting, very careful work and a good correct colour on the maewest, they used the same yellow as in the roundel on the aircraft, so look at any restored spitfire nowadays for that yellow. It was called RAF Trainer Yellow, Kodak film box yellow is that yellow ! The flesh/hands painting is awesome as is the face. The RAF bluegrey is far better than I often see where for some reason painters seem to think it was an electric blue cyan sort of colour. They simply havent looked at any photos, you have.

Now the historical facts, this is not a Battle of Britain figure so Wings need to alter description, he wears Battledress and that was not introduced until later in 1941/42. He wears however 1940 maewest and flying helmet. This combination is very unlikely. Not sure what picture the sculptor used for this. I reckon he has looked at different kit and mixed it together. When B/dress came in, the helmets available were Type C with 41 patt maewests and pilots upgraded just as we have to when winXP sees end of support, as aircraft electrics change and helmets and mics must remain compatible. The shot of Peter Townsend you refer to sees Peter with a flying overall on. These were a navy blue colour and a one piece garment as overalls are ! it would be some time if at all before the stencilling showed through. The colour pic sees the yellow daubed around the stencilling. I have seen replica maewests of this nature but wouldnt like to say if that one was or was not without handling it.

Also the sculptor has some sort of flap on the wearers left lobe of the maewest, simply never existed, pure figment of his imagination and needs removal.
Microphone would be shiny black for 1941 onwards, BoB period they were chamois covered. The wiring loom was a third of the thickness of the oxygen hose and the wires to the ear pieces thinner still. A small painting detail, the maewest buckles were very dull brass and the Bennets buckles, the (triangular chin strap buckle and also on back of helmet) was leather covered and when this was worn off it was again dull brass underneath. Helmet leather was a darker brown than shown if truth were to be told. The leather surround to the goggles also the same shade of brown.

Map excellent, how did you do the map ? Also 36 patt boots well done.

Google Images Type B helmet. Flat front chamois RAF Mic.

refs Luftwaffe versus RAF Mick Prodger

Hope this helps.

DBenz

 

[taff edwards]

Hi Mike fabulous art work love the images that you put with it very evocative of that period super work as always .
Cheers Chris

 

[housecarl]

Stunning Mike.

 

[samonac]

Joe, your positivity on this blows me away once again - thanks!

Yes there are lots of tiny details added in the main with careful build up in paint.
Acrylics have some wonderful properties if used in a semi dry & can replicate e.g. Fur poking out of top edge of boots & zipper tab on earphone zips.

Hopefully when I have final images edited these will become clearer.

Perhaps one day we'll meet at a show so you can study this or maybe you travel down under ;-)

Stay safe

Mike

P.S. Thought you might like this Mockup of a period poster...

View attachment 147563

... and for so few money, according a scottish pilot. : )

It's a great job you do. Your paint is simply excellent.
Sam

 

[Funky50]

Very nice...Kevin

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

I must commend you on the painting, very careful work and a good correct colour on the maewest,...
Map excellent, how did you do the map ?
Hope this helps.
DBenz

Thanks DBenz excellent review & feedback which I'll be sure to take on board for my next set of pilots.
Gotta another 3 to come including a famous Kiwi Ace, plus BoB bust by Life Minatures.
Will check in with you to try & get them more right next time

Your detail highlights some challenges of painting boxart.
I'd spotted some of sculptural detail you've mentioned but did not want to deviate from original figure to much.
I added cabling so should have shown size difference.

Ref Map - painted in acrylics by hand with a suitable ref picture of coastlines & channel ;-)

So good to have your knowledge shared here for all to benefit from.

Stay safe,

Mike

PS Here's source illustration for figure, presume from an Osprey title.
Will pass your comments on to David @ Wings because I know he & Nino are always keen to produce as accurate a sculpt as possible.

Also one I used for RAF Blue colours which I noted variation in though these are probably reproductions & Later War Bomber Crew. Plus actual example from our RNZAF museum reconstructing a Kiwi Spitfire pilot

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Hi Mike fabulous art work love the images that you put with it very evocative of that period super work as always .
Cheers Chris

Thanks Chris & good to hear you think it represents the era well, that's what I was trying to do

Stunning Mike.

Very nice...Kevin

Thanks Carl & Funky, nice to see this thread pop to life again

... and for so few money, according a scottish pilot. : )
It's a great job you do. Your paint is simply excellent.
Sam

Hi Sam appreciate your comments, not sure about Scottish Pilots quip?
Och! Lost in translation

Mike

 

[samonac]

Thanks Chris & good to hear you think it represents the era well, that's what I was trying to do




Thanks Carl & Funky, nice to see this thread pop to life again



Hi Sam appreciate your comments, not sure about Scottish Pilots quip?
Och! Lost in translation

Mike

That was a joke between pilots after battle of Britain.
Sam

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

That was a joke between pilots after battle of Britain.
Sam

Thanks for clearing that up mate

 

[chris1]

Hi Mike
Well done,He looks the part.

I hope the Famous Kiwi Ace is either Cobber Kain or Geoff Fiskin...Which ever do him next please.

Chris

 

[Adrian Cowdry]

From the above review I guess the figure is not so accurate - but you know what I think it looks gorgeous...stay with it.

 

[samonac]

A picture about RAF pilots that I like is this one :

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/17/the-story-behind-this-photo-of-a-raf-pilot.html

I hope that someone can do something with it.

Sam

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Hi Mike
Well done,He looks the part.

I hope the Famous Kiwi Ace is either Cobber Kain or Geoff Fiskin...Which ever do him next please.

Chris

It's Alan Deere mate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Christopher_Deere

 

[Adrian Cowdry]

Good Choice

 

[DBenz]

Aha...Now I see where the mae west and battledress mistakes came from in the sculpting, someone elses mistakes. I wouldnt trust an artists work in a book as they make mistakes. Nobody seems to be observant and able to use google. Glad you did the jumper in white, not aware of blue ones (Osprey error again), I see they have this figure painted and reviewed on the www but with blue jumper, I prefer your painting. Why two different instances though ? Some kind of storage going on in the right lobe as I see a box inside !, pure fiction,...the flap over the inflation tube base is far too big and the left lobe flap never existed. Someone needs to be careful and use only actual original items for reference. A sculptor has spent valuable time copying these errors. This figure from Osprey is fiction in both maewest and also B'dress if its labelled as BoB pilot. If it is based on a real photo I would love to see that photo ! Maybe just maybe a pilot still used his BoB maewest and Type B helmet when all others were with Bdress and Type C kit. Very unlikely but always willing to learn from actual WW2 photos. Thus it also says beware Osprey books ! Colours are wrong in the figure in the book as is the aircraft behind, BoB Hurris didnt have the spinners we see nowadays on Hurris. Its certainly not a BoB figure. Gut feeling its artistic mixing going on.

I am bowled over by that map, it has scale accurate thin black lines along map border, and you hand painted that map..WOW !...maewest greygreen also is spot on..the b'dress detailing and shading best I have seen...excellent.

I take it your remit is to paint the figure and not correct its 'hardware' faults ? Best painting I have seen for a Wings figure with accurate colour. For once the RAF blue grey is within the realms of accurate. Electric blue through to cyan seems to occur ! I look forward to more. Osprey also got the helmet colour wrong. Mask correct though with a very grubby chamois front mic.

note the Kiwi pilot re-enactor battledress and Type C helmet, as this figure should be.

everyone please use Google Images and actual WW2 pictures as best source

...and beware flash shots if looking for colour refs, use natural daylight. Kiwi pilot has purple blue tunic, its a colour imbalance thing.

Luftwaffe versus RAF another good ref book.

You mention the Life Miniatures figure BoB pilot.
see http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/life-miniatures-presents-the-few.63204/page-2
and also
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/the-few-on-progress.62850/page-2

DBenz

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

A picture about RAF pilots that I like is this one :
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/17/the-story-behind-this-photo-of-a-raf-pilot.html
I hope that someone can do something with it.
Sam

Agree a real favourite of mine to Sam & I'd like to try & capture essence of this one in some of my future projects.

Thanks for follow up
Mike