Hi,
Just came across this thread and hope I can point you in the right direction if its not too late.
I am not sure if the figure comes with painting refs for colours, I feel things should, I will find out when mine arrives but I know the subject matter well so I am ok.
If you or anyone building this are interested in getting the colors and details correct you may wish to consider the following data.
Your figure jumps out at me for two noticeable features, the tunic colour and the helmet colour.
The B flying helmet was a very dark brown chromed leather with shiny golden brown press studs. that coating often wore off to reveal brass underneath which tarnished extremely quickly bit would add a nice touch. Zips on ears are dull brass on a reddish brown material base. inside is chamois leather, gets grubby quickly.
google images Type B RAF flying helmet for pics.
http://www.flightgear.ch/GB Type B type III/gb_b_type_III.htm
also http://www.onesixth.co.uk/vb4forum/showthread.php?514-RAF-Fighter-Pilot-1940-Battle-of-Britain
The oxygen mask, again google Type D RAF oxygen mask. Chamois lined interior with an olive green dead matt no shiny woollen cloth exterior. The V piece at its base would be chamois, not green , either press studs (chrome)were fitted straight into the mask or fawn colour (off white) small webbing straps with studs on those were sewn on .
see second link above
The microphone on it is the Type 21 and is WRONG for the Battle of Britain though, this was the black shiny one that came out at the end of the Battle. as in the link above.
It should be a Type 19 magnetic and the second link above has one, its commonly called the flat fronted chamois mic, not the one with the little wooden switch, that's earlier still and was the carbon mic.
The interior is also show in this link, chamois lined with an aluminium mic rear part with a ring of small holes. The model is somewhat crude here.
Oxygen hose is covered in a material just like electric irons by Morphy Richards in the 60's to maybe even now. black with white or yellow spiral dashed line or sometimes a turquoise green. A nice painting challenge. Maybe best to do the flek colour first then wind fine Tamiya tape around it spiralling and paint the black, remove tape then do the dashes. It did break away from the mic and start to work its way down the rubber piping inside. You could show this instead, it was a dull fawny biscuity brown colour, also there was black.
Note the true wiring loom for the BoB period had no notable twisting as depicted in the model. Dead smooth loom, some varoation when they altered construction from a copper foil...yes foil...inside to actual wires resulted in slight twisting of internal wires visible, and I do mean slight. Then along came noticeable twisting from two strand internal wiring. The ones in the pics have I feel been rewired , I know the looms that have come onto the market in the last 15 yers. Often the mics had the looms cut off so collectors use what they can to complete them.
Loom colour a dull grey fawny brown, not a wine brown etc as were later ones. The joint where all three thinner 'wires' met up was 'whipped' with dark brown fine cord over a distance of half an inch .
This second link is in fact a good source of data for us here !
It also shows the Mk IIIA goggles, they have BLACK frontage and a chocolate brown velvet padding. and light olivegreenbrown cloth over the springs and a standard brown strap at rear.
The parachute sculpted needs the bang to release disc modified, add back in the edge that is currently flat, BoB period were totally circular, the flat edge came later !
The harness is a light fawn colour, an off white almost, lighter than the postwar harness seen in that link and the coloured flecking isnt something that stood proud of this at all, it is all smooth to the touch.
The buckles on the harness were all chrome, not black, black is in fact post war ! The release disc at front is as per that link, less the flat edge. everything else as said was chrome.
Gauntlets as per that link again.
The tunic, not sure why you have a vivid electric blue as someone else commented on, no doubt a base colour ? The tunic in the link is a good start point for you. Just google RAF WW2 tunic and click on images as opposed to web, loads to refer to.
The maewests in the link are replica, the one being worn is totally the wrong colour, malachite green no, they were a dull olive green similar to the other one there and the lobes a slightly different shade, however in the Battle of Britain the lobes were usually sprayed with RAF trainer yellow/roundel yellow (same colour) and any shot of an early spitfire at an airshow will give you this. Kodak film box yellow ! It had a tendency to start cracking so add such subtlety in for realism, google BoB pilots to see this. Originals with yellow painted on are extremely rare. The later yellow ones were a light yellow cream material.
The painted figure on the box has the maewest very well colour wise, also the hose flecking and the tunic a little light on the highlights. The painter however has postwar black buckles, thats a real shame, any wartime pics BoB or thereafter would have shown chrome. Guess the painter looked at what was for sale on the internet, and the post war harnesses tend to appear.
Wartime one with circular disc and chrome buckles (alclad or MR Color ?) here:-
http://www.network54.com/Forum/180748/thread/1229859236/My+pilot!
along with more good indication on tunic colour, note again the later mic, the flat front chamois are so scarce.
The references are there on the www if one looks, even in b/w pics details of release box and buckle colour are visible.
Hope this helps anyone wishing to paint the excellent figure life miniatures has created. I will be altering the looms and the mic and release box disc, rubbing down the harness centre stitching.
DBenz
Just came across this thread and hope I can point you in the right direction if its not too late.
I am not sure if the figure comes with painting refs for colours, I feel things should, I will find out when mine arrives but I know the subject matter well so I am ok.
If you or anyone building this are interested in getting the colors and details correct you may wish to consider the following data.
Your figure jumps out at me for two noticeable features, the tunic colour and the helmet colour.
The B flying helmet was a very dark brown chromed leather with shiny golden brown press studs. that coating often wore off to reveal brass underneath which tarnished extremely quickly bit would add a nice touch. Zips on ears are dull brass on a reddish brown material base. inside is chamois leather, gets grubby quickly.
google images Type B RAF flying helmet for pics.
http://www.flightgear.ch/GB Type B type III/gb_b_type_III.htm
also http://www.onesixth.co.uk/vb4forum/showthread.php?514-RAF-Fighter-Pilot-1940-Battle-of-Britain
The oxygen mask, again google Type D RAF oxygen mask. Chamois lined interior with an olive green dead matt no shiny woollen cloth exterior. The V piece at its base would be chamois, not green , either press studs (chrome)were fitted straight into the mask or fawn colour (off white) small webbing straps with studs on those were sewn on .
see second link above
The microphone on it is the Type 21 and is WRONG for the Battle of Britain though, this was the black shiny one that came out at the end of the Battle. as in the link above.
It should be a Type 19 magnetic and the second link above has one, its commonly called the flat fronted chamois mic, not the one with the little wooden switch, that's earlier still and was the carbon mic.
The interior is also show in this link, chamois lined with an aluminium mic rear part with a ring of small holes. The model is somewhat crude here.
Oxygen hose is covered in a material just like electric irons by Morphy Richards in the 60's to maybe even now. black with white or yellow spiral dashed line or sometimes a turquoise green. A nice painting challenge. Maybe best to do the flek colour first then wind fine Tamiya tape around it spiralling and paint the black, remove tape then do the dashes. It did break away from the mic and start to work its way down the rubber piping inside. You could show this instead, it was a dull fawny biscuity brown colour, also there was black.
Note the true wiring loom for the BoB period had no notable twisting as depicted in the model. Dead smooth loom, some varoation when they altered construction from a copper foil...yes foil...inside to actual wires resulted in slight twisting of internal wires visible, and I do mean slight. Then along came noticeable twisting from two strand internal wiring. The ones in the pics have I feel been rewired , I know the looms that have come onto the market in the last 15 yers. Often the mics had the looms cut off so collectors use what they can to complete them.
Loom colour a dull grey fawny brown, not a wine brown etc as were later ones. The joint where all three thinner 'wires' met up was 'whipped' with dark brown fine cord over a distance of half an inch .
This second link is in fact a good source of data for us here !
It also shows the Mk IIIA goggles, they have BLACK frontage and a chocolate brown velvet padding. and light olivegreenbrown cloth over the springs and a standard brown strap at rear.
The parachute sculpted needs the bang to release disc modified, add back in the edge that is currently flat, BoB period were totally circular, the flat edge came later !
The harness is a light fawn colour, an off white almost, lighter than the postwar harness seen in that link and the coloured flecking isnt something that stood proud of this at all, it is all smooth to the touch.
The buckles on the harness were all chrome, not black, black is in fact post war ! The release disc at front is as per that link, less the flat edge. everything else as said was chrome.
Gauntlets as per that link again.
The tunic, not sure why you have a vivid electric blue as someone else commented on, no doubt a base colour ? The tunic in the link is a good start point for you. Just google RAF WW2 tunic and click on images as opposed to web, loads to refer to.
The maewests in the link are replica, the one being worn is totally the wrong colour, malachite green no, they were a dull olive green similar to the other one there and the lobes a slightly different shade, however in the Battle of Britain the lobes were usually sprayed with RAF trainer yellow/roundel yellow (same colour) and any shot of an early spitfire at an airshow will give you this. Kodak film box yellow ! It had a tendency to start cracking so add such subtlety in for realism, google BoB pilots to see this. Originals with yellow painted on are extremely rare. The later yellow ones were a light yellow cream material.
The painted figure on the box has the maewest very well colour wise, also the hose flecking and the tunic a little light on the highlights. The painter however has postwar black buckles, thats a real shame, any wartime pics BoB or thereafter would have shown chrome. Guess the painter looked at what was for sale on the internet, and the post war harnesses tend to appear.
Wartime one with circular disc and chrome buckles (alclad or MR Color ?) here:-
http://www.network54.com/Forum/180748/thread/1229859236/My+pilot!
along with more good indication on tunic colour, note again the later mic, the flat front chamois are so scarce.
The references are there on the www if one looks, even in b/w pics details of release box and buckle colour are visible.
Hope this helps anyone wishing to paint the excellent figure life miniatures has created. I will be altering the looms and the mic and release box disc, rubbing down the harness centre stitching.
DBenz
