BATTLE OF BRITAIN PILOT

He describes the figure as one of those “freebies” you used to get at the celebrated Model Show, Euromilitaire. That’s an indication that he picked the bust up some years ago, as “freebies” are a thing of the past nowadays!

Anyway, Doug was full of inspiration having just read the memoirs of RAF pilot “Johnnie” Johnson DSO DFC.

He decided to convert the figure giving him a “Johnnie” style moustache for that quintessential Battle of Britain fighter pilot look. Doug was pretty pleased to see an echo of Johnson in his creation. Soft cooper wire was used to add the air hoses to the Mae West & the wires of the flying helmet.

The bust was fairly well moulded, with a bit of pitting here & there, which Doug sorted out using a coat of Mr. Hobby Mr. Surfacer. A coat of superthin white primer followed that.

All the colours were applied using oils on top of the white. Research showed that some Mae West life vests were Khaki in colour, so that was shown using a specially-mixed combination of high quality artists’ oils. The flying helmet was weathered using sporadic oil dots that were then blended – a technique seen more commonly on AFVs than on figures. Shadows on the goggles added a sense of depth & were complemented by a thick coat of gloss varnish.

To finish off, a dark oak base was chosen and the pilot was mounted using a solid piece of tubing. A nameplate was ordered & at the last minute, an RAF badge turned up, which added to the story telling of the piece. Such a fitting tribute to those brave airmen could only be called "The Few".