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PJ Production 1/32 German Pilot: WWII |
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Kit Number 321104 |
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Reviewed By James Kelley, #42106 |
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MSRP: €10.50 (About $14 USD) PJ Productions is a Belgian company specializing in the creation and production of resin scale models and accessories aimed at modelers of military aircraft kits and aviation-related dioramas in 1/72nd, 1/48th and 1/32nd scale. Their newest release is a 1/32 scale Luftwaffe pilot, clambering into his mount for a sortie. |
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| Molded in a cream-colored resin, the 3 pouring blocks hold a total of 8 pieces. One block holds the pilot’s torso and left leg (one piece), one holds the right leg and arms (replete with flying gloves), and the third provides an oxygen hose, holstered sidearm, and two heads. One wears a leather flying helmet, and the O2 mask to attach the hose to. The other wears a Field Cap. The pants legs are molded with the appropriate cargo pockets, and the left leg has a detailed sheath wrapped around it. The holstered sidearm has a small locator pin molded onto the back, and correlates with the tiny hole in the pilot’s belt. I found this to be a clever touch. Overall, the uniform and its accoutrements appear to be accurate based on personal photos of actual Luftwaffe uniform items. | |
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There are no assembly instructions included, but honestly, none are needed. There is a 2” x 4” slip of paper included, featuring
a black & white photo of the figure with correct color “callouts”. No specific paints are suggested. The box “art” is a
color photo of the completed figure to reference as well. Each of the 8 pieces in my sample had stringy, strand-like residual pouring “flash” on them. This all cleaned up with minimal effort; easily buffed off with a Micro mesh pad. Then the 3 sets of parts were gently scrubbed in warm soap and water to remove any casting chemical residue. All pieces were easily removed from the pouring blocks, as they’re cast with clear demarcations at the separation points. A bit of cleanup with the sanding stick, and they’re ready for cyanoacrylate. After drying, a bit of Mr. Surfacer was brushed into the seams of the limbs and sanded smooth. I primed the figure with Rustoleum spray-can gray primer. I painted the faces with Testor’s Model Master Enamels; Skin Tone Warm, Skin Tone Shadow, and Skin Tone Light. A Burnt Umber oil wash highlighted the facial feature recesses, and then all was sealed under a mix of Future and Tamiya Flat Base. The uniforms were painted with Testors and Tamiya acrylics, then washed and sealed as above. High points were dry brushed with Gunship Gray. Testors Steel Metalizer was used for the Luftwaffe uniform insignia. |
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To illustrate the figure with either head, they were held in place for the photos with a tiny ball of 3M Fun-Tac. I spent about 3 hours on this figurine, and while I am quick to admit that I am NOT a figure modeler, he looks pretty good on the Wurger’s wing. The left arm was positioned a bit higher than I think it’s intended to be, as this figure seems to be molded for the Bf 109… there’s a sketch of the Messerschmitt's windscreen on the box under his left hand, but I was curious how much filling/sanding would be required to use a Focke Wulf. The answer is none. You can pose this figure on either aircraft with minimal fuss involved, and I imagine he would look just as good climbing into the Revell Bf 110 as well. A good excuse to get that off of the pile soon and start building it! I recommend this figure to anyone wishing to display their 1/32 scale Luftwaffe aircraft with the pilot adding some animation and character to it. My thanks to John Noack, 1st VP, IPMS/USA and the good people at PJ Productions for providing this resin figure for me to review! |
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Information, images, and all other items placed electronically on this site are the intellectual property of IPMS/USA ®. |
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