PJ Productions

Japanese Pilots (seated) 1/72 For any 1/72 World War 2 Japanese aircraft

Stock Number: 72114

Reviewed By  Jim Pearsall, IPMS# 2209

MSRP: $5.99 (€4.20 Euros ) Review kit provided by PJ Productions www.pjproduction.net What you get: 2 very nicely done resin pilots. The left arm is a separate part, so it can be adjusted to fit the aircraft and reach the throttle when you put the pilot in. You also get a color picture of the assembled and painted figures to give you a hint. Why you need these pilots: Unfortunately, pilots in the kits I bought in the 60's were awful. We referred to Frog's attempts at figures as "little Martians". We know better now, Martians are much better looking. In the 70's and 80's, the figures improved. They looked pretty much human, they fit the aircraft/tank/vehicle they came with, and they were pretty nice. I had a whole box full of these figures, since I build most of my aircraft as if they were parked, and I don't need a human blocking the view of that cockpit I spent hours detailing. The model manufacturers are pretty clever. After a while they noticed that the models entered in contests or photographed for magazines and now web sites don't use the pilot figures. So they gave the customer what he wanted. No crew figures included with the kit. So you want to do a diorama, using an aircraft as the center of attention. You can buy ground crew, and even some pilots. Unfortunately they're usually that soft plastic that they used for "toy soldiers" back in the day. So you find someone who's selling a decent, well researched aftermarket pilot. Makes sense that the figure would be resin, after spending (mumble) dollars on a resin cockpit. This is your figure, if you're looking for an Imperial Japanese pilot from World War 2. The figures: These figures are cleanly and crisply molded. The parachute straps are easy to see and paint (OK, I had to use a magnifier, but it IS 1/72!) the helmet and gloves are nicely done, and I was able to figure out where the lenses were on the goggles. There was just a bit of flash on the inside of the left thigh, but it was very thin and easily removed, without even a flinch from the figure. I painted one, and left the other unpainted as a comparison. I used a coat of gloss white enamel to give a base. I then used acrylics for the boots, the helmet and the gloves. I used enamels for the face, the uniform and the straps with enamels. There's no rhyme or reason for using these particular paints, they just happened to be the ones I had which were the colors I wanted. And here's the pilot in an aircraft. I didn't have a finished one with an open cockpit, so I used an "in process" Hasegawa Ki-61. I wish I had a "Claude" to use, but no such luck. The Tony has been under construction for about 4 years, and there's no hurry to finish. But the figure certainly dresses up that cockpit, doesn't he? If you have an older kit with a "less than human" pilot, or want one to replace an "extinct" one, this is a highly recommended item. Thanks to Phillippe from PJ Productions for the review kit, and John Noack for the opportunity to do something with that "Tony".

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