Master Details

1/32 USAF Jet Pilot figure

Product # 32001 for $14.95

Product Article by Steve Filak on October 20, 2006

 

 

 

Master Details is a new aftermarket company headed up by Stephen Venters, a sculptor and illustrator who is an active member of the United States Air Force Art Group.  Having been involved with aviation art for many years, he has decided to enter the aftermarket industry, and his first release is a resin 1/32 USAF/ANG jet pilot from the late 1970s to the 1990s.  His hard work and detailed sculpting has paid off, yielding an excellent resin figure to kick off the product line.

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

WHAT YOU GET:

The pilot figure in thirteen parts, which includes two sets of arms, and four separate heads.  The parts are all cleanly cast in pale tan resin, and my sample showed no signs of air bubbles or casting flaws; the only thing you'll have to do is clean up a little flash here and there.  It's interesting to note that, with the exception of the bottom of the boots, there are no resin gates to separate (and truth be told, if you're installing the pilot into a cockpit, you'll never see the extra resin on the bottom of the boots).  There are two very small pieces of resin to clip off of one pair of the arms, but this shouldn't take much more than a minute or two.  In addition, you get a sheet of decals for the pilot's name tags and squadron badges.  You also get an exploded view of the figure to assist in construction, a front/back reference photo, and a detailed painting guide.

The figure comes with a number of different options, and in addition to the optional arms, you also get a total of four heads wearing helmets.  The options are:  mask on, visor up, mask on, visor down, mask off, visor up, and mask off, visor down.  In addition, you also get an oxygen mask and hose.  According to the instructions, the hose can be softened with heat applied with a hair dryer.  This way, you can adjust the shape of the the oxygen hose to suit your needs.   There is a little bit of flash on the heads, but this is easily cleaned up with a #11 blade.

The figure is well proportioned, and will look very nice in your A-7D, A-10 (pre-Desert Storm), F-4, F-16, and any number of other 1/32 USAF jets from the time frame.  This is a welcome addition to any large scale jet modeler's stash, and I look forward to future releases from Master Details.  I hope that they'll continue this excellent line of figures to include ground crew, and current pilots with Combat Edge helmets as well.  Please visit Stephen's site, Venters Aerospace for further information on his product line, as well as his line of aviation art.

Steve

Photos and text © by Steve Filak, Sr., and Master Details/Venters Aerospace