1:35 CH-54A Tarhe pilots Late in a standing position (1968 +) (scene 1)

Late dress, standing figures 1:35

A set of free-standing men in the flying dress worn by army personnel from 1968 on. Printed with sharp drawing of the harness, pockets and footwear. The figures are not tied to a cabin, so they can be placed anywhere across the area of a scene: by a landing gear wheel, by the load and off to one side of the machine.

How the dress changed

The move to fire-resistant materials meant a different cut of sleeves and legs, and to that a newer generation of protective helmets was added. The silhouette of a standing man therefore differs from the earlier period more than one would expect, and on a finished scene it shows even from a meter away. Anyone building a machine from a particular photograph should therefore reach for the execution that matches the year of the shot.

The real subject

The flying crane kept its place with army units for a number of years after the Vietnam deployment. It carried bridge sections, heavy equipment and shot-down machines, and in civil form its concept lives to this day in firefighting and erection work. Few army machines have seen so direct a continuation outside military service.

Who the set is worth it for

• Builders who want to date a scene to the later period.
• Those interested in helicopter logistics and lifting loads.
• Makers of display case scenes with a large area around the machine.
• Anyone bothered by a model without a single human figure.

The load being lifted and the area of the scene are not in the package. In a finished composition one figure close to the viewer and the rest further off proves itself, because the group gains depth by it.