1/48 Scale paratrooper figures

The kit originally came with a string of paratroopers waiting to board. You might want to try your hand at conversions with these.

Blackbelt2 wrote:

Does anyone know where I can find 1/48 scale paratroopers in plastic or resin? The 1/48 scale C-47 would make a great diorama with paratroopers preparing to board. I would love to model this plane in flight with paratroopers existing the plane but i have searched everywhere and to my knowlege no one makes paratroopers in 1/48 scale in free fall or open canopy mode. Any ideas?

HA-Haaaaa .... You've touched one a future build of mine that I plan on tackling, hopefully, in the new year. You are correct in your thinking that no one makes exiting troopers ... if you want them .... you're going to have to mod and scratch. However, consider this ... and I'm really giving away my "secret" here .... really, how many troopers can you get out the door and still support the dio idea!?! One, right! I.E. If you're going to have a troop already out the door, you've got to support him, otherwise, he's going to fall straight to the floor. Likewise, he can't be under full chute yet as then he's completely separated from the plane. But, this time he wouldn't just float down.

Just something for you to think about.

Dunno which C-47 you bought, but if you can find it, Monogram's "C-47 Skytrain" kit includes a stick of US paratroopers...  Hre's the Shep Paine dio he made for Monogram.

Here's the site that gives the "How he did it" info:

http://sheperdpaine.atspace.com/c47.htm

 

Thats the kit thatI have and the figs look decent for plastic ones...

modelchasm wrote:

Blackbelt2 wrote: Does anyone know where I can find 1/48 scale paratroopers in plastic or resin? The 1/48 scale C-47 would make a great diorama with paratroopers preparing to board. I would love to model this plane in flight with paratroopers existing the plane but i have searched everywhere and to my knowlege no one makes paratroopers in 1/48 scale in free fall or open canopy mode. Any ideas? HA-Haaaaa .... You've touched one a future build of mine that I plan on tackling, hopefully, in the new year. You are correct in your thinking that no one makes exiting troopers ... if you want them .... you're going to have to mod and scratch. However, consider this ... and I'm really giving away my "secret" here .... really, how many troopers can you get out the door and still support the dio idea!?! One, right! I.E. If you're going to have a troop already out the door, you've got to support him, otherwise, he's going to fall straight to the floor. Likewise, he can't be under full chute yet as then he's completely separated from the plane. But, this time he wouldn't just float down. Just something for you to think about.

Actually, you'd do well with 3...the load master or whatever they call the guy directing the troops out the door, one guy at the door about to jump, arms on the sides of the door, and one guy on his guide line stretched out and down before his drogue chute starts to open. The line woud have to be made of a sturdy material to support him. You'd probably want a few other lines in the slipstream as well.

I think you and I are thinkin' the same on this AJ .... I guess I was thinkin' more about just the guy out the door. Thanks for reminding me about the other two near the door.

I think stik and I, and maybe you too as well, have talked about this before. As for the rest of the stick, I was just planning on doing a REAL basic paint job on them just so that there are "bodies" in the plane. Don't really know how well you'd be able to see them through the windows, but at least the "shadows" would be there. Who knows, maybe I could get away w/ paper cut-outs! HAHA!!

The guys waiting inthe plane would be silouettes at best given the thickness of the glazing on the Monogram kit. What would be cool is an LED of the appropriate color (Red? Green? Red Green himself? ) illuminating the interior of the plane.

I cant vouch for WWII jump techniques, but I doubt they have changed too much. The commands are still almost identical, and equipment has not changed much. You have the jumpers, AKA stick. There is the jumpmaster, part of the stick, who will give all the jump commands and either lead the stick out the door, or follow the last man out (the stickpusher ) after a brief check to make sure there are no towed jumpers. Next is the safety- he stys in the aircraft. His job is to collect the static lines as they are handed to him(so to speak) by each jumper immediately prior to their exit and move them out of the way so that they do not entangle the next follwing jumper(s). After all jumpers have exited, the safety and the loadmaster (part of the aircrew) pull the static lines back inside the aircraft. And yes, teh correct WWII jump exit was done with the hands braced against the aircrafts door frame, all fingers outside using the arms for extra boost against the slip stream in what is called a "hop and pop". (C-47s, 46s and 53s had no wind deflectors unlike today's birds) Have a weak exit and you'll "check out the rivets" and be bruised for a week or more to show it...

Oh, he would be a sexy addition to the plane ..... BUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTT ...

Honestly, I had been considering animating the props .... so adding in a small green LED would be easy enough. Besides the green light at the door ... did the 47 have other interior light in the cabin? Small green or red lights along the cabin's roof perhaps?

Although, I'm not 1005 sold on the lighting idea yet .... I don't want it to turn into a "where's the formation lights? Where's the cockpit lights? Etc, etc ...."

I would venture a SWAG of red  lighting in the cabin area. That seemed to be the standard for night vision lighting among militaries for decades.

Hmm ... makes sense. I think that you told me that before. If I could find a small, low-level red LEDs that would be easy to run along the cabin roof, along w/ the green light near the door, I might consider still doing it in my build.

But now that we're completely taken over this thread ..... hehe ....

 

Did all of this answer your original quesiton!?!

Here is a great shot I found... the safety (to the left) is holding the Jumpmaster's (center) static line (yellow cord), and a jumper is about to exit. If you look closely, the Safety is not rigged for a combat jump like the Jumpmaster is (aircrew type chute vs. T-10 and combat equipment).

 

Nice shot, stik. I found a couple from the WWII era, but none from inside the plane.

I've been working on this same sceen in 1/24th for about a year, not the whole c-47 of course, just the doorway with a jumpmaster, one in the door and one just out. Put it aside as one of those to do later projects. Good luck,

You are right. I had the idea of a paratrooper just as he is leaving the door with the chute strung out. I would have to support him but I haven't thought that far ahead. I was first looking at the paratrooper options. Good luck with your project and let me know how you make out.

I thought about that to. Go to www.allelectronics.com. They have 3mm & 5mm LED's in all shapes and sizes along with batteries and wires. I am building a 1/72 scale C-130 Blue Angels Fat Albert and I am motorizing the props and using led lights for the interior. They have everything that you may need and they are cheap! 

BB ... Google "d-day jump" images ...  think you'll be suprised at how the static lines/ chutes deploy from the plane and the trooper. Supporting the trooper wouldn't be THAT hard to do ... its not like the static line pulls straight out from the door to the jumper .... THAT would be like jumping at MACH 1 !!!!!

Regardless, even if you don't have much figure modding experience, its not that hard and its pretty easy to learn/ catch on. You'll have to try it sometime ... unless you're happy w/ building OOB ... and some people are. More power to'm .... wish I could, and not bother w/ scratching stuff all the time!?!

 

Just FYI, the jump lights at the door would be better done with fiber optic strands... They're really small (the lights), about like a large flashlight bulb.  The panel they're mounted on is about 3x5 inches in size.  The interior lights are in small boxes mounted on the ceiling about every three feet, each has two lenses in it, one white, one red.  Red is used for night-time lighting to preclude ruining night-vision. 

Here's a pic of a trooper in the door.  I found this one interesting because of the tape over the door hinges & latches (to preclude snagging).

I had the idea of a paratrooper just as he is leaving the door with the chute strung out.

Here's an exit view, note the trooper's position in relation to the stab:

Note how far away the trooper is before he has a canopy out of the deployment bag. 

Frankly, I think you could model it effectively with three troopers, a jumpmaster just inside the door, one in the door, the other at the end of his static line... The static line could be done with stiff wire to keep him from "bouncing" on the end of it.

   

Hans von Hammer wrote:

Frankly, I think you could model it effectively with three troopers, a jumpmaster just inside the door, one in the door, the other at the end of his static line... The static line could be done with stiff wire to keep him from "bouncing" on the end of it.

Thanks for the references, Hans .... and yes, this is exactly the idea that I'm going for, so thanks also for verifying some of the information in question. I'lm starting to think that this might be my next build after I finish the two I'm working on now ....

... wish the Lonestar Flight Museum in Galveston had a C-47 ... but, ho-hum ... just might have to go and visit the B-17, B-25, and their Corsair instead ....

...wish the Lonestar Flight Museum in Galveston had a C-47 ...

Not sure exactly where you're at in Texas, but the DFW Wing of the CAF has an R4D based at Lancaster... Close enough to a C-47...

I'm down in Houston ... although .... if I can, I'm trying to get up to DFW for the Supercon show this next weekend. Might just have to stop by ....

Thanks for the heads up Hans!

Hans von Hammer wrote:

Just FYI, the jump lights at the door would be better done with fiber optic strands... They're really small (the lights), about like a large flashlight bulb.  The panel they're mounted on is about 3x5 inches in size.  The interior lights are in small boxes mounted on the ceiling about every three feet, each has two lenses in it, one white, one red.  Red is used for night-time lighting to preclude ruining night-vision.  Here's a pic of a trooper in the door.  I found this one interesting because of the tape over the door hinges & latches (to preclude snagging). I had the idea of a paratrooper just as he is leaving the door with the chute strung out. Here's an exit view, note the trooper's position in relation to the stab: Note how far away the trooper is before he has a canopy out of the deployment bag.  Frankly, I think you could model it effectively with three troopers, a jumpmaster just inside the door, one in the door, the other at the end of his static line... The static line could be done with stiff wire to keep him from "bouncing" on the end of it.

The WWII era T-5 and T-7 chutes did not have a "D" bag. Instead they had a single flap (squared portion of the chute below) that kept the main canopy inside the pack tray. The static line (white cord) fed thru this and connected to the main canopy by a breakaway cord. The canopy was fully inflated before the risers and shroud lines played out, thus increasing the opening shock. The closing flap stayed attached to the static line with the aircraft anchor line.

Todays T-10 chute has four flaps that keep the main canopy in the pack tray until the deployment ("D") bag pulls it out. The "D" bag keeps the main canopy from deplying until after the risers and shroud lines are fully extended, reducing the opening shock (which can still be pretty pronounced- 135 knots to 0 knots in 3 seconds or so).

"is everybody happy cried the seargent standing up?"-er sorry all this paratrooper talk

Anyway in anyone was wondering c 47 did have red interior lights in the cockpit and cargo hold.

modelchasm wrote:

HA-Haaaaa .... You've touched one a future build of mine that I plan on tackling, hopefully, in the new year. You are correct in your thinking that no one makes exiting troopers ... if you want them .... you're going to have to mod and scratch. However, consider this ... and I'm really giving away my "secret" here .... really, how many troopers can you get out the door and still support the dio idea!?! One, right! I.E. If you're going to have a troop already out the door, you've got to support him, otherwise, he's going to fall straight to the floor. Likewise, he can't be under full chute yet as then he's completely separated from the plane. But, this time he wouldn't just float down. Just something for you to think about.

you could have the static line unhooking?

Here is Idea, I use Ghost that have Parachutes already attached and take them off the ghost and glue the chutes to the paratroopers. They only come out at Halloween, Sorry, There are 6 to a package and the chute is just the right size for the troopers.

Blackbelt2,

In painting your scale 'troopers:

In training, and on the North Africa, Sicily, and Salerno jumps, paratrooper's "M42" jump suits were light to medium tan. 

On the D-Day Normandy jump, the tan jump suits had grayish-green knee and elbow patches, as well as grayish-green pants cargo pocket-edge reinforcements. 82nd Airborne Pathfinders tan jump suits on the Normandy jump were heavily camouflaged with black and green paint. 

Jump suits on the Southern France jump were mostly either lightly or very heavily camouflaged with green, or black and green paint.

By the time of the The Holland (Operation Market-Garden) and Germany (Operation Varsity) jumps, U.S. paratroopers were wearing green M43 field jackets and green rigger-modified jump pants.

Jump boots of course were brown, and 82nd Airborne buffs usually remind us that some 82nd paratroopers (the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment) jumped into Holland wearing their tan "M42," not green "M43" jump suits.

There are plenty of both color and black & white photos on the internet to illustrate all this. 

Guys, this thread ran its course 9 years ago...

Most of the participants are no longer active on FSM.

 

 

Holy moly, stik!

You're right.  I didn't look at the date on the original post!

No harm, no foul.  So it's an old post?  The topic hasn't lost any of its validity.  You've given it a bump for people who have joined since it was last visited.