1/144th scale figures

Remember, these guys are only gonna be about 1/2" tall.  With figures this small the one thing you don't want to do is over do it.  Keep it simple.  Base color for flesh and clothes.  Then a dark wash to get into the shadows and a dry brush of lightened base color for some highlights. 

Thanks Marc and everyone for the information and the link.  The Preiser pilot/ground crew figures do include some that look like they will work IF they were painted properly.  Since it appears they all need to be painted anyway, I guess I'll find out how good I am at painting really really small (never tried it before).  I won't use the figures on the model if I can't make them look fairly realistic, so this experiment could turn out to be a bit expensive, but  what the hell, I might learn something totally new......  Anyone want to share tips for painting (or somehow not painting) teeny tiny little faces?  Thanks again,

Tom 

Preiser has a set of NATO pilots/ground crew in this scale which I have used and can vouch for their quality.  Some have NATO issue life vests which can be used for a subs deck crew.

In the link Marc has up, look under 1/144 figures and there is a set of USAAF ground crew figures. I see about 3 in that little group that would look perfect.

Check out this link

http://www.reynaulds.com/preiser/preiser.html

Welcome to the horrible work of small scale figures.  I do scifi kits and alot are around 1/144th scale, it is a terror trying to find figures the right size.  If you do find some, send links my way

An N-scale moel railroad conductor figure might make a suitable naval officer.  You may need to do a little paint detailing to approximate insignia or decorations.