Anyone besides me notice a dearth of 1/32 aviation figures ??

No...

.............Master Box has a set of World War Two British, American, German and Japanese flight crew figures.

I would like to suggest the 1/32 scale figures put out by Airfix. They were khown as multi-pose figures. They portrayed WW2 subject matter Desert Rats, Afrika Korps, Japanese inf., Britsh Commonwealth Europe, Germans Europe, and others. They came 6 in a box, styrene plastic, therefore conversion is a possibility. Now how available they are is ?????

While on the subject of "dearth of figures", how about all those 1/24-1/25 scale car models without drivers ?

Here's a few more, but I think they're probably out of your price range.

http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljlist?Word=pilot&Scale=32&Dis=2&GenreCode=air&searchpage=air&DisplayMode=images&Sort=std&qid=TY4JMLW7YL86EJ8W98Q&q=1&MacroType2=detacc

http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljlist/?Maker1=VOL&MacroType=DetAcc&GenreCode=Air&Dis=2

http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljlist?Maker1=FNM&MacroType=MilFig&GenreCode=Mil&Dis=2&DisplayMode=images&Sort=std&qid=9JI6GAOEYDW0&Scale2=32

http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljlist?Maker1=CMK&MacroType=MilFig&GenreCode=Mil&Dis=2&DisplayMode=images&Sort=std&qid=1QHYRUAJEU5SNIAVA&Scale2=32

http://store.spruebrothers.com/figures---all-scales-c84.aspx

Put this Verlinden set next to your F-4 Phanton and it will tell a story...

I have a Major George Preddy from UltraCast. He's sitting on the cockpit wall like he's entering/exiting. I got him to liven up a Hasagawa P-47. (Yes I know he flew a P51 but I prefer the 47 so that's where he's going)

I also have a great looking pair from NEMROD, Naval aviator with crewman in resin as well for an old Revell "Smithsonian Series" F4F.

I also have some 1/48. A nice resin Richard Bong by LEGEND and a couple from EDUARD: Luftwaffe 1944 with 3 pilots (2 seated, 1 standing) and 3 ground crew and the US Navy Personnel 1942.

I've seen a few offerings of WWI pilots in 1/32 as well but you are right, if you want 1/35 infantry, tank crew and the like, especially Germans, you have an ocean to pick from. I guess this has to do with the display/diorama potential.

There's not a whole lot you can do with an aeroplane beyond the standard "servicing scene" or perhaps "crash scene" but having a standing figure really helps showcase a standard display in my eyes. 

all the Ultracast figures are under$20 a pop. And those are probably among the best out there.

http://www.ultracast.ca/Figures%20-%2032%20Scale%20Pilots.htm

Master Box's set of 6 ace pilots costs a bit over $20

http://www.ultracast.ca/Figures%20-%2032%20Scale%20Pilots.htm

these modern pilots from Verlinden are under $10 each

http://www.verlindenonline.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=321

http://www.verlindenonline.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=332

You can write those folks directly,but unless a whole lot of prospective modelers/paying customers do in the same time period, I don't see them being too responsive. Tamiya does include figures with their 1/32 aircraft kits. So unless the figures will work with their few large scale aircraft kits, they will not likely produce anything. Dragon? Unless it is a German subject, it has the snowball's chance is Hades of being produced by them. Masterbox has some upcoming stuff in the pipeline and Trumpeter has some Helo related figure sets...

Resin is more expensive to work with but can produce far more detail than injection molded pieces since they can produce all the details from all angles and not have to smooth over things so it can drop out of a mold.

Resin also is a longer process and has to be done by hand, mixing the resin, pouring, placing in a pressure pot till cured then removing from mold.

Depending on the type of resin being used it could take half an hour or more for each figure to be made instead of seconds in a injection mold made of steel.

those are great figures, but $25 each.  Tamiya and Dragon pop out 5-6 figure sets in 1/35 for under $20....

guess its time to write to them directly.

Craig

If you're looking for pioneer aviators, check Kings Road Miniatures. Here's their product list.  http://www.kingsroadminiatures.com/productList.htm

There are more than none in 1/32. Ultracast makes a few gorgeous figures in resin. Masterbox just released a set of famous Ace pilots in 1/32 that will look great next to their mounts. Master Details makes several seated resin pilots to place in your cockpits of various eras and nationalities... Fine Molds has a few figures of famous pilots out there as well. Look at Verlinden for accessories.