Which figures for the 1/72 U-Boat do you like

Ah this thread was last replied to in 07-30-2006   

Anyway, still useful info, I just picked up a U-Boot a week ago.

E...

Hi Dave,

                 I've just ordered the Hecker and Goros 'North Atlantic Crew'set from a site called Historex Agents, The lookout is pictured as having climbed the snorkel and is pointing out to sea! -all very dramatic and very reasonably priced. The product number from Historex is given as KSH 212. Hecker&Goros also do larger crews in engaged in various deck activities. Fabulous stuff and good hunting!

I spent a lot of time in my youth modelling and painting the soft plastic 1/72 figures (in those days Airfix where practically the only people who produced them).  I still have a few, painted over 35 years ago and the paint's still intact.

A lot depends on whether you are going to handle them after they've been painted.  I was using them for wargaming and consequently they would get handled a lot.  We used artists acrylic paints thinned with pva glue.

If you're not going to handle them I suggest that you just undercoat them and use whatever paints you would normally use - the most important thing is to wash them thoroughly with warm water and detergent to remove the oily residue.

I suggest that you just experiment - particularly with the undercoat you use

Al

I've done a little more research on painting these 1/72 figures.  According to what I've read these flexible soft plastic figures have a hard time holding their paint because they actually move around in temperature and humidity changes.  They say to give them a base coat of white glue or future.  I put a post in the figures section looking for some advise on painting these little guys.

Dave

About "bending the fugures a little", I have no problem with that.

Just recently I built an Italeri Skyraider as a USAF "Sandy", and not only was the pilot's seat that came with the kit a piece of junk, it had no figure.

Well, in my trusty spares box, I found a spare seat and figure from a Monogram Thunderchief that came with a navigator that was not used in that kit.

Using a close-up color photo I have of a 'Nam Sandy, I found that the Thud ejection seat and figures' flight uniform and helmet were perfect match, except the figure had an oxygen mask on.

So I took my trusty Moto-Tool and ground out the airman figures' face, and ground away the head from a spare ground crew figure I had, and did a tiny face transplant.

The result was a pilot figure actualy matching the pose that I have a color photo of.

I got the full-length version of Das Boot with the seamen doing the "Fireboat Drill", and so figuring about the crewman needing to releiving themselves will not take much imagination.

  Tom T

LOL.  I just saw my post.  I didn't realize that this forum was self censoring!  I guess you can't say******but that's what the guy is doing.  Should I have said urinating? 

Dave

Well I received the Revell 02525 Deutsche Marinefiguren set from Squadron today.  It's a very nice set, especially for under $10.00.  They are made of that soft plastic I remember as a kid so you can bend them around a little.  The detail seems quite good although I haven't painted them up yet.  I would say from looking at photos it's not as good as Hecker & Goros or Andrea Miniatures, and you don't get the dramatic poses, but some of them are animated.  But those guys only give you 3-4 figures for your $15 to $35 each set. 

Each figure is exactly 6' tall.  Nobody's 5' 10" in the German Navy I guess.  And all our little sailors look alike.  Looks like a bad Nazi science fiction movie to me.  There are a dozen sailors at parade rest although their legs are probably a bit too far appart but that can be fixed.  There are some officers in dress uniforms and others in foul weather gear.  If you need a mechanic there some of those too.  There are guys holding rope and bumpers and three guys holding some rope but in reality they look like they're trying to take a******over the side of the boat.   

At the end of the day there's plenty to work with as long as you don't want a serious action sceen.  If you just want to add perspective and scale I think it's a good way to go without dropping more than you did on the boat.   

Thanks again for the lead.

Dave 

Please do, I am thinking of getting it for my Revell S-Boat kit that I got at my LHS.

When I asked the dealer about the figure set, he said "I don't have it since I have never had a call for it". So I said, "What if you now have a call for it", and he said "Then I would say I don't have it", so obviously he did not want to order it for me.  

If I have to go to the trouble to mail-order it, I will see what else the dealer has to offer and normally I don't buy less then a $50.00 order since below that the shipping can cost as much as or more then the article ordered.

Tom T

I didn't even know this set was out there.  Thanks for the lead.  I ordered a set at $9.49 from Squadron.  We'll see how it compares and will report back.

Thanks!

Dave

Personally, I would pick the Revell Germany 1/72 scale Kriegsmarine Sailors, plastic figure set:

http://www.militaryhobbies.com/product.cfm?ProductID=7135

That way you get everything for $12.00.

Tom T