Hi guys,

It's been a long time since I posted any pics, but tonight I started on one of my most ambitious projects to date; a 1/6th scale Naked Army polyresin figure of a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Spitfire Pilot, Darwin 1943.

The figure will be a wedding present for a very good friend of mine who is a pilot and who is getting married on May 9. This leaves me just over 1 month to paint this figure, which is going to require a mighty effort on my part.

My friend's uncle served in the RAAF during WW2 and was one of the brave few who saved Australia from attack from the Japanese. I hope this figure will be something unqiue and meaningful to him and pay tribute to those magnificent men in their flying machines.

Tonight I glued together the figure and sprayed a coat of primer on it.

This will be my sixth 315mm (1/6th scale) Naked Army figure, and I hope I can do justice to the magnificent sculpting and exquisite detail.

well you sure are a really brave man .....Thats huge ! Good luck my friend !!!

Costas

Thanks Costas, more foolish than brave I think.

Tony
If this turns out half as good as your under-rewarded 'giant' from last years Euro then it will, I'm sure, be a much treasured gift.
Cheers
Derek

Hi Tony,

I was really impressed with the sculpt so checked out
http://foxholemedals.com.au/index.p...art&page=shop.browse&category_id=71&Itemid=36

So you bought this kit as a cold cast bronze, instead of resin? I am a little puzzled.

Will follow with keen interest.

Tony,
Great figure and nice story. Good luck on the project. Groom is a lucky man in more ways than one.
Cheers
John

Ambitious, and a 1 month time frame.......

and for a wedding too, is this stuff catchy or what?

OR is just us Aussies who are a little bit nuts?......

Still, will be another "Wow" gift, and looking forward to how you paint it.

cheers

Following with extra interest Tony!

superb figure and a real challenge...

Mark

Thanks everyone, I'm greatly encouraged by your comments and your confidence in my abilities.

Michael, most of the Naked Army range are available as cold cast bronze statuettes and also as polyresin kits. I have the polyresin kit version of this figure. It's quite easy to paint the cold cast bronze if you want to, however the bronzes do have a very special quality on their own.

Hi! Tony.
Great figure and Great start!
I'd like to follow your work with many interest.

Mitsutaka

Good luck with this one Tony......remember that fortune favours the brave and you'll surely get a kick and pump up your adrenalin from painting this one!!

I'm sure that the look on the groom's face, when you present him with this dude, would reward all the blood and sweat you shed during this month

Ray

Tony,
Thanks for the explanation! I suppose the concern closest to my heart is: how much are the polyresin editions? You have introduced me to a range of brilliant military sculpts.

Hi Michael,

I'm not sure exactly what the price of this kit is but if you check out www.empirehobbies.com.au I think they have a price list.

By way of comparison the cost of this figure kit in Australian dollars is $179.00, which is roughly the same as the cost of a 90mm mounted Pegaso figure. At the current exchange rate, you'd be paying approximately USD$155 or 110 pounds. Terrific value for money in my opinion.

Thanks a lot, Tony! I found from your link that the kit is a lot cheaper than the bronze editions, though significantly fewer in choice.

Value for money indeed when compared to Pegaso. There are these kits from Pegaso you just love but wouldnt pay for, like a couple of their 1/9 girls

All the best on this project of yours!

Michael

Hi guys,

It's nearly midnight now, and with the exception of a short break for dinner, I've been painting solidly for the past 6 hours.

So far I've managed to paint two base coats over most of the figure, which helps me "block in" the major colours and gives me a good idea how the figure will look when finished.

I'll leave the pilot's cap until last as I need to stand the figure on his head from time to time to reach some of the "hard to get at" spots, and I don't want to ruin it.

The next step is to paint the eyes and then start work on the highlighting and shading of the flesh areas.

R A A F Pilot

this is just superb , did you have 2 items at Chicago about 3 years ago ?
where is it possible to get these pieces ?
problem with ordering from the U K is customs , who will charge an arm and leg on items i think over £50
do you have any photos of painted items or any W I P photos
well full credit to you for doing such a great job espically in large scale
bronzed resin can still paint up really well , would these pieces work as busts ?

Tony, what a great figure and a great gesture, the grooms one lucky guy. Looking forward to following progress.

Cheers Ken

Tony by your initial start i think this is going to be a stunner mate, i love the look of this naked army release and would love to get the chance to paint one some day, detailing looks superb on the figure.

I will keep watching this one,

Steve