Here is my take on the Young Miniatures B-17 Waist gunner. I finished this just in time for the ATL show. It was a hoot to paint, but it had it's moments with some very small fiddly bits, and a bit of thought has to go into the mounting of the oxygen mask, which I ended up having to use lead foil to finally attach to the helmet. I added the cigarette with styrene Evergreen stock as my only slight modification.

One thing I want to mention is the oxygen hose. I made an executive decision there to do something a little different. "Xenithal" lighting would dictate that the top of the "ribs" on that would be the lightest shade of OD and the "gooves" where the piece expands be the darkest as they are more recessed. However, as my incessant Google searches turned out, most of the pictures I found of the A14 oxygen mask, as with many other oxygen masks (of the period and later it seems), actually end up being a lighter color in the creases, and a darker OD on the tops of the ribs (maybe due to the slight "burnishing" they receive during use?). Is the lighter color due to 60+ years of dust settling into the creases?......Maybe. I even came across some period illustrations that looked to show the lighter colors in the creases. Sooooooo......I decided to buck the system, defy the Xenithal rules and go with a lighter color for the creases for that part. I know it defies what our eyes are trained to look for, but I'm not unhappy with the results.

As per usual, Young has produced a fantastic bust that was a pleasure to paint. Hope you like it, any and all comments are welcome!

Jay H.

Very nice indeed Jay.

fascinating about the hose.... so fascinating I had to have a look

This British gas mask demonstrates the point very well.

Roger

Beautiful work Jay. How did this bust do in the competition this past weekend?

Jay, excellent painting and some very nice detailwork, I like the sign of wear on the tops of his leather shoulders .

Cheers Ken

Great job. Those leathers look extremely good!

Indeed a perfect finish！
I think this figure is a difficult figure to paint.
It's necessary to need much color and express leather.
However indeed the painting which is Great.
The facial expression is also wonderful.
I congratulate completion.

　　 Mitsutaka.

Excellent work Jay

Good call on the oxygen mask. It's common error in the armour world where tires are weathered reversed (dusting / lighter areas on the edged surfaces.) Rubbed/worn rubber is darker.

Comments: Maybe a little shadow under the eyebrows?

Great work Jay on this fantastic bust from Young.


Cheers David

stunning paintwork on this bust.
That leatherwork is fabulous !!!!!

Marc

Very nice Jay- wish I could have seen him this weekend, ahhh... maybe someday Atlanta.
I am always amazed at your blending and feathering of the oils, the transitions on the face are flawless.
Great work-
Scott

Nice work Jay. Well done.

Jay,
Very nice finish on this one.
Cheers
John

Jay,nice work mate,i love the face painting and all the equipment and leather work also look great,well done my friend,

I saw this one in Atlanta and it is a stunner, the kinda stuff that makes you want to take up knitting and toss the paints.

Excellent work Jay.
Good call on the hose and daring to do it differently. To me it looks convincing.
Leathers are very nice as well!

Cheers,
Adrian

Good thing you took good photos. They are almost like it was in the flesh, namely WOW. All of that research sure shows. Beyond WOW.

SOAPERB Jay !! I like it very much - up to your usual very high standard. Bravo !!

Roger, Guy, Ken, Dimitrios, Mitsutaka, Gordy, David, Marc, Scott, Robert, John, Brian, Mike, Adrian, Steve, Rob, many, many thanks for the kind words gentlemen!

Gordy, good point on the eyebrows, I went back and looked at the figure, I lit this from a bit of a low angle, so it looks more exaggerated in the photos, but a very good point and I think I may just go back and revisit that point. Thanks!

Guy, this fig didn't win anything at Atlanta. My Aztec was the one they chose to recognize.

Thanks again everyone!

Jay H.

Great job Jay...

excellent in all respects! Great job on the leathers as well.

Beautiful paintwork Jay! Especially the leather helmet.
Did you use oils?

Cheers,
Marcel.