Considered by many to be the backbone of the United States Air Force (USAF), crew chiefs oversee the care and combat readiness of the service’s fleet of aircraft. Without the dedication and skill of the crew chiefs and other maintenance specialists, nothing would fly – let alone fight. Regardless of location, season, or time of day, Air Force crew chiefs keep their aircraft combat ready.

This excellent figure from VideoAviation depicts a current-day USAF Crew Chief in Cold Weather Dress. Crisply cast in cream-colored resin, the review sample required little clean up or filling. Detail and features for the uniform are accurate to current-issue USAF clothing and were validated by online photos and comparison to actual “live” samples. Accompanied by a folding aluminum ladder, consolidated tool kit (CTK), and a speed handle, this crew dog is ready to compliment any 1/32 model of a modern USAF aircraft.

Assembly was quick and incident-free. Arms are keyed to align properly for correct orientation of the speed handle, and the assembled figure balances well on the ladder. Following assembly and wash, the assembled figure and accessories were primed with generic gray primer. Tamiya acrylics were used to paint the figure and the CTK, and Vallejo Model Air Aluminum, Chrome, and Steel were used to paint the ladder, speed handle, and bit respectively.

In conclusion, this figure is highly recommended for modelers of modern 1/32 USAF aircraft looking to provide a touch of life and realism to their work.

Many thanks to VideoAviation for the review sample and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review it.