Aires Hobby Models provides a variety of high quality resin products to upgrade, or correct, a variety of models in the most popular scales. They also have a line of crew and pilot figures in 1/72nd, 1/48th and 1/32nd scale. These figures are relatively inexpensive, and make a nice addition to an aircraft diorama, or to add a better since of scale to a finished model.

Aerobonus continues their series of pilot figures. This release is a 1/72^nd version of their Luftwaffe pilot wearing a life jacket. They’ve released this figure in 1/32^nd and 1/48^th, so we knew a 1/72^nd version wasn’t far behind. The figure is posed standing wearing his flight gear, including headgear and life jacket. The packaging also provides a map and booklet that can be cut out and added to the model’s right hand, further enhancing the pose.

The resin figure comes in four nicely cast pieces, with the arms, head, and body each molded separately on the pour stub. The flight suit, helmet, and lifejacket are nicely detailed, and the facial features are well done, especially for this scale. Another small, but nice touch, is the addition of a small journal, or paper sticking out of the pilot’s left leg pocket.

The painting instructions are typical for Aerobonus with a simple color drawing of the figure. Assembly is a breeze with very little clean up, aside from removing the extra resin between the figure’s legs. I painted my figure using Vallejo paints, and had no issues with the paint adhering to the resin.

I recommend this figure for any Luftwaffe model builder as a nice addition to just about any model of German fighter.

Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for providing the figure for review.