Ultracast’s line of miniature figures now includes a 1/48 scale Russian fighter pilot in the flight gear typical of the early years of WWII. He obviously is attired for summertime service, decked out in a smart-looking lightweight khaki tunic with decorative embroidery, and blue dress trousers tucked into non-insulated leather boots. He also appears to be ready to climb into the cockpit because he is wearing his helmet, goggles, and parachute. The original figure was sculpted by Mike Good. It is a nicely proportioned figure with extremely fine detail and very realistic facial features.

The figure comes in Ultracast’s typical carded packaging with a color photo to aid modelers (additional photos can be found on Ultracast’s website). The kit consists of just five resin parts: torso, head, left & right arms, and parachute pack. The parts are keyed to fit in the position illustrated on the package. However, with a little trimming, the positions of arms and head can be adjusted to suit the builder’s tastes. Remember, since everything is resin, parts will need to be attached with superglue or five-minute epoxy. I used superglue.

I painted the figure for this review with Vallejo Acrylic colors (the type for brushing). I’ve noticed occasional rants on a popular modeling website about how Vallejo colors do not brush well. I believe those who think that to be true have been trying to hand-brush the Vallejo Air colors that come pre-thinned for airbrushing. The Vallejo color line for hand brushing is simply outstanding…the colors are vivid, they mix easily and brush well, and I found the Matt, Satin and Gloss varnishes are perfect for capturing the different light reflectance of fabric, metal, glass, skin, and hair. And, they dry fast.

The assembly went quickly and I did vary the position of the head and right arm ever so slightly to add to the casual pose. It was necessary to replace the pilot’s cigarette that apparently did not survive the trip from Canada to the US. I used a small piece of wire to replicate the cancer stick.

I’m not a skilled figure painter, but had a good time with this project. I very much enjoyed the opportunity to assemble five resin parts quickly, then relax over a couple of evenings painting this great-looking pilot figure. He now is ready to stand proudly beside a 1/48 scale I-16, enjoying a last cigarette before defending mother Russia.

I’m hopeful that Ultracast has plans to add a 1/32 scale version of this figure to its line because I also have a 1/32 scale I-16 about ready for its pilot to show up.

Highly recommended. My thanks to Ultracast and IPMS/USA for the review sample and review space.