DiD Adolf Galland Luftwaffe Pilot

[FlyAndFight]

I ordered through Timewalker so it will take a while longer for it to arrive at their store.

 

[Asta]

I ordered through Timewalker so it will take a while longer for it to arrive at their store.

I've noticed on Modellers Loft in the UK that there's quite a delay between Chinese and international release. Looks like they're still waiting on Wolfgang.

Looking through the photos again, something odd stood out:

The sleeve rank is for an Oberleutnant, which is also recorded in the specs: Luftwaffe Flight Officer Sleeve Rank Patch X 2.

Galland was promoted to Hauptmann just before the outbreak of war, so how does the Oberleutnant insignia come into it? Is DID simply giving the option of making him into a random pilot?

It was something I was thinking of doing with one of them. It's even possible to save the Galland sculpt and use one of the blanks that come with the separate bodies, as DID showed in their promo photos:

 

[FlyAndFight]

Good catch! That would be smart of DiD to include markings for both ranks, just so we can do exactly what you said.

 

[Asta]

Scratch all that about the rank. It's in yellow, so it's for a Generalleutnant.

Problem was I was working my way up from the bottom of the list, and stopped as soon as I saw the first 'wings, wings bar'.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_and_insignia_of_the_Luftwaffe_(1935–1945)
Still, leaving the rank off allows you to make him into anyone, with the jacket either zipped to the top or with the scarf to hide his collar tabs.

 

[Asta]

https://bbs.bbicn.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=395872

 

[FlyAndFight]

It will be at least another month or two before Timewalker Toys receives their allotment but gives me some time to still pick up the cockpit, which I haven't pre-ordered yet...

 

[Asta]

The Gallands are due to arrive today.

I've been going round in circles with my plans for them. I like the casual look in flying jacket and cap smoking his cigar, without parachute, life vest or other gear.

For the second figure I'd prefer to have a generic pilot, but the Irvin jacket is, of course, atypical. Without the jacket the shoulder boards and collar tabs define him as a Generalleutnant, which is also atypical for a combat pilot.

Searches for Luftwaffe pilots wearing an Irvin only return Galland. There must've been others who acquired them through capture or trade, or maybe even had them personally tailored.

This is an interesting little thread focussing on opposing sides wearing each other's gear:

https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/german-a2.27468/
Luftwaffe ace Heinz Bär wearing a US A2, and another in a US B3:

More B3s:

I still have Patton's unused B3, so that's another option. I'll have to try out the different looks and see what works best.

 

[FlyAndFight]

There are so many options for this figure, that I certainly understand getting at least two of it.

Personally, I will be displaying mine almost in this exact way:

My old DML/Dragon/Cyberhobby version will continue to show him in just his uniform. Hard to believe that it has been "20" years since its release...

Unsure what to do with all of the remaining flight gear. I already have two different DML/Dragon figure fully set up. Perhaps, if I can find a different head sculpt that looks like another Luftwaffe ace, I may try to bash that figure up.

 

[Asta]

There are so many options for this figure, that I certainly understand getting at least two of it.

Personally, I will be displaying mine almost in this exact way:
View attachment 654663


My old DML/Dragon/Cyberhobby version will continue to show him in just his uniform. Hard to believe that it has been "20" years since its release...

View attachment 654664

Unsure what to do with all of the remaining flight gear. I already have two different DML/Dragon figure fully set up. Perhaps, if I can find a different head sculpt that looks like another Luftwaffe ace, I may try to bash that figure up.

I'll have one Galland as in your first photo.

I've just completed the other one in full gear as a random pilot. I went with Patton's B3 jacket as I'd seen more photos of the Luftwaffe wearing it than the Irvin. Saved both sculpts from this set by using a blank that came with one of the bodies sold separately.

 

[Asta]

Unsure what to do with all of the remaining flight gear. I already have two different DML/Dragon figure fully set up. Perhaps, if I can find a different head sculpt that looks like another Luftwaffe ace, I may try to bash that figure up.

I'm going to use the spares from the second set to upgrade the Luftwaffe tropical shirt and shorts figure I made from Marseille's spares:

He'll have Galland's parachute, life jacket, flying helmet, oxygen mask, goggles, belt, holster and PPK.

When it's all done I'll have a spare cap and Irvin jacket. The cap probably won't be very useful as it has gold piping. Plus the smaller bits like cigars, medals and at least one lighter.

 

[FlyAndFight]

I'll have to wait until I receive Galland and then play around with the available gear and current figures in the collection. At least there are quite a number of options available.

 

[Asta]

I'll have to wait until I receive Galland and then play around with the available gear and current figures in the collection. At least there are quite a number of options available.

These are the parts used on the tropical figure:

It's a stretch using the winter flying helmet, but the tropical version had a sheepskin lining too.

Now it just leaves the simpler casual Galland to make in his Irvin.

 

[Asta]

My camera finally gave up the ghost, so I never got to photograph casual Galland with it.

It was a long time coming as I've been extending its life for years. Yesterday I was only getting one or two photos out of it before dying, and that's with a new battery. Later on it wouldn't even stay on long enough to walk the fifty feet to the collection room.

I'm guessing it's around twenty years old going by the dates on forums where I've previously looked for help, and was already second hand when I got it, so it was probably long past expiration date. Not sure what to do about getting another one as I find photography the most boring aspect related to collecting. I only use it to post photos here, and I haven't got much interest in 'here' left either.

The tablet alternative is pretty dismal...

Casual Galland wasn't easy. His hand didn't want to stay in his pocket; the jacket sleeves are very long; the jacket is very bulky, and the folded back sheepskin part doesn't want to lay flat (double sided tape may keep it in place). The fliegerbluse collar isn't very good either, and resists laying flat and neat.

 

[Asta]

Photos taken with a Samsung Galaxy were slightly less dismal:

A bit less grain, but still like an oil painting and barely worth doing.

 

[Asta]

After I took those photos I realised what the black strap was that was hanging over Galland's shoulder. I saw it earlier while futzing but forgot to check it out.

It's the 'retaining elastic collar strap', as seen on this real Irvin:

I reattached it to the hooks and pushed his collar down so it's no longer flying in mid-air.

 

[Chambea1114]

@Asta Nice setup, did you decide to get that soviet pilot and go full out on the pilot display?

 

[Asta]

@Asta Nice setup, did you decide to get that soviet pilot and go full out on the pilot display?

Yes. I ordered an Alert Line pilot with the intention to make it into a Night Witch, as all my Russians are women. I have a spare tall, broad shouldered female Phicen which should work, though male clothing was often ill-fitting in reality:

I have spare Red Army boots so there's the making of a second uniform. The pilot may have to without her belt and holster.

I hadn't thought of an all-out pilot display, as that would mean pulling Marseille out of North Africa. My modified Virgil Hilts is currently with his fellow Americans.

 

[Asta]

Galland after some futzing:

I can't get him to look as good as he did in the promo photos, where his jacket looked to have a more snug fit. I think I need to zip it up higher, but then it's more difficult to get the inner lining to fold back.

And I think I need to look into getting another camera.

 

[Asta]

Getting there:

 

[Asta]

As much as I find photography to be the most tedious aspect of collecting, I can't be living with these smudgy photos.

So I've ordered a Canon DSLR, and have been giving myself a crash course in photography which is giving me more interest in the process.