LMB Figures

Introduction

     Adding a crew to a finished model to add character to the model.  Commercially available charactersof every scale and period are not readably available, so below is some information on how to adapt figures from other periods for a specific model. 1/35 scale characters are abundantly available, but mostly in military uniforms.  Of this group, WW-II is the largest sector.  There are landing craft crews which can be adapted to many other boats.  Lew had the biggest success with WW-II German soldiers.

Adding figures gives the observer a sense of proportion in dealing with the size of the model compared to the real boat! 

     As an example on how to add material, take a figure that has combat boots.  By building up the lower leg and ankle with "Green (or whicte) Stuff" - which is available in most hobby stores - or JB Weld (faster is JB Kwik), then sand or file to shape, including creases in the trousers, you can wind up with the figure having work shoes.  Look elsewhere on this site to see my boat crew figures on board the various models. 

German Sailors (for Schnellboot Wiesel) 

     When Lew had purchased the Wiesel he had no intention of adding a crew. Later, he decided to add a crew but found nothing that would replicate a 1/40 scale West German naval crew of the 1970's.  So Lew looked to the variety of 1/35 scale figures, most being from the WW-II period. (A five-foot-eight person at 1/40 scale equals 1.7 inch, and at 1/35 scale, 1.94 inch tall.  This means the 1/35 scale figure would be a scale six-foot-six in 1/40 scale a bit tall, but not that noticeable on a ship.) 

     All of the figures shown came from the above kits (box covers shown). Extensive cutting and filling, along with removing and adding parts, plus movements of arms and legs were made to achieve the above. In some places limbs and torsos were cut and re-cemented in different orientations.
    The figures in the photo at the right are not in their actual places on the ship (placed here for this article only).   Lew had to make a crew representing some of the total crew of 40 for the Weisel.  To make up the deck crew, Lew chose DML figure kits 6028 above "A",  6029 "B", and 3005 "C" kits. This gave him 13 men to position on the ship. The result of carving away many details and building up a few other areas, and using a different paint scheme can be seen by comparing these box drawings to the photos of the Wiesel as well as the photo at the left. 

Truckable Pushboat Crew 

     In manning the crew, Lew wanted to stay close to the 1/16 scale that he found the best proportions for this boat.  Lew opted for three Bruder (#60020) construction workers. There scale for the figure was listed as 1/16, but in measuring them they are either less than 1/17.3 scale or less than six feet tall as scaled.  These are great as they can be posed and painted. Once posed, a little superglue was put in the joints, dried, filler, sanded and painted.  In the photo at the left, the figure on the right has been modified. 

Star Wars Boat Crew 

     The figures in Lew's "Star Wars" boat are 1/6 scale.  Rather than getting figures to fit the boat he reversed slightly.  Lew was given the basic hull, about 21 inches long by 7 inches beam.  He wanted something different so he guessed at 1/16 scale would be about the right size for figure.  Lew found these two figures quite cheap (new) and would not have to fill in the joints as that is the way the actual figures were already articulated.  Next was to make the boat adapt to the figures.  Lew designed the cockpit including seats and steering wheel, controls), engine cover, and gun in 3D modeling and printed them. 

MV "Capt. Bill E. Bonze" Crew 

     Ah! The skeleton crew. Perhaps Lew's most unusual crew to date.  As he built this Springer model boat he wanted something unusual.  Typically with a Springer the best scale (if you want the boat to look realistic) is between 1/25 and 1/16 scale.  This is driven because of the hull size and in proportion to the real boats needed to be not looking distorted.
     Being with is a strange fictitious model, Lew thought the scale did not matter too much as long as it stayed below 1/35 scale.  He found these skeletons (total of four) at a reasonable price and they were also positional.  Upon receiving them they measured to be about 1/30 scale.  OK!  Lew did not need to do too much to them except position them and add a drop of superglue to the joints.  (They were originally made for stop action videos, but now Lew found a new use for them.)
     The rest of the story:  Once Lew knew my scale he made the superstructure and fittings (mixture of wood, styrene, and 3D printed parts) to 1/30 scale so everything matched. 
Yo - Ho...   ...it's a skeleton's life for me!

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