Custom Indy Figures – Flying Wing Pilot

Hello world! I present my next custom Indiana Jones figure :

#49: Flying Wing Pilot from “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

The Luftwaffe Pilot had just landed the Flying Wing at the German archaeological site, and the Pilot stood at his cockpit, waiting for the plane to be refueled and be loaded with the mysterious cargo that he was sent to retrieve. A shout then alerted the Pilot to the presence of a stranger, who wore a leather jacket and a fedora hat, and was climbing onto the Flying Wing and heading menacingly towards him. The stranger was then challenged to a fistfight by a barechest German Mechanic, and when the fighting got started, the Pilot thought it wise to get his own gun to stop this interloper if he could.

Recipe:
Head – A World Peacekeepers Soldier with goggle helmet
Torso and legs – General Jan Dodonna (“Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”)
Arms – Han Solo (“Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”)

Having accumulated quite a number of figures to use as custom fodder for my customising Indy figures hobby, I decided to create the Flying Wing Pilot. There was a unique opportunity as one of my spare soldier figures was wearing a goggle helmet, similar to the one seen on screen. As usual, I did my research on the appearance of the flight suit, which I thought it looked futuristic even for its time in 1936. In the movie, we see the Pilot only from the waist-up. And from the pictures of Luftwaffe bomber pilots I’ve seen in history books, it was quite common for the boots to be worn either over the trousers, or under them. So for my figure I chose the former, especially since that pair of legs came together with the torso anyway.

You cannot believe the number or zippers that the flight suit had, there were zippers on the sleeves and trousers, and even the sides. You see the copper lines on the upper legs, those are zippers. Epoxy was used to sculpt the addition flaps on the suit, as well as the headphones on the helmet. On the actual flight suit there would have been the rank insignias on the shoulders, instead what we see onscreen there were no rank insignias, but only a black band across the shoulder (which I think is velcro for pasting the insignias on).

The Flying Wing Pilot almost had a clear shot at Indy until…

… the German Mechanic got into the Pilot’s line of sight, forcing him to hold his fire.

Just one more:

The Flying Wing was a long-range aircraft designed and built in the utmost secrecy for the Luftwaffe. Its unique design allows it to travel far distances without landing to refuel, making it the ideal fighter-bomber, capable of striking targets throughout Europe, although in this case it has been configured for cargo transport, sent to deliver the Ark of the Covenant from Egypt to Berlin. And with a little modification I have made the Flying Wing more accurate to its onscreen appearance. Methinks it looks much better now.