Luftkrieg 1919 - Multiple new 1/32 figures including Goering and Earhart

[seiran01]

Available soon from Luftkrieg 1919 will be a series of new 1/32 figures, all based around an alternate post-WWI history featuring real pilots of the era. Richard over at Luftkrieg 1919 has been kind enough to send pre-release review samples of the first six figures (Thank you, Richard).

At the time of writing, I do not have item numbers for the figures, but I expect they will all be in the LUFT32xx format. You may notice some of the resin pour stubs feature the Aviattic logo - Luftkrieg 1919 is an Aviattic side project that will be branded separately going forward so I expect future items will probably have the 1919 logo.

The figures are:

• Lieutenant Amelia "Angel" Airheart
• Lieutenant George "Buck" Crawford
• Gruppenführer Hermann Göring "The Beast Of Berlin"
• Staffelführer Walther Karjus "The Claw"
• Zeppelin Fleet Commander Peter Strasser "Der Valkyrie"
• Zeppelin Flight Deck Re-fueler Otto Mars "The Giant"

Individual figures are detailed below. On the whole, these are all superbly-cast figures and the sculpted facial details bear close resemblance to photos of the real people depicted. There are carefully thought out back stories for each character that come together in Luftkrieg 1919's overall concept. I encourage you to explore the Luftkrieg 1919 website to read more of the storyline and get a sense of future releases. All are very highly recommended.

Lieutenant Amelia "Angel" Airheart

Her 1919 story line is not yet available online but it's clear she is a pilot in the Polish Kościuszko Squadron. The figure is sculpted in uniform, aiming a pistol with both hands.

Lieutenant George "Buck" Crawford

Crawford was a real American pilot who flew with the Polish Kościuszko Squadron, and I believe his aircraft is a decal option on Aviattic's forthcoming Ansaldo A1 Balilla kit. The figure is cast in 5 pieces and posed with pistol in one hand. The pose appears to me that he is running and turning to shoot behind/beside him.

Gruppenführer Hermann Göring "The Beast Of Berlin"

Göring has been sculpted in his flight suit and crash helmet, and is posed in such a way that he'd look great in a "real" setting, standing next to a white Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VII. Arms are down at his sides, but the figure has a somewhat aggressive appearance, almost as though he's flexing his muscles for a fight.

Staffelführer Walther Karjus "The Claw"

Karjus was originally a a German observer pilot who was injured and ended up with a rudimentary prosthetic arm. He then managed to train as a pilot and fly with von Richtofen, later commanding Jasta 24 in the closing months of WWI. Luftkrieg 1919's story line "upgrades" his simple prosthetic arm to a mechanical one connected to his tendons. I get a "phantom of the opera" vibe from where his story line appears to be headed...

This figure is posed yelling and shaking a robotic fist skyward, while his pilot crash helmet and goggles hang down in his left hand. The detail on the arm is especially nice, and I can't wait to see how it looks painted.

Zeppelin Fleet Commander Peter Strasser "Der Valkyrie"

Strasser was in charge of the entire Zeppelin fleet during WWI and was responsible for them becoming a weapon of terror. He would also occasionally fly on the raids himself and was killed when his zeppelin was shot down in August 1918 - the last airship bombing raid.

Luftkrieg 1919 has uncovered some little-known history and it turns out that Strasser survived the shoot-down with serious injuries and bad burns. He now commands a force of massive zeppelin aerial refueling airships that refuel and rearm smaller fighter planes aloft. His face is disfigured from the burns and he walks with a crutch made from part of the truss from the Zeppelin he was shot down in.

Again the figure is a four piece affair - head, body, and arms. One arm is cast with the crutch and the other hand holds binoculars. The face is a bit gruesome but very nicely sculpted with exposed muscles on the left side of the fact. This is another figure I can't wait to paint.

Zeppelin Flight Deck Re-fueler Otto Mars "The Giant"

I can't find information on Otto but apparently he was a wrestler on Coney Island before heading to Germany and serving as a mechanic in WWI. According to Luftkrieg 1919, Otto Mars then became a re-fueler of aircraft flying off the massive Wotan zeppelin aircraft carrier.

The figure has been cast in five pieces - body, arms, head, and a separate fuel funnel. Otto wears what appears to be a thick cold weather flight suit. In one hand appears to be a fuel pump, and in the other, a crash helmet with what appears to be an oxygen mask. There are several wrenches in a thigh holster that have nice detail also. Two holes are present in the figure's back which I expect may be for some sort of restraint - it's got to be icy operating thousands of feet in the air on a wooden flight deck!

The figures are all shown below (photos courtesy of Richard @ Luftkrieg 1919), along with Luftkrieg 1919's new 1/16 scale Kati and Yumiko figures, and Aviattic's 1/32 Götterdämmerung figure set.