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USAAF and Luftwaffe mannequin clothing : any suggestions ?

Kermit3D

Well-Known Member
Here ya go . Try this one


Oh yes, it's not bad at all ! Thanks a lot Burt.
Well... I already have the mannequins and I'm not going to buy any more.
But it's a great find for a great price.

I bought my mannequins used for about $80 each, they come from a "Benetton" store. They're made in Italy and the quality is very good. I like the detailed/abstract face compromise. It's funny because they're pretty much my measurements : 39" chest and about 1m85 tall.
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Oh yes, it's not bad at all ! Thanks a lot Burt.
Well... I already have the mannequins and I'm not going to buy any more.
But it's a great find for a great price.

I bought my mannequins used for about $80 each, they come from a "Benetton" store. They're made in Italy and the quality is very good. I like the detailed/abstract face compromise. It's funny because they're pretty much my measurements : 39" chest and about 1m85 tall.
Ok … that’s good . Maybe the photos might give you some ideas how to make a stand for the upper portion of the body. Good Luck with all of it .
 

Kermit3D

Well-Known Member
I would advise against one with a head and arms unless you really plan on dressing it up. I have one with the head and quite frankly I can’t stand it. ;)

Need to take it to the band saw! French Revolution!

*generally speaking, not aimed at you Kermit.
Nick, I sometimes have a few gaps in my English, so I don't quite understand what you mean. Are the head and arms awkward (impractical) for dressing the mannequin? Or does the head seem to be staring at you? ... I can understand that, I sometimes jump when I enter my office. ;)
 

Nickb123

Well-Known Member
Nick, I sometimes have a few gaps in my English, so I don't quite understand what you mean. Are the head and arms awkward (impractical) for dressing the mannequin? Or does the head seem to be staring at you? ... I can understand that, I sometimes jump when I enter my office. ;)
A little of both. I find the head intrusive, the overall thing takes up a fair bit of space and I’m just not at a point to want to dress it up with headwear. It would have been smarter and cheaper for me to just get a headless bust. Oh well.

Please don’t let my rant put you off from your project, I really like what you’re doing!
 

Kermit3D

Well-Known Member
A little of both. I find the head intrusive, the overall thing takes up a fair bit of space and I’m just not at a point to want to dress it up with headwear. It would have been smarter and cheaper for me to just get a headless bust. Oh well.

Please don’t let my rant put you off from your project, I really like what you’re doing!
Yeah, I totally understand.
A bust alone (even without arms) is what works best for displaying jackets.
But I like the idea of associating these jackets with period equipment (at least some of it).
In my opinion (and that's just me), you shouldn't have too much facial detail.
I don't like models who try to be very realistic... it quickly becomes bizarre, even frightening.

Who wants that in their office ? :D

ZAhxX72.jpg
War-photographer-mannequin.jpg
Female-Realistic-Mannequin.jpg
 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I totally understand.
A bust alone (even without arms) is what works best for displaying jackets.
But I like the idea of associating these jackets with period equipment (at least some of it).
In my opinion (and that's just me), you shouldn't have too much facial detail.
I don't like models who try to be very realistic... it quickly becomes bizarre, even frightening.

Who wants that in their office ? :D

ZAhxX72.jpg
War-photographer-mannequin.jpg
Female-Realistic-Mannequin.jpg
o_O Ok there’s a couple in that group that would scare the shit out of me, on one of my many trips to the bathroom during the night .
 

Kermit3D

Well-Known Member
Oh yes, good point! I hadn't thought of Noble House. I'll have to check out how historically correct their pants are. At first glance it doesn't look so bad, although the blue seems very saturated. I guess a few hundred turns in the dryer (without heat) might help.

Here's an original for comparison :

 

Micawber

Well-Known Member
I had some mannequins around the house dressed in flight gear or uniforms and they became a bit of a bone of contention between the wife and I but they were also causing issues with the kids who found the shadowy figures in the spare room at night a bit scary. In the end I sold off most of the collection including the gear off the mannequins and the mannequins themselves.
Having done that I was gifted a uniform to go with a vehicle I had subsequently imported so needed to source a lifelike seated figure, fortunately I found a couple of ex museum examples locally so chose the best one to dress but having done that was not happy with it's head and face which had taken a bit of damage and gone a bit squishy. One day I decided to repair the damage and repaint the head so set to, got the real hair and very lifelike wig off the thing, assessed the work and decided the best course of action to reinforce the head would be to inject some expanding foam - which I did - or rather over did. I'd better explain that my then young son was watching and taking an interest in the restoration... that was until the expanding foam decided to burst out the top and side of the head in a fair imitation of a load of brain material and this had the effect of scaring the poor lad half to death! It all came right in the end as once set I was able to trim the excess away , make good the finish, repaint the head and refit the wig. My young son watched and was involved in all this so realised all was well and used to enjoy going to classic car shows with this mannequin in the passenger seat as it was so lifelike people would often come up and try to talk to it through the window.

Apologies for derailing the thread... I had better not go into the story of what happened when the same car went into the garage with the same mannequin in the boot [trunk] with the head removed and stored down by it's feet... and how the mechanic needed to open the trunk.. and how I'd forgotten all about the mannequin inside.

Funny things mannequins...

:D;)
 

Flightengineer

Well-Known Member
o_O Ok there’s a couple in that group that would scare the shit out of me, on one of my many trips to the bathroom during the night .
Burt, you get used to everything. And very quickly. Usually the mannequin scares only people who come to the house for the first time ha ha. After my plastic "guy" recently received an oxygen mask and my old laryngophones, on the contrary, he stopped looking like a "scarecrow" and we got used to him, even my dog don't react to it more :D.

 

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
Burt, you get used to everything. And very quickly. Usually the mannequin scares only people who come to the house for the first time ha ha. After my plastic "guy" recently received an oxygen mask and my old laryngophones, on the contrary, he stopped looking like a "scarecrow" and we got used to him, even my dog don't react to it more :D.

LOL!!
Dog sounds smarter than some of us ;)
 

Adama36

Well-Known Member
overall, I am not a big fan of full mannequins -I often find them creepy and I think they can of look weird inside a house.
I like torsos better - they are smaller and draw less attention
Right now I have 2 in my living/entertainment room and I change the outfits from time to time.

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