Del Prado · Second World War · 1942
The saluting hand and document held against the body give this Del Prado Luftwaffe corporal a working role away from the cockpit. The helmet and dark uniform make him quite different from the collection’s leather-clad pilots.
- Maker
- Del Prado
- Subject
- Luftwaffe Corporal 1942
- Historical setting
- Second World War · 1942
An air force contains more than aircrew
Ground personnel, administration, maintenance and other duties were essential to an air service. A figure identified as a Luftwaffe corporal should not automatically be labeled a fighter pilot. This sculpt is useful precisely because it broadens the aviation collection beyond men in flying helmets and survival equipment.
Compare the pilot of 1944
The later Luftwaffe pilot in the catalog wears a very different outfit. Placing the two figures together makes the distinction between service membership and job visible. It also helps identify loose Del Prado pieces: uniform color, headgear and held objects are more reliable clues than an online title that calls every air-force figure an aviator.
The important condition details
Inspect the saluting fingers, helmet edge and the document’s corners. Dark clothing can hide paint losses in shadow, so ask for even lighting. A base photograph may preserve an issue or subject inscription that the seller has omitted. Search the full corporal-and-year description rather than guessing a code from another Luftwaffe figure.
Figure reference
Del Prado Luftwaffe Corporal 1942 — Planète Légendaire catalog record. The collecting observations above refer to the pictured model; condition varies between individual examples.