AVG "Flying Tiger" P-40 Pilot "Ben Cole"

In the movie "Pearl Harbor (2001)", First Lieutenant Rafe McCawley (played by Ben Affleck, most recently seen in "He's Just Not That Into You") is told that he has been accepted to go to Britain and join Eagle Squadron, which is a squadron of volunteer American pilots serving with the Royal Air Force in the fight against the Germans. We all know the movie is a dramatic re-imagining of the attack on Pearl Harbor, produced by the team of Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer, and also starred Josh Hartnett as Danny Walker, Rafe's best pal.

Dragon released a 1/6 scale 12-inch US Army Air Force P-40 Pilot “Lt George Taylor” in 2001 (my review here) with some resemblance to Josh Hartnett and a World War II American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tiger" P-40 pilot "Ben Cole" with actor Ben Affleck's likeness.

"Ben Cole" came with Type A-8 flight helmet with brown leather ear cups, B-7 flight goggles, Garrison cap, A-2 leather flight jacket with Nationalist Chinese flag and Blood Chit, Leather shoulder holster with Browning HP automatic pistol, “chino” khaki shirt and trousers, waist belt, White scarf with Generalissimo Chiang kai-shek’s "stamp" presented in 1941, S-2 parachute with “bayonet” type harness fittings, and service shoes.

Ben Cole with garrison cap/Overseas Cap with National Chinese "Sun" insignia and Bausch & Lomb shades

Note the insignia on his collars and Flying Tiger's insignia of a winged tiger flying through a large "V" (for "Victory") above his right breast pocket with aviator's wings above his left pocket

Ben Cole without his sunglasses (not very Ben Affleck without it)

Ben's white scarf with "red stamp" of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek (strangely, Dragon chose to stitch the "stamp" instead - more work and ended up being inaccurate)

His Browning HP automatic pistol in leather shoulder holster


Clockwise from left: Type A-8 flight helmet with brown leather ear cups, B-7 flight goggles, A-2 leather flight jacket, overseas cap and sunglasses, and S-2 parachute with “bayonet” type harness fittings


The inside lining of Ben's A-2 leather jacket has a Nationalist Chinese flag on one side and American flag on the other with words asking for assistance: "This foreign person has come to China to help in the war effort. Soldiers and civilians, one and all, should rescue, protect and provide him medical care."

Ben Col with his very NICE 1/6 scale A-2 leather flight jacket

His jacket has his "Ben Cole" name tag and 14th Air Force patch with "Flying Tiger"


A variation of the standard AVG Flying Tigers blood chit on the back of his leather flight jacket. This one features both an American and a Chinese flag, as well as the CBI (China-Burma-India) Command insignia.


Unless you are Jennifer Garner, he's just not that into you!! - LOL

Already covered another World War II AVG "Flying Tiger" pilot "Pappy" in a previous post, together with a bit more on their history (link here).

Also covered B-17 "Memphis Belle" pilot and waist gunner here and Dragon USAAF B-17 Bomber Captain "Skip" here as well as group shots of World War II USAAF Air Crew