Pudding, pudding...I'm trying to think, what other dessert to do?

A phenomenon has slowly spread through the "TFOL" community. Teen builders seem to excel at small creations; it is unknown whether this skill is simply a result of comparatively small collections, or perhaps because of their formative years spent looking at Japanese builders' tiny intricate intricacies. In any case, small models run into the same problem again and again; the awkwardly sized and shaped minifig.

The phenomenon in question: "fits a fig"

The notion that "fitting a fig" is a requirement, or is a sign of a good model, has some merit; for builders that aim for realism, a pilot or driver adds veracity. But as you can see, the definition of "fitting" has been massaged and squeezed; certainly a person can fit in a body bag, but it's an altogether unpleasant experience.

Yet builders declare with triumph "fits a fig!" so long as the the brave pilot shaves his entire body, stays perfectly still (every had a full-body MRI? Imagine staying that still while piloting a helicopter), and doesn't mind a space more claustrophobic than early diving suits. Gods help him if he gets an erection.

These examples feature pilots not even facing the right way. At least they approximately adhere to the Ender Wiggin theory of body orientation.

twee affect thus proposes a new merit badge, "accommodates a fig." To accommodate is to do more than just "jam it in," the fig must have room for such activities as turning the head, raising an arm, and coughing. It also helps if the pilot is actually faced in the direction of travel. Accommodating a fig requires some attempt at controls, whether a traditional wheel, joystick and throttle, or advanced iPhone multi-touch. Let us all hope for less tightly confined, S&M prisoner style cockpits, and more natural, breathable spaces!

A Footnote: Chief among the proselytizers of "fits a fig" is Chuck Citrin, aka Chewk, an awkward tween so obsessed with "fitting figs" that he insists on interiors even when the chibi-esque super-deformed nature of the model demands TARDIS/Millennium Falcon/Hammerspace style imaginary volumes.