1:72 F-105 (F, G) Thunderchief male pilots on access ladder (2 pcs)

Boarding the machine in 1:72 scale

The set carries the subject of climbing an access ladder into a smaller scale. The figures are shaped with support in mind, so they do not stand freely on a flat surface but lean and twist their torsos. The figure of two pieces comes from the name of the item.

A vertical element as a lift for a shelf

Aircraft display cases tend to be flat, everything lies at the same height and the eye has nowhere to stop. A figure halfway up a ladder breaks that monotony, because it creates a second story to the scene. In a smaller scale it works even more strongly, since the whole tableau takes up barely the width of a palm and yet there is a story to be seen in it.

The machine the subject belongs to

The two-seat version of the Thunderchief had its cockpit set high above the ground, so it could not be boarded without steps or a hooked-on ladder. Depicting the boarding is therefore not artistic license but an ordinary part of preparing the machine before a flight. A pair of figures moreover matches the number of people these versions carried.

Recommended procedure

• Try the assembly dry; a small scale forgives deviations far less.
• The ladder from a kit tends to be thicker than reality warrants, so bear that in mind.
• Paint the figures separately, so that you can reach the far sides as well.
• Join the assembly only once it is dry, otherwise fingerprints will be left on it.
• Judge the result from a distance, not with a magnifier. That is how a visitor will see it too.
• Match the base in color with the surface the model stands on.