1:144 F-104 Boarding Ladder plus folded version

A boarding ladder for the F-104 Starfighter in 1:144 scale

This item is a resin accessory, not a kit of an aircraft. It adds a boarding ladder to an F-104 Starfighter model in 1:144 scale, that is a detail which is usually missing from the box with the kit. The name states that the set holds a folded variant of the ladder too, so that both a machine ready for the pilot to board and an aircraft with the ladder stowed at the side of the fuselage can be built.

The real subject

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine supersonic fighter aircraft with an unmistakable silhouette: a very thin trapezoidal wing of small span, a long slender fuselage and a T-shaped tail. The cockpit sits high above the ground, and a boarding ladder therefore belonged to the ordinary equipment of the flight line. On a diorama or on a base it is just such a small object that gives a model scale and marks the setting in which the aircraft served.

Building and painting tips

Wash the parts in warm water with detergent, so that release agent from the mold is taken off the surface; without that the paint holds badly. Cut the casting blocks off with a sharp saw or a cutting disc and sand the remainder away carefully — resin is brittle in parts as fine as these. It is bonded with super glue (cyanoacrylate). When sanding, sand wet and protect your airways. Lay a thin base on before painting; the ladder then only needs spraying with its basic color and picking out with a dark wash, so that the rungs and the frame come out.

Who the set is for

• Builders of the F-104 in 1:144 scale who want to complete a model with flight line equipment
• Modelers building a small diorama or a scene on a base
• Those who want the choice between an extended and a folded ladder
• Anyone interested in fine resin accessories for small scales

This is an accessory for a kit, not a model on its own. The set is supplied unassembled and unpainted; paints, glue and the base kit are not included in the package.