1:32 F-35A Lightning II female pilot standing on a ladder (type 1)

F-35A Lightning II, a female pilot on a ladder, type 1, 1:32 scale

This item is not a kit of an aircraft, but a figure accessory from Reskit in 1:32 scale. The name gives a female pilot standing on a ladder in the type 1 variant. Female figures are substantially rarer in the modeling market than male ones, and yet with modern air forces they match reality. What is more, they give a scene of boarding the cockpit a variety that two identical male figures will never create.

The real subject

The F-35A Lightning II is a single-engine fifth-generation combat aircraft from Lockheed Martin. The A version takes off and lands conventionally from a concrete runway and is meant for land-based air forces. Characteristic are its low observability, the armament carried in internal bays and deep sensor fusion. The pilot works with a large touchscreen display and with a helmet into whose visor flight data and the picture from cameras all over the airframe are projected, so that in a figurative sense he can look through the structure of the machine.

Tips for painting and placing in the scene

A figure on a ladder holds a scene together only when the whole assembly is stable and upright. So check the assembly before you reach for the paint. If you paint the figure, it helps to start with a lighter base for the flight suit and to pull it down with a dark wash into the folds. In 1:32 scale the face deserves work of its own, because it is clearly visible from close up. It stands out best when the figure is looking toward the cockpit and the rest of the scene matches that.

Who the set is for

• For builders of large F-35 models in 1:32 scale
• For makers of dioramas with a scene of boarding the cockpit
• For those looking for a female figure for a modern aviation scene
• For modelers who want to give a finished machine scale and action