1:32 F-35A Lightning II male pilot (in a standing position- type 1)

F-35A Lightning II, a standing pilot, type 1, 1:32 scale

This item is not a model of an aircraft, but a figure accessory from Reskit in 1:32 scale. The name gives a male pilot standing in the type 1 variant, assigned to the F-35A Lightning II. A free-standing figure is the most practical format of figure there is: it calls for no further scene and yet it places a model in reality at once, because the viewer gauges the size of the machine against a person in a moment.

The real subject

The F-35A Lightning II is a single-engine fifth-generation combat aircraft from Lockheed Martin. The A version is land-based, takes off and lands conventionally from a runway and is the most numerous branch of the program. To keep its low observability, the aircraft carries its armament in internal bays and has a smooth airframe with sharply faceted edges. The pilot's work has changed markedly against earlier generations: most of the information converges on a single large touchscreen display and into the helmet visor, which also projects the picture from cameras placed all over the machine.

Tips for painting and placing in the scene

If you paint the figure, lead the work from the large areas to the details. The flight suit will take a lighter base, because a dark wash in the folds then pulls it down into depth. The harness, the vest and the helmet deserve a shade of their own so that they separate from the flight suit. In 1:32 scale the face and the hands are the most on view, so leave the most time for them. The figure will benefit from a clear intent: let it look toward the model, toward a second figure or toward equipment set down, just not into empty space.

Who the set is for

• For builders of large F-35 models in 1:32 scale
• For anyone interested in modern aviation and pilots' gear
• For makers of dioramas and display case scenes from an air base
• For modelers who want to give a finished machine scale and action