1:72 F-35 C - PE Parts Set (For Tamiya Kits)

The version for the deck of an aircraft carrier

Of the three variants of the Lightning II it is the C that is the most adapted to the sea. It has a markedly larger wing with folding tips, strengthened landing gear, a sturdy arrestor hook and more fuel than the other versions, so it reaches farther from a deck. The enlarged lifting surface at the same time lowers the landing speed, which matters more when settling onto a pitching deck than top speed does. The set is intended for Tamiya kits.

What metal adds to plastic

In 1:72 scale many elements are so small that a mold manages them only as a suggestion. Photo-etched sheet replaces them with a shape that has real edges: grilles, sensor covers, the insides of the landing gear bays and the stiffening of the weapon bay doors.

• Metal parts for the carrier version of the Lightning II in 1:72
• Grilles and covers with crisp edges instead of suggested relief
• Made ready for use with the matching plastic kit
• The bends are best formed in a bending tool, not with your fingers
• The metal has to be given a thin coat of primer before painting

A small scale is both an advantage and a disadvantage when working with photo-etch. There are fewer parts, but they are tinier, so it pays to work over a light surface and to have tweezers with a fine tip at hand. It is wise to leave cut parts attached to the sheet until the moment they really go onto the model, because otherwise they disappear before the modeler reaches for them.

On a machine with a low-observable surface the shade matters as well. The gray layer that absorbs radar waves has an uneven sheen and differs between individual panels, and it is precisely this unevenness that is worth suggesting when painting.