1:48 Republic F-105D/F-105F/F-105G Thunderchief male pilot on access ladder (in a standing position - type 3) (1 pcs)

An airman on the access ladder, 1:48

The third variant in the range captures a pilot at the moment he is climbing to the edge of the cockpit. The pose is reckoned for contact with the ladder at the side of the fuselage, which creates a natural link between the figure and the model. The designation type 3 sets this pose apart from the two standing variants of the same series.

At the ladder

Getting into the cockpit was daily routine on the F-105. The aircraft is tall, so a ladder was brought up to it or steps were folded out, and it is exactly this moment that gives a model a dynamism a standing airframe on its own does not have. The figure at the same time shows clearly the real dimensions of the machine, which in photographs without people often get lost. A diorama then does not have to be large to hold attention; a single well chosen gesture is enough.

Matching it to the model

First try laying the figure against the model dry and find the point where the hand touches the handhold. Only then glue. Cyanoacrylate glue holds small mating faces best, but degrease the joint beforehand. Paint in stages while the figure is accessible from all sides, and seat it in place only at the end. A final flat coat will even out the differences in sheen between the individual layers.

Whom it will serve

• Thunderchief models with an open cockpit
• scenes capturing the crew boarding
• bringing a static display case to life
• builders looking for poses that do not repeat
• compositions where a figure touches the model

The Thunderchief itself is bought separately.