1:72 Driver & airmen (modern) (3 pcs) (MHU-83 D/E lift truck UPPER loading position for RSK72-0009)

The upper loading position, 1:72 scale

A raised arm changes the whole tableau: the load is above the heads, the hands go up and the eyes are on the wing. The trio of figures is shaped for exactly this moment and completes a model of the MHU-83 D/E lift truck. In 1:72 it is one of the few ways to give a ramp scene a vertical dimension. Most ground equipment is low and a scene then looks flat.

Telling a story on a small area

A diorama in this scale fits in the palm of your hand, which makes it all the more important that something is happening in it. A group of people at a raised arm reads even from a distance and a viewer grasps the action before reading the label under the case. At competitions that is a quality valued more than one would expect.

A note on the subject

Hydraulic lift trucks have accompanied combat aircraft since the middle of the last century. The D and E versions belong to a more modern generation and you will meet them around aircraft that are still in service. The shape of the chassis and the layout of the controls have changed several times over the years.

Practical tips

• Glue the figures to the truck first and only then paint the whole tableau.
• Try the contact of the hands with the load dry.
• Keep the shade of the working clothing muted, so it does not overpower the aircraft.
• A final matte clear coat evens out the surface of the whole group.

The truck and the aircraft are sold separately. It pays to get them before you start planning the layout of the base and the height of the backdrop.