Tornado Ladder (for Hobbyboss)

[Mike]

Tornado Ladder (for Hobbyboss)

1:48 Eduard (48691)

This ladder is used by Tornado crew to access the cockpit,and is one of two types . It has been designed to fit the new Hobbyboss kits, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it also fitted the older Italeri kits too.

The instructions are simple to follow, but the modeller must have a length of 1mm circular section rod to hand to complete the model, as it is needed to make the ladder rungs, and a bar that rests against the fuselage. The modeller needs to cut 9 pieces 9mm long, and one piece 8mm long before construction begins, as the whole structure gains its strength from these rods.

The ladder sides are built up from a single piece, which has the sides folded and doubled to make the correct width of the sides. 9 holes are pre-cut in each side to receive the rungs, and a pair of hand grips are provided for the sides. These are double thickness, but I suspect should be round in profile, so you could always replace them with some brass rod, using these parts as a template.

A perforated crew platform tops the ladder, with an angle framework supporting it, which must be folded to shape, and at the other end are a set of wheels built up from a single part that is folded to three times thickness

It's a little tricky to install the rungs, but once done, it looks very effective. Additionally, be careful to start folding the angled platform support the correct way, as I made the mistake of building it upside down to begin with, and had to pull it to bits and rebuild it.

These ladders are painted NATO Green, FS34094, but can weather to a lighter more brown color, depending on conditions. The base color can be found in the Lifecolor and Tamiya range, numbered UA303 and XF-76 respectively.

Conclusion

You'll need a steady hand to complete the build, but once done it looks the part, and will look great next to your Tornado diorama, or parked Tonka festooned with RBF tags.

Review sample courtesy of

[Paul A H]

Nice work Mike!

[Shar2]

Sweet!

[Mike]

Review updated with a completed pic

[Royster]

Wowzers! That must've taken patience to assemble