Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

HONG KONG COMMENT
----------------- by Colin Bramwell.

The fourth in HASEGAWA's l/72 scale Jet Series is the F-104J. This firm seems to go from strength to strength and this F-104 is a shade better in detail than their F-105 issued last month. It is therefore more than a pity that it seems as though they have put too much of an "up-sweep" in the top line of the rear fuselage. I must make it clear that this is only my impression, without making up the kit or having any very clear drawings readily available to check.

Considering the wealth of detail in the kit it would be surprising if they have made such a basic error. In addition to just about every sort of external store one could think of, Hasegawa have even included a retractable undercarriage. The whole kit is moulded in a metallised, mid-grey/silver plastic rather than the darker grey used for the MiG-21. A good decal sheet, gloss finished, is included giving markings for Japanese, German, American and Canadian aircraft with only the Canadian blue circle' seeming to be a shade too turquiose to be correct.

The IPMS magazine, Vol.4 No.4, APRIL 1967

COVER COMMENT
F.104 STARFIGHTER by G. Hartmann.
F.104 Kits

Many kits are available on the market in scales ranging from 1/35 to 1/175. Only a few represent the F.104G which is the most successful version and the two best kits still on the market are both in 1/72 scale. We have used these two models for this article and those members who would like to convert other models should upscale or downscale according to the scale of their model.

The older of the two kits is the Airfix model. It is well pressed and accurate in outline except for one point, the canopy. Though the shape is accurate in side view, it should be a little wider at its base but the main fault lies in the shape in section. Any photo of the F.104 shows that the cut section of the canopy is circular and has no flat sides as moulded on the Airfix canopy. Body putty may be needed at some of the joint lines, such as around the air brakes.

The Hasegawa/Frog kit has its own virtues but again the canopy is completely wrong. Accurate in side view, it is too long by about 3 mm! The surface detail is a bit on the heavy side but this can be easily rectified and the shape of the forward fuselage is more accurate than on the other kit. The decal sheet is far superior providing markings for 4 different nationalities. The Airfix kit offers only two, one of which (the Canadian) is now obsolete. As both kits have inaccurate canopies we cannot say which is to be preferred. Those who do not feel skilled enough to make a new canopy will buy the Airfix kit as the inaccuracy is not so obvious an error but they can advantageously look to the Frog kit for its decals. As a new canopy has to be made, we have drawn in Fig.A (A1, A2) such a canopy, and if the side view matches that of the kits the plan view is different. See also Fig. C. for the front view. The Airfix kit has to be widened (the section is more circular) with body-putty while the Frog kit has to be narrowed. In this case the forward fuselage can be faired with body-putty as the plastic is rather on the thin side. If using the Airfix kit, an arrester hook has to be made from scrap parts.

The IPMS magazine, APRIL 1970. VOL. 7 No. 4

NEWS FROM AIRFIX
The world's greatest value in construction kits
Lockheed F-104G and 'Devonshire'

THIS month, a 37-part kit (price 3s) of the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter joins the Airfix range of 1:72 scale aircraft. Released at the same time is a new 1:600 scale warship—the 80-part HMS Devonshire, selling for 4s 6d.

Colourfully boxed, the Starfighter kit can be assembled in several different ways. The port and starboard air brakes can be in open or closed positions. The undercarriage (which, like the tail unit, is excellently detailed) can be assembled either retracted or lowered. (If the model is to stand on its undercarriage, the nose cone should, of course, be weighted.) The wingtips can be equipped with either Sidewinder missiles or the alternative long-range fuel tanks also provided. A 22-part transfer sheet enables the completed model to be finished in either West German or RCAF CF-104 markings.

Also included in the kit is a display stand, and full assembly instructions in the latest new Airfix style. This exciting kit of an exciting aircraft will find a sure place in all 1 :72 scale collections, and looks like being another Airfix best-seller.

The 104G Starfighter, generally known as the Super Starfighter. is becoming a common sight in Western Europe. The first F-104s entered service in the USAF in 1958 and, although never used in large quantities, the aircraft was a big step forward in military aviation. It held both the world speed and altitude records, and several different versions were produced for the USAF.

The 104G was developed specifically for Europe. One of the many differences from American versions is its greatly strengthened airframe. which enables extra heavy external loads of fuel or weapons to be carried. Some F-104Gs have been delivered to Germany and the aircraft is also equipping the air forces of Belgium. Holland, Italy, Greece and Turkey.

Also being built, for the Canadian Air Force, is the CF-104. Basically the same as the F-104G, it is also intended for both interceptor and ground attack duties, but has a Canadian Orenda-built engine in place of the normal European-built J79. The F-104G is powered by a General Electric J79 turbo-jet, giving a top speed of over Mach 2.0. Armament can include a multi-barrel 20 mm gun and up to 4,000 lb in bombs, as well as Sidewinder missiles. Wing span is 21 ft 11 in, and length 54 ft 9 in.

Airfix magazine September 1963 Vol.5 No.1

MODEL ENTHUSIAST
Lightning and Starfighter

The latest offerings from the Lesney "Matchbox" concern to be received comprise a BAC Lightning in the Orange range carrying the UK retail price tag of 60p and a Lockheed F-104G Starfighter in the Purple range priced in the UK at 35p...

The rather less expensive Lockheed F-104G Starfighter kit comprises 37 component parts moulded in white and light blue. This kit utilises an ingenious arrangement of mouldings to successfully capture the intricate fuselage contours. There are no voids in intakes or outlet but the cockpit interior is spartan in having merely a pilot figure and its seat. The wings and tailplane are praise-worthily thin and the undercarriage is suitably sturdy, but while the mainwheel doors are quite thin, those for the nosewheel are much too thick and best discarded in favour of new doors fashioned from plastic sheet. Sidewinder missiles are included for wingtip mounting, but there are no other external stores. The surface detailing is of the engraved variety but much finer than we have seen in earlier "Matchbox" kits.

The decal sheet is a very good feature of the kit and provides markings for an F-104G of JG 17 Richthofen in 1966, alternatives being those for a CF-104 of the Canadian No 439 Sqdn. In each case, squadron badges have been included and the register of the decals is very good. This new F-104G kit faces competition from both Airfix and Frog/Hasegawa offerings which are also good, none having a real edge on another, so a clear recommendation is not possible.
F J HENDERSON

Air Enthusiast 1976-07 vol.11 no.01

Matchbox. Lockheed F-104G Starfighter. 1/72nd scale. Price 35p.

YET another Starfighter kit is released in the form of the latest addition to the Matchbox 'Purple Range' series. The kit is generally good in most respects, but the paucity of cockpit detail is quite noticeable. Indeed, Matchbox merely provide the ejector seat, so cockpit panel, floor consoles, etc., may have to be furnished from polycard by the purist. Assembly is quite simple, due to a minimum of parts, but anomalies do arise. The nose probe being one bone of contention in that it is supplied in three pieces, a cone, and two separate halves for the base of the probe. Undoubtedly, this assembly is far stronger but does cause problems in sanding these parts to a smooth section.

Wings and tailplane assemblies are first class and in complete contrast to the Lightning kit, are thin sectioned, carry sunken engraved panel detail, and even this is kept to a minimum. The model goes together reasonably well, although some gaps need attention, notably around the forward air intakes. The lower fuselage undercarriage bay suffers from a bulge which appears slightly excessive if not actually spurious.

Undercarriage units sacrifice some detail in lieu of strong components which do at least support the model's weight satisfactorily. Sidewinder missiles are supplied, but no other optional parts, such as tanks, are provided. Perhaps all these points are due to economy, and are no real discredit to Messrs. Matchbox. The decal sheet gives the usual choice of markings, being a CF-104 of No. 439 Squadron, 1 Wing R.C.A.F. and a camouflaged Jagdgeschwader 71 (Richthofen) machine of the Luftwaffe in 1966. The decals are good though a little translucent and fuzzy in some places, and surprisingly omitted is the red bandfortherearfuselagefortheturbine line warning. 1/32in. red transfer stripe is easily manufactured and applied however.
R.C.

Scale Models Vol7 No83 AUGUST 1976

MODEL ENTHUSIAST
Yet another Starfighter

Lockheed's famous, or infamous, depending upon your viewpoint, F-104 Starfighter has appeared in 1/72nd scale from Airfix, Hasegawa/Frog and Lesney over the years, and one might well consider that this subject has been recipient of adequate treatment. Heller evidently believes otherwise and its Starfighter kit is at least sufficiently superior to its predecessors to render its advent welcome. Consisting of 58 component parts, a number of which are alternatives to permit construction of either the single-seat F-104G or two-seat TF-104G, the kit offers finish and detailing of a very high standard. There are two forward fuselage sections with parts for one or two cockpits, and the joint line to the aft portion has been so arranged as to avoid any unsightly break. The cockpits are well equipped and the canopies are exceptionally clear with well-defined framing.

Clear landing lights are a feature and the undercarriage has its full complement of bracing with nicely-formed scale-thickness doors. The aft fuselage air brakes may be fixed in extended or retracted position and include actuating struts. The sharp edges and razor-thin sections of the wings and tailplane look very good, and four drop tanks are provided, two for mounting at the wingtips and the others on underwing pylons. Unfortunately, the decal sheet is not up to the same standard as the remainder of the kit, having a completely matt finish and suffering some lack of colour definition, but it is certainly extensive and covers no less than five different aircraft — Belgian and Danish two-seaters, and Dutch, Federal German and Canadian single-seaters — for which colour schemes are given in some detail on the reverse of the instruction sheet.
F J HENDERSON

Air Enthusiast 1976-11 vol.11 no.05

KIT COMMENT
TWO-IN-ONE KIT FROM HELLER
SINGLE AND TWO-SEAT F-104 PRODUCED

BECAUSE of the popularity of certain aircraft with the enthusiast it becomes so well known and the minutest subtlety of shape understood that when a new plastic construction kit of that type comes on the market it suffers immediate criticism for the slightest incorrect detail. Such has been the case of the Lockheed F-104 which up to now has been the nearest thing to a Eurofighter that we have known, as apart from the French and the British, every other NATO country has used it.

In the past six months there have been three models in varying scales issued of this aircraft. These have included the Hasegawa 1:32nd scale example, the Matchbox 1:72nd scale one and now Heller have marketed their kit, again in 1:72nd scale. So far the Hasegawa model has led the field in accuracy and detail but this is to be expected in such a large kit. The Matchbox model was not without its faults so we had much to hope for when we received the Heller example recently.

The first and most gratifying surprise was that not only did the box contain an F-104G but also its two-seat trainer variant the TF-104. Here, we thought was something well worth having as many of us must surely have laboured on making one of the vacuform kits of the longer nose or carved one out of balsa.

Looking further we found five separate sets of decals and surface detail that looked superb. This kit, we thought, must definitely suit the Starfighter nuts but when the construction work was started there were several things in the early stages that tended to change our opinions.

POOR FIT

It is always an anti-climax after opening a new kit, being delighted with the contents, the detail on the parts and the variety of decals to run into snags when the construction work begins.

This was the case of the Heller Starfighter as the fuselage construction became something of a headache. We appreciate that Heller had a problem in combining both the single and two-seat aircraft in the same kit as this meant that no less than three fuselage breaks were necessary but to get them to line up proved more difficult than the average modeller would like to tackle.

The biggest problem came in getting the fuselage halves to join properly and a close inspection revealed why. The angle of the two fuselage walls where the joint had to be made was not at right angles meaning that, although locating pins and holes were provided, these did not fit one with the other. This, we thought, was a very basic mistake considering the superb care and attention that had been paid to surface detail elsewhere in the kit.

The only answer was to fit the parts together as best we could and then apply body putty to the joint in order to fill the inevitable gap. In some cases we cut off the locating pin heads as these impeded the join rather than assisting it.

Choosing to make the two-seat TF-104 we found that the nose section was divided vertically whereas the centre section and wings were split horizontally. The rear part of the fuselage, again with a vertical joint, fitted over the top of the wing section and the undercarriage well was added on the underside. There were no less than six joints to make in the fuselage alone all of which had to be filled and rubbed down which naturally took time.

The cockpit detail was excellent, measuring up to anything that Airfix has been producing recently. By careful-painting it approached the excellence of the Hasewaga 1:32nd scale model, which was all to the good as the canopy was a very clear one and all the detail could easily be seen. One slightly annoying point was that no locating pins were provided for the seats and one had to make a guess as to where things fitted into each respective cockpit 'box'. A little careful thought did provide the answers but this again was no job for the novice.

Top marks went to the detailing of the panel lines, the undercarriage which was true to scale and therefore very delicate, and the undercarriage wells themselves which compared in accuracy to their Hasegawa 'big brother'. Four drop tanks are provided, the fuselage air brakes can be fitted in the open position and the extremely careful moulding of the jet orifice was to be commended. Having got over the problems of the construction we felt much better, as when complete the model looked all it should be. It was very difficult to avoid rubbing off some of the surface detail when cleaning up the filler but with small pieces of wet and dry paper and the minimum of rubbing we managed to get away with most of it.

Turning to the painting we had a multiple choice in that Heller have given no less than five colour schemes and sets of markings from which to choose. These included an F-104G of JG33 in the Federal German Air Force, a Belgian two seater from 31 Squadron, 10 Wing, another from the Danish Air Force coded RT-631, a Dutch F-104G from 306 Sqdn. and finally a CF-104 from the CAF's 439 Sqdn. based at Soellingen. Being adventurous we chose the Belgian two-seater as this meant the three-tone camouflage scheme on the upper surfaces had to be painted and required the minimum use of decals to finish it off.

When complete the model looks very satisfactory and the paint hid all our efforts at filling the joints. Perhaps the canopy could have been a slightly better fit and possibly the nose probe was slightly overscale but these details did not detract from what was obviously an accurate kit overall.

The Heller Starfighter will, we think, become the experts model where accuracy rather than ease of construction is concerned. It is no model for the newcomer to the hobby and at £1,30 will also restrict the sale to all but the real enthusiast.

Aviation News Vol 5 Num 5 6-19 August 1976