BACKGROUND
You
just have to love the F-104 if you grew up during the Cold War and liked
jets. Back then, the F-104
seemed like Star Wars technology to me, the so called “missile with a
man in it”, with wing leading edges so sharp they had pads on them to
protect the ground crew. I
still remember the distinctive resonant howl or moan that these jets made
at low altitude and certain throttle settings.
If you heard that howl, you missed the
F-104. It was long gone.
THE
KIT
This
TF-104G is an older Heller Kit with raised panel lines.
It was the only two place F-104 kit in 1/72 scale I was aware of
years ago when I bought it. The
model was painted with Model Master enamel and Metalizer. I decided to use
some vintage Microscale decals for the Lockheed Company demonstrator.
Unfortunately, I had robbed some of the decals for another project
years ago so I had to fake it with some paint, phony tail numbers, and
some missing fuselage striping. Finally,
the model was lightly weathered with with a thin oil paint wash and given
a final coat of Testors gloss.
Click on
images below to see larger images
BRIEFING
STICKS
This
model is finished in “ briefing stick format”, with minimal external
stores, retracted landing gear, and no internal detail.
I enjoy being able to handle and admire my models once they are
completed without worrying about knocking off fragile parts. I also like
the clean look of the basic airframe that results from this no frills
building technique. As with
most of my models, there are many deviations from scale, but being able to
finish a model in a few weeks and store/display it on a carbon rod appeals
to me. Along the way, I am
enjoying myself doing on line research, basic assembly, seam filling,
masking, painting, decaling and weathering.
Anyway,
here is the low calorie Lockheed F-104
Company Demonstrator, another of the famous Century Series breakthrough
aircraft. It probably
carried a few nauseous potential customers in the back seat in its day.
Hope
you enjoy it.
Dennis
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