Whitey Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 The Lockheed F-104 has always been one of my favourite aircraft and I am pretty happy with the way this kit has turned out. After a year she is finally finished...or so I thought until I looked through some of the photos again. Still a couple of aerials to add. Italeri's kit is by far the best F-104G on the market, but is not without its issues, but this hobby is modelling, not assemblying. I liked the soft plastic that made working with it easy but didn't enjoy filling in the heavy panel lines along the spine of the kit. My filler of choice is the cheapest super glue that I can get from a supermarket. Sanded as soon as it dried, and sometimes almost dry, kept the seam fillling to a few minutes of sanding rather than waiting for filler to dry and then shrink. I added an Aires seat, wheels and jet pipe; Academy Mk82 dummy bombs; Eduard IP and some of the Aires cockpit bits were added to the kit cockpit; the travel pod is from a couple of gun pods from the spares box; Master pitot. The nose wheel is very fragile so I drilled and pinned the main strut. I used MRP paints for the first time and they are sensational. Sealed with SMS Super Clear before adding ASTRA Decals decals and then a custom mix of SMS gloss and Matt coat for final finish. The Astra Decals are sensational but don't quite fit the panels in some places. They apply very easily though. Burnt Sienna was used as the panel wash but I think it is too prominent from the photos. Mixed with Turpentine it does not damage the paint finish so I can can a cotton bud in there and reduce their effects significantly. And just for a size comparison with some of the other local jets from that era. Italeri Mirage IIIC. Tamiya F-4J (UK) florin13, Uncarina, MikeC and 15 others 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 Looks great, Peter! Kev Whitey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 I'd be mighty proud to call it my own, looks great. Whitey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simmo.b Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 Sweet Pete!! Came out reall nice, look forward to seeing it in person. Whitey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeA Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 Beautiful! Love the staining underneath. Whitey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Williams Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 Great! Did you have problems fitting the Aires pit? Whitey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Leduc Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 Very nice, I love it. Dan. Whitey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Posted September 30, 2018 Author Share Posted September 30, 2018 1 hour ago, Dave Williams said: Great! Did you have problems fitting the Aires pit? Hi Dave, I didn't install the Aires cockpit, just cut some of the bits off it to add to the kit cockpit and Eduard photo-etch panels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Excellent finish !! Whitey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncarina Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Outstanding work, and a spectacular marking scheme! Cheers, Tom Whitey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Wunderbar! I'm doing one of these atm, if it turns out half as well as yours I'll be happy. Gotta love a 104! Whitey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billwinkes Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Excellent job on this kit. I’ve just picked up the TF-104G, your build is a guide and inspiration. Thank you. Whitey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Ivanovich Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Terrific job on your F-104G. I love it!. <thumbsup> 7 hours ago, Whitey said: (...) After a year she is finally finished...or so I thought until I looked through some of the photos again. Still a couple of aerials to add. (...) Save for the lower TACAN antenna immediately aft of the radome and the stbd temperature probe, I can't spot any missing odds and sods. Whitey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Excellent ONE-OH-FOUR !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Posted September 30, 2018 Author Share Posted September 30, 2018 29 minutes ago, Ivan Ivanovich said: Terrific job on your F-104G. I love it!. <thumbsup> Save for the lower TACAN antenna immediately aft of the radome and the stbd temperature probe, I can't spot any missing odds and sods. Well spotted Ivan, yes I have added those since the photos. I will put up a final pic later on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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