Ginja Ninja Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 "I, I just took a ride in a silver machine And I'm still feeling mean Do you want to ride See yourself going by The other side of the sky I've got a silver machine It flies Sideways through time It's an electric line To your zodiac sign I've got a silver machine I've got a silver machine I've got a silver machine" Hawkwind - 1971 To celebrate 25 years of LSP I will be building this iconic aircraft from the Cold War which has a myriad of nicknames, some of them defining the sheer speed and others the lethality to the enemy, or pilot flying the aircraft: zipper; missile with a man in it; witwenmacher "widow maker" (Bundesluftwaffe nickname); flying coffin; Ground Nail; Bullet & Blades; Badmash "wicked one" (Pakistani nickname for F-104As); Eiko "Glory" (Japanese nickname for F-104Js); spaghetti Starfighter (Italian nickname for F-104S-ASAs.) The kit The AM I hope to start this as soon as I get the fuselage of the AIrfix Spitfire together, but then again I may start tomorrow as I'm rather looking forward to building one of my favourite aircraft. Thanks for looking and happy modelling! Jeremy MikeC, Azgaron, geedubelyer and 12 others 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 Oooh... Look forward to seeing this come together - such an iconic aeroplane! Iain Ginja Ninja 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geedubelyer Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 Lovely. There's just something fabulous about a Starfighter. A stellar design by Lockheed. Looking forward to this one. Cheers Ginja Ninja 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 Lovely stuff......I've still got my Starfighter on the SOD.......need to get back to that one for sure. Looking forward to this one! Ginja Ninja 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DugyB Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 Ooh yeah, time to break out some popcorn for this one….. Ginja Ninja 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 Great kit, I really enjoyed mine. Look forward to seeing yours unfold. Ginja Ninja 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginja Ninja Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 @Iain @geedubelyer @Out2gtcha @DugyB @MikeC Thanks chaps! I'm really looking forward to this one too. I've had the G version in my stash for a while and only picked up the A/C recently which is just begging to be done in NMF. Let's hope I can pull it off I've got the KLP Publishing guide for Building the Italeri CF-104 Starfighter and I was wondering if @Out2gtcha and @MikeC do you have any tips you can offer? Now hold onto your popcorn as we will be taking off this weekend and there could be lots of turbulence! geedubelyer, DugyB, LSP_Kevin and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 13 hours ago, Ginja Ninja said: ...do you have any tips you can offer? Now hold onto your popcorn as we will be taking off this weekend and there could be lots of turbulence! I did do an online build of this for Scale Modelling Now. It is behind a paywall, but here's the link https://www.scalemodellingnow.com/aircraft-italeri-lockheed-f104a-starfighter-build However, there are no real traps with this kit that I found. Others may find small details I've missed, bit I found that the Italeri Starfighters build up well, although they are not a perfect drop-together fit, a little work is needed: nothing beyond basic modelling skills. With a very little care, the wings fit so well they can be left off until painted, which makes this particular scheme with the white wing uppers much easier to paint. The only really problematic area is that the main undercarriage has to be installed early on: beware of breaking off and losing the two struts attached to the main undercarriage unit, as they are rather vulnerable! Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. Ginja Ninja 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 (edited) One more thing: I'm not sure how familiar you are with the F-104: you will find that with the undercarriage in the down/locked position, the large forward undercarriage doors, which are normally closed on the ground, do not quite close, and sit ajar. This is correct, it was like this on the real aircraft. Edited March 23 by MikeC Ginja Ninja 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginja Ninja Posted March 23 Author Share Posted March 23 2 hours ago, MikeC said: I did do an online build of this for Scale Modelling Now. It is behind a paywall, but here's the link https://www.scalemodellingnow.com/aircraft-italeri-lockheed-f104a-starfighter-build However, there are no real traps with this kit that I found. Others may find small details I've missed, bit I found that the Italeri Starfighters build up well, although they are not a perfect drop-together fit, a little work is needed: nothing beyond basic modelling skills. With a very little care, the wings fit so well they can be left off until painted, which makes this particular scheme with the white wing uppers much easier to paint. The only really problematic area is that the main undercarriage has to be installed early on: beware of breaking off and losing the two struts attached to the main undercarriage unit, as they are rather vulnerable! Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. Hi Mike, Thanks for the link and advice. Your build is stunning! I will be pleased if I can pull off something half as good. I noticed some AM from Video Aviation who I had not heard of before so I will most probably pick up the FOD intake covers and a few other pieces. Thanks for the heads up on fitting the wings after painting and the vulnerable landing gear. Being the clumsy bugger that I am, I will have to figure a way of protecting it. 2 hours ago, MikeC said: One more thing: I'm not sure how familiar you are with the F-104: you will find that with the undercarriage in the down/locked position, the large forward undercarriage doors, which are normally closed on the ground, do not quite close, and sit ajar. This is correct, it was like this on the real aircraft. I did notice that when I built a Norwegian AF version from the Kinetic 1/48 boxing of the G variant, which is a lovely kit. I've also got a copy of the Duke Hawkins book for reference. Best regards, Jeremy MikeC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azgaron Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Looks nice! Good luck with the build! Håkan Ginja Ninja 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginja Ninja Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 Cheers Håkan! I've made a start and hope to post some progress in the next couple of days. Azgaron 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeA Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 You can install the main wheels at the end by simply not finishing off the central spar between the wheelbays until near the end of the build. This is very easy if using the Aires wheelbay as it is set up to allow for this. With the kit one, it does require some microsaw surgery to the spar to separate the particular section where the landing gear slots into, and a careful repair to the resulting seam on the cover panel along the centre fuselage once the gear is fitted. The nosewheel is easier in that you can assemble it into the bay early on as required by the instructions, but do not fix it in place and do not fit the retraction strut. This allows the nosewheel to be rotated up into the bay during construction. At the end it's just a case of dropping the gear into place, fitting the strut and careful application of glue to the supporting tabs on the nosegear to fix it in place. It's a great kit, despite some heavy handedness and uneven approach to panel lines. Probably one of the more relaxing builds I have done. Have fun with it! Cheers, Mike MikeC, Ginja Ninja and geedubelyer 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginja Ninja Posted March 26 Author Share Posted March 26 On 3/25/2024 at 6:44 AM, MikeA said: You can install the main wheels at the end by simply not finishing off the central spar between the wheelbays until near the end of the build. This is very easy if using the Aires wheelbay as it is set up to allow for this. With the kit one, it does require some microsaw surgery to the spar to separate the particular section where the landing gear slots into, and a careful repair to the resulting seam on the cover panel along the centre fuselage once the gear is fitted. The nosewheel is easier in that you can assemble it into the bay early on as required by the instructions, but do not fix it in place and do not fit the retraction strut. This allows the nosewheel to be rotated up into the bay during construction. At the end it's just a case of dropping the gear into place, fitting the strut and careful application of glue to the supporting tabs on the nosegear to fix it in place. It's a great kit, despite some heavy handedness and uneven approach to panel lines. Probably one of the more relaxing builds I have done. Have fun with it! Cheers, Mike Hi Mike, Thanks for the top tip! I'm always nervous that I'll knock it off when installing at such an early stage so I'll be sure to have a crack at your suggestions. Cheers! Jeremy geedubelyer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginja Ninja Posted April 4 Author Share Posted April 4 Thanks everyone for your kind words! I made a start last weekend and have removed all the details in preparation for the Red Fox 3D decals. Half way through I thought there must be an easier way than using a sanding stick, then it dawned on my that I have a mini rotary tool which made life a lot easier. After removing all of the detail in the avionics bay I decided to do build this buttoned up, there is some fantastic details that will be lost but I want this bird to look sleek. I have the G version in my stash which I plan to have everything opened up and will be in Italian or German markings, this will make a nice contrast to the NMF on this build. The seat is a bit basic but with the lightening holes drilled out and a few of the seams filled it is ready for paint and the Quinta detail set. One issue with the seat is that the seat back is slightly wider than the bottom part, fortunately it comes with two and the second was a slightly better fit. The Red Fox set is very nice! I used the Quinta set in my Kinetic 1/48 build and IMHO the Red Fox are easier to apply, just peel off and stick on, the only caveat being the kit part has to be nice and flat. The IP looks fantastic, nicely done Red Fox! Finally, it comes together. I'm quite pleased how it turned out. The next part is building the engine and having a blast at using a ResKit resin exhaust for the first time. Thanks for looking! Jeremy MikeMaben, denders, geedubelyer and 16 others 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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