Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is one of the most famous fighters ever built. It was developed in the 1950s and was still in service in 2004.

The F-104 was an aircraft optimized for maximum speed, like none built since. The wings had a very small surface area and were only 3 cm thick at the minimum. The landing gears were and contained were in the fuselage. The engine was a General Eletric J79, which was the best jet engine at the time of its development. The same engine was installed on the F-4 Phantom II. The fuel, nearly 3.300 litres , was contained in the mid-section of the fuselage.

The Starfighter was in service as every possibile role for an aircraft: reconnaissance, nuclear attack, air defense, ground attack, advanced trainer.

On service as fighter-bomber the Starfighter could use speed, stability and electronic warfare to complete its missions.

The F-104 Starfighter was the standard aircraft for several years in the Italian Air Force. Its replacement began in the 1980s with the new Tornado as a fighter bomber, but it continued to be an interceptor fighter until 2004.

This 1/12 scale model of this very famous aircraft show an F-104S on service in the 53° Squadron of the Italian Airforce based in Cameri (NO).

The model is 140 cm long, 35 cm high, and has a 65 cm wingspan including the wingtip tank of 140 cm .

The fuselage was made with a transversal frame of plywood and planking of balsa wood. The wings are made of solid wood. The cockpit is a plastic kit, while the landing gear, the radar and the airbrake are hand built. The model is equipped also with an acoustic effect of the engine, landing lights, and navigation light.