f-104g starfighter 1:48 scale revell model kit #85-5324 revie · 2013-09-16 · for the modeler:...

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RoR Step-by-Step Review 20130916* F-104G Starfighter 1:48 Scale Revell Model Kit #85-5324 Review

The F104 supersonic interceptor was developed by Lockheed as the result of interviews with Korean War pilots, who wanted a simple and powerful fighter to intercept the MIG-15, an aircraft requirement many other NATO nations also lacked at the time. The CF-104 entered Canadian service in 1961 with 8 squadrons in Europe tasked with the delivery of nuclear weapons in the event of war. At home, it served as an interceptor to ward off periodic incursions by Russian bombers in the Canadian arctic, and it was also an excellent trainer for thousands of US and NATO pilots who trained in the vast and mountainous expanses around CFB Cold Lake, Alberta. The Canadian Forces, infamous for operating equipment until it absolutely falls apart, kept the Starfighters in the air until 1987 when the last surviving aircraft were sold to Turkey. As a young Canadian soldier stationed in Baden Söellingen, West Germany, in the early ‘80’s, I had to put up with the last RCAF Starfighter squadron as neighbours. They revved up and took off for the dawn patrol on a runway that was 100 feet from my barracks…every day at 0400. Even though I have a love/hate relationship with this aircraft, it was wise choice to assign this review build to a Canadian. This article covers building a CF-104 out-of-box, or at least as close to it as this kit permits. For the Modeler: This is the F-104G Starfighter 1:48 Scale Revell Model Kit #85-5324. This Revell kit is the latest re-release of the old Monogram 1:48 F-104G kit first issued in 1991. It consists of 63 plastic pieces in light gray, including one sprue of clear canopy parts. All the panel lines on the exterior are raised, no engraved detail other than flaps, a few vents and intake louvers. A new 2013 decal sheet provides interesting markings for two CF-104 Canadian aircraft, as well as the familiar “Fighting 69th” USAF F-104 markings. The 16-page b&w instruction guide is well illustrated, providing clear instructions and painting call-outs. It should be noted that there are many aftermarket decal sheets, photo-etched and resin parts available specifically for this kit should you wish to super-detail it. Finished dimensions are: Length: 14 3/16 inches (36 cm), Wingspan: 5 ½ inches (14cm).


FIGS 0a & 0b) Upon opening the kit, you may be a little disappointed. It’s the old Monogram kit which has been issued and re-issued with different decals since 1991. Its main shortcoming is the very fine raised panel lines which make sanding and seam filling very difficult. In view of this, the first decision you’re faced with is which colour scheme to depict. Although accurate and very detailed, the panel lines are so fine that priming the model is out of the question; even the thinnest coat of paint would almost surely obscure them. There was no way I was going to re-scribe them all, nor did I want to sand them off and have a featureless desk model. The multi-coloured RCAF 417 squadron markings supplied didn’t interest me, even though useful cut-out masking templates are supplied in the instructions. With this in mind, I chose to apply a natural metal finish much like the CF-104 depicted on the box art using Alclad II Aircraft Aluminum (ALC 119). It’s expensive stuff but provides a micro-thin coverage which would not obscure the panel lines. Research showed that this colour scheme was in use around 1969 in Canada and in Europe. In fact, it would be very similar to the aircraft which is on a pedestal

FIG 1B) outside the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario (well worth a visit if you’re in the area). The only difference being that the roundels supplied with the kit decals bear the stylized maple leafs as they appear on the Canadian flag; the CWH aircraft bears the more natural looking maple leafs in use before 1967. I decided to go for the period just before the changeover, and also to use the CFB Cold Lake flashes supplied. *** NOTE *** Although the assembly instructions are quite adequate, forgive me if I skip around. I find it easier to build sub-assemblies and paint them as I go, rather than follow instructions to the letter, which may later complicate painting.


FIG 2 A&B) With this finish in mind, you may as well skip ahead and prepare the wing tanks (parts 42, 43, 39) and tail stabilizer (part 6). Curiously, the wing tanks are not mentioned in the instructions. CF104’s rarely flew without them, so I’d really recommend using them. They’re fairly straightforward, but be sure to fill the gaps after attaching the small winglets to the tanks before painting. I prefer Testors contour putty for jobs like this, as it is soluble with alcohol and can be effortlessly feathered smooth with a Q-tip. The wing tanks are bright cherry red, a shade specifically developed to show up against snow. Krylon makes a short can of enamel spray paint called Red Pepper (ST4SC033) which is an exact match. The three red components are shown here mounted on a painting jig made from paper clips. Zap them with a few coats and set them aside till the end. Although they are not mentioned in the instructions, just remember that the largest winglet on the tank faces inboard and is horizontal to the ground. See what I mean about the raised panel lines? There are a couple encircling the wing tanks and they’re impossible to preserve and still achieve a seamless fit. Might as well just sand them off.

FIG 3) On the underside of the tail stabilizer, you’ll notice a prominent ejector pin mark, probably about a scale foot in diameter. I would actually recommend leaving it on. The tail slot which receives the stabilizer is just a bit too shallow, and this tab will provide extra purchase when it comes time to glue it in. If you’re careful, it will be unnoticeable and add strength.


FIG 4) Returning to step 1 of the instructions, it’s time to assemble the cockpit tub. CF-104 interiors were a shade of mid-gray with flat black instrument panels and placards. After painting, I ran a special silver artist’s conte crayon over the edges to simulate worn metal. The instrument panels are raised if you wish to hand paint them, but you’ll notice that the decals supplied are quite accurate. They may in fact be reduced copies from the reference I used for this build (Lock On #1: F104 from Verlinden).

(FIG 5) The decals are a little thick but I managed to get them to settle down almost exactly onto the raised detail after about six applications of Microsol decal solvent. They’re not too bad looking but are only black and white. A few dots of yellow, green and red paint strategically applied with a toothpick adds some colour to the various dials, and these in turn are covered with a dot of Micro Crystal Clear to simulate instrument glass. This done, the dashboard can be cemented into the tub and secured under the opening in the fuselage half. I’ve used Tamiya cement throughout unless otherwise noted. Don’t forget the joystick (part 36), only the top half of which is painted gloss black.

(FIG 6) There didn’t seem to be a balance problem but you only have to build a tail-sitter once to make you paranoid, especially with tricycle landing gear. I added a 13g lead weight to the forward section, gluing it directly above the front landing gear strut with LePage’s 5 minute epoxy. This guarantees the aircraft will always

sit properly. It should fit into the hollow directly under the electronics bay, but make sure to check the dry fit before gluing. I had to bop my weight a few times with a hammer to flatten the top.


(FIG 7) The engine and tail section interior and exterior were painted flat black and dry brushed with silver before assembly to ensure no visible light gaps. Check the dry fit of the afterburner turban (part 32) as you may have to spackle up some gaps which could show light. I recommend dry brushing it quite aggressively with silver: if anyone decides to look up the tail pipe, it’s the only detail they will see.

The weapons bay depicting a 20mm Vulcan Gatling gun is passable but not particularly detailed. After it was cemented in, I glued the exterior hatch (14) closed and found the fit was imperfect there too. This done, you can glue the fuselage halves together, but be careful: the fit is poor in some areas and hollows will have to be filled and sanded if they dry incorrectly. I applied clamps to the forward fuselage and later wished I hadn’t. (Note the sticker stating that these kits are now made in Poland.)

FIG 8) Damage to the raised panel lines around a seam line can be minimized by masking a very thin corridor precisely with masking tape. Filing and filling has to be done very delicately and I recommend using fine steel wool only. If you remove too much material, you’ll end up with a trench depression between the lines of protective tape. It’s a tedious process but it can be done, with minimal damage to the surrounding panel lines if you get it just right.


FIG 9) Assembly of the tail section is a very tricky affair. The fuselage stem is perfectly round but the opening in the tail section is more oval and much thicker, so there’s going to be a poor fit no matter what you do. Removal of the tail section is exactly the way they access the engine on the real plane.

FIG 10) Unfortunately, the real part line is about two scale feet behind where it is on the kit, running through the middle of the air brake doors. You could try to fudge it and cover the seam line with the red line decal provided but I was unwilling to do that. I used the masking tape technique, did quite a bit of filing and the results are not too bad, although a slight depression is detectable on close scrutiny. With vigilant gluing, you may be able to get this deformity to manifest itself on the underside rather than the top and sides. This is the ‘make or break’ area of the entire build, so examine your options carefully before you glue.


FIG 11a&b) Step 3 in the instructions has you attaching the air intake nacelles to the sides. The interiors were painted flat black before gluing, and then stuffed with tissue to keep out over spray. Don’t bother painting the edges of the air scoops flat black until the metal finish is on. From the reference photos I’ve seen the air intakes are quite inaccurate. They’re modeled flat against the

fuselage but are bulged outward and only attached at the tip on the real plane. There’s also an internal air bleed slit just inside which can be simulated with a saw cut before the nacelles are assembled. All model kits of the Starfighter I’ve seen suffer from this inaccuracy. It is correctable, but not without surgery. Be sure not to get the nacelles mixed up; refer to step 3 and confirm that the scoops are slightly canted forward at the top for both right and left assemblies. They will fit on even if you get them reversed. FIG 12) Once the nacelles are on, I masked off the clear canopy sections with tape and attached them with Weld Bond white glue. Although it takes a while to cure, it dries crystal clear and will not craze clear parts. Don’t forget to put in part 63, the Heads Up Display (HUD), before you glue on the forward part of the canopy. Once dry, I filled in the slight gap between canopy and fuselage with Testors contour putty and feathered for a smooth join with alcohol. Just in front of the canopy windshield is a little bump representing an infra red targeting sight. You can sand that off as Canadian CF104’s had different technology which was controlled from the HUD.

FIG 13) Note that there is a raised MMI copyright mark molded on the underside of the starboard wing. This may not bother some modelers, but I hate it. Once the kit is sold, it’s not theirs anymore it’s mine and I really wish Revell/Monogram would knock that off. It can be removed with a sharp chisel-pointed blade and light sanding. Be sure to use a sanding block or you’ll leave a depression on the underside of the flap.


FIG 14) At this point, we’re finally ready to begin painting. The first step is to scrub down the entire model with soap and running water. I use an old battery powered toothbrush which I keep specifically for the purpose. There’s no point in washing all the parts beforehand as, contrary to popular belief, oils from your hands and dust are what can spoil your finish. Any ‘mold release agent’ from the factory will long since have been rubbed away by handling. The interior of the model is of no concern; it’s the outside which must be spotless. Once dry and water is blown out of the interior with

a hair dryer, I gave the whole thing a brushing with rubbing alcohol on a wide brush. Polly S Plastic Prep is even better if you can still get it. The upper and lower wing surfaces are up first. My favourite masking material for large areas is supermarket cling film. Wrap it around large areas and then seal the ends with carefully laid 3M low tack tape. I sprayed light coats of Krylon Fusion satin white on the upper and lower wings from a can. It’s a great paint to use as it bonds to plastic and there’s no danger of lifting from subsequent masking. Be careful not to puddle it, thin mist coats only. The interiors of CF-104 wheel wells as well as the landing gear struts are also oxide white, so zap them too while we’re at it. A thin black wash will dirty them up later. The pipes and cables visible inside the gear bay door are mostly black and red but with the gear down, little will be seen. FIG 15) My favourite material to use for shading panel lines is children’s black tempera paint. You can paint it on as sloppy as you like and it settles into every crevice. When dry, excess is gently rubbed off with a moist cotton ball. Be sure to pass over the area you want shaded or the water will remove that too. As you can see from this picture, shading really makes the top flaps stand out as opposed to the untreated ones on the lower wing. I recommend shading everything but don’t overdo it. Strictly personal preference. With the wings done, we’re ready for the natural metal finish. Reverse the masking and cover up the white wings, carefully checking the demarcation line with the fuselage. There is a prominent polished steel area running up vertically through the tail. I masked this off and sprayed Model Master steel onto it, which provides just the right colour variation. The section is well marked by raised lines. Once dry, mask it off with low tack tape.


FIG 15b Moving to the fuselage, when using Alclad, you must make sure the model is absolutely spotless. If there’s any residual paint or discoloration on the model, no matter how smooth, the Alclad will cover it but it will remain visible under the finish. It provides a micro thin coating but is very unforgiving stuff and of course, can be applied by airbrush only. I probably don’t have to tell you, but Alclad is literally micro powdered aluminum which you certainly do not want to inhale. Please do invest in a respectable respirator and take all precautions when airbrushing. About three even coats should do it. I ended up using half a bottle of the stuff, applied with an Aztek Deluxe airbrush and thinned with a few drops of alcohol to improve liquidity. It dries very quickly but give it overnight to cure just to be sure.

FIG 15a The underside of the nose cone (part 3) is light gray and can be pre-painted before attaching. Once this is done, a flat black anti glare patch is masked off from the tip of the cone to the sides of the front windshield. The front framing on the windshield is also black. I used Maskol rubber masking fluid to mask off the clear panels before painting. Rubber cement will do in a pinch. Be very careful when removing masks from anything coated with Alclad as it can lift and scratch easily and you’ll be condemned to endless retouching and re-masking. It means more masking, but I strongly recommend that the Alclad application be the last stage of your painting. The stuff looks great but is delicate and will scratch very easily. You can go ahead and paint the forward edges of the air scoops flat black at this point.


FIG 16) You can also remove the stuffing in the tail and glue the afterburner can in place. I painted it with Modelmaster Gunmetal acrylic, washed with flat black, and highlighted lightly with silver. Note the omission at the tail pipe from this reference photo: CF104’s had an ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) pod on either side of the tail, special Canadian-designed devices which could scramble any guided missile that locked onto them. They could be easily scratchbuilt but it’s another notable deficiency of the kit. All of this done, we’re finally ready to get to the decaling. The kit-supplied decals are very accurate and the placement instructions very good. As mentioned, the decal film is a little

thick and the colours a little too opaque but they snug down quite well after being soaked in diluted white glue and fixed with Solvaset. One shortcoming is the lack of stenciling decals. The real CF104 was a flying bulletin board with every tiny hatch and flap marked. If you have some extra stencil decals, you may wish to add them.

FIG 16 A) Pay close attention to decal #55, it represents an oddly coloured hatch cover just to the rear of the electronics bay. It was made of a special material which allowed electronic transmissions to be sent and received through it. Although it was often painted over, it is not made of metal.

From reference photos there is also a prominent formation light on top of this hatch which is missing (red arrow). That’s another serious omission, but it can be represented with a little depression cut with a rotary power tool and filled with Micro Krystal Klear. I got the decal to settle down very tightly after repeated applications of setting solution, but it dried just a little off kilter. Monitor the drying process periodically.

FIG 17 A&B) While the decals are drying, we can work on a few tweaks. I always like to bulge out the bottom of aircraft wheels to represent the great weight they’re carrying. Any model that doesn’t show this simply isn’t accurate. Also, it adds stability to a model. The way I achieve this is to tap the wheel repeatedly but briefly

against the face of a hot electric iron. Use a piece of paper to keep it from sticking and use a light touch (the parchment covering on the decal sheet is ideal). You don’t want the tires to look flat, just bulged at the bottom under the weight. You may wish to practice this on a scrap wheel if you’re going to do it. Bear in mind that the bottoms still have to be perfectly level or the wheels will be misaligned. Done right, you should not have to do any filing or sanding at all. I would recommend gluing the brake drums (part 27) into the wheels before you flatten them to avoid any fit problems. Canadian CF104’s had fatter wheels with a different tread pattern, but these will have to do.


FIG 18 A) Personally, I think it essential that any model is displayed with at least one human figure to show the relative scale of the vehicle. If you’re going to use the standard Monogram pilot figure which is very good, here are a few notes on uniform colours. RCAF fighter pilots wear blue or black one-piece coveralls with rank on the shoulders and nametags and wings on the left breast, similar to the RAF style. The G-suit trousers are standard olive green, with black leather infantry combat boots. Helmets are the standard Gentex type in gloss white with an internal dark green visor. Some American-style personalization is allowed, but nothing too bizarre. I used some old decals to put a name on the front and an RCAF roundel on the dome for some colour. An embroidered patch with the aircraft type is on the right

shoulder, with a small Canadian flag on the left. All of the chest detail is pretty well obscured by ejection seat straps which are silver-gray nylon webbing with aluminum buckles. They wear tight fitting green gloves made of leather or Nomex. FIG 18B) The pilot is holding the biggest clipboard I’ve ever seen in my life. I painted it dark brown and added a little scrap of paper to represent a map, stained with some blue and green wash. A map decal would’ve been nice. When seated, the pilot obscures most of the cockpit instrument detail, but as stated, I think it’s a necessary feature. Test fit the pilot into the cockpit before gluing on his arm as it may later get stuck on the dashboard hood and joystick if cemented too low into his lap. No need to cement him in, you can remove him to display the cockpit if desired. *** Note *** that two ejection seats are included in the kit. The C-2 ejection seat is correct for CF104’s, not the Martin-Baker seat with the big shoulders. The launch rails have been omitted, but you can’t have everything. The pilot’s headrest pad is orange and the seat cushion dark green cotton duck.


FIG 19 A&B) The decaling is straightforward and the placement instructions accurate. A tricky part is the red tail section stripe which goes over the air brake doors. If you choose to model them open, I found the best way is assemble the doors first. Then, place the decal onto the upper fuselage and drape the excess into the door panel. Snip it off with sharp scissors, continue the stripe on the outside of the door panel, snip it off again, and then continue around the lower fuselage. There is a little extra length on this two-piece decal which can be trimmed off at the bottom when dry. If using decal setting solution, be sure to monitor the alignment constantly. Note that the interior of the air brake doors is zinc chromate green. Acrylic yellow with a touch of green will provide the suitable shade. With the decals set and dry, I then glued on the wing tanks and the tail stabilizer and sprayed a light coat of Future floor polish over everything to seal the decals and provide some protection to the finish. It is not a recommended finish over Alclad due to that paint’s extreme slickness, but if you apply very thin mist coats gradually, it works well. A few drops of alcohol will aid liquidity and speed drying. Don’t be tempted to touch anything until it’s completely dry, wait a few days at least.

FIG 20A&B) Final assembly includes all the delicate parts which could be broken off. Cement the landing gear in place as well as the bay doors in the proper position. Note that the upper knuckle of the front landing gear shock absorber is invariably painted dayglow orange. Make sure everything is cured before you put weight on it. There are three tiny clear parts representing landing lights to be glued onto open landing gear bay doors (step 6). Then, it’s a simple matter to fit the flattened wheels onto the axles. Use a slower setting glue for this because the flat parts must obviously be in perfect, flat contact with the ground and may require periodic readjustment to keep them flush and true. Until camouflage colour schemes came into vogue in the ‘80’s, CF104’s had a candy cane pitot tube at the nose. I had painted it white previously and wound a strip of unused red decal material around it. These decals are rather thick; I would’ve used others if I did it again. This is a very delicate piece which is sure to break at some point. You may wish to cut to the chase and replace it with a metal rod at the outset. Lastly, the masking was removed from the clear windshield, the canopy glued into the open position, polished with Future, and the pilot inserted. A nicely molded refueling probe is included but with wing and drop tanks, the RCAF never found them necessary. Two Sidewinder missiles are also included on wing pylons. Although they were extensively tested, they were found to be rather expensive for what they delivered and Canada went with different armament which is not included in the kit. A photographic pod is included but is out of scale and nothing to write home about, so it was also omitted. Probably the last part you’ll attach is the link ejection chute (part 38) under the weapons bay. It’s rather oversized but still an important part.


FIG 21) A side view of the completed aircraft model.

FIG 999) Final Observations: This kit provides a fairly easy and fun build for an F-104G – not a CF104. It is not the best Starfighter kit on the market and it has some fit problems, but is quite enjoyable to build and offers a good platform for super-detailing or inclusion in a diorama or static display. It’s very refreshing to see a Canadian subject for a change, even if the decals are the only Canadian thing about the kit. I can confirm that this kit is selling very well in Canada and can recommend it for an enjoyable basic project despite the inaccuracies, eh?


More Information: CF-104 General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 54 ft 6 in (16.7 m) Wingspan: 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m) Height: 13 ft 5 in (4.08 m) Empty weight: 14,000 lb (6,300 kg) Max. takeoff weight: 29,038 lb (13,171 kg) Powerplant: 1 × Orenda J79-OEL-7 afterburning turbojet Dry thrust: 10,000 lbf (44 kN) Thrust with afterburner: 15,800 lbf (66.7 kN) Maximum speed: 1,146 mph (996 kn, 1,844 km/h) Range: 1,630 mi (1,420 nmi, 2,630 km) Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (12,000 m) Armament: Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.79 in) M61A1 Vulcan cannon Other: Canadian CRV-7 rocket pods, Sparrow missiles, external bombs Lockheed incorporated many controversial design features in the F-104, such as stubby wings as thin as knife blades, as well as the most powerful engine ever used in a fighter until that time. In 1958, they unveiled the F104 prototype which caused an international sensation, being the first fighter aircraft to break Mach 2. After several modifications, Germany placed a large order and the final configuration became known as the F104G “Starfighter” (G for Germany). It saw service in the USAF from 1958 to 1969, including action in Vietnam where it earned a good reputation. 200 Starfighters were built under license in Canada by Canadair (now owned by Bombardier), and were deployed as interceptors and fighter/bombers by the RCAF which designated them CF-104. The Canadair components were of such superior quality that eventually they were supplied to all users of the aircraft worldwide, including an extra 140 complete aircraft produced for Lockheed itself. Over the course of the aircraft's 30 years in Canadian service, some 110 were lost to accidents, earning the CF-104 the nickname of "Widowmaker" or "Lawn Dart" in the Canadian Forces by the end of its service life.

f-104g starfighter 1:48 scale revell model kit #85-5324 revie · 2013-09-16 · for the modeler:...

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