[A-109E]

A review of Armour/Franklin Mint’s 1/48 Lockheed F-104C Starfighter

This model represents a Lockheed F-104C-5-LO, serial number 56-891, assigned to the 479th Tactical Fighter Wing at George Air Force Base in California. This was the personal mount of Col. George Laven, Jr., the wing commander and former World War II P-38 ace.

This was the first C-model accepted by Tactical Air Command and this event took place at the annual fighter weapons meet at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 15 October 1958. The aircraft’s name “Really George” is a bit of a double entendre: it refers both to the pilot and the aircraft’s home base at George AFB, California. The F-104s of this period were colorful and this example is surely one of the gaudier of the breed.

Cast in 1/48 scale, this a large, substantial, and hefty model with presence. It measures 14” long and has a 6” wingspan. It is primarily metal with the following plastic parts: wingtip fuel tanks, landing gear doors, ventral fin, canopy, engine inlet shock cones, and the portion of the intake ducts extending aft for 1 ½” from the inlets.

Overall the model gives a very good impression of the “Zipper” and has about average quality as judged by my own very subjective standards. The Armour 1/48 scale models are non-limited editions so I felt free to modify and enhance this one without being concerned about its resale value to a collector. This is my first A/FM model and was bought for several reasons: I've always been fascinated by the '104, I thought this one was especially eye-catching, and I've been curious as to the quality, weight, and size of the Armour/Franklin Mint 1/48 line. One of the photos shows a view up the back end revealing an excellent representation of the afterburner flame retention ring.
No diecast is perfect, however, and I found the following nitpicks:

1. The stabilator was not glued perpendicular to the vertical fin, but hung one side low. Gentle bending resulted in straightening it without breaking out the epoxy glue holding it in place.

2. The tip tank halves have prominent seams which detract from the model. I covered these with silver decal strips.

3. The tip tanks have inboard horizontal fins which are longer in span than the outboard ones. These represent the type used by international F-104s which were never seen on the USAF birds. While there are photos of F-104s in USAF markings with these types of tanks, these are international F-104s owned by the Luftwaffe which were operated by the USAF at various training bases such as Luke AFB in Arizona. Since these fins are plastic they're easily trimmed to match the span of the outboard fins.

4. There are no fewer than five screw holes in the belly of the model. I plugged these with plates cut from .005” sheet styrene which were painted silver.

5. The main landing gear forward doors are shown in the open position. These doors would only be open during the gear retraction/extension sequence or for ground maintenance. I left these open for tiny maintenance personnel whom I trust are appreciative of my thoughtfulness.

6. The tampo printing is done with glossy inks which look out of place on surfaces with a flat or matt finish. Since the wings should be gloss white – not flat - on their upper surfaces and glossy non-corrosion gray on their undersurfaces, I airbrushed these – and other appropriate items – with a clear satin low-sheen finish: a mixture of Testors Glosscote and Dullcote lacquer.

7. The ventral fin did not have the colorful red/yellow/green/blue stripes carried by other parts of the aircraft. I used an aftermarket decal sheet to correct this.

8. The large white “X” on each side of the vertical fin did not extend to the edges of that surface. I used Floquil Reefer White paint to hand-brush the missing areas.

9. The windscreen frames did not converge towards the top of the canopy bow and were missing the smooth curve joining them together. I hand-brushed Floquil Old Silver to create this curve joining the frames.

I drilled out recesses in the plastic tip tanks and the metal fuselage in several places to accommodate the navigation or position lights. The starboard tip tank and engine inlet have green lenses, the port side has red, and the aft fuselage has an amber light above and white light below on the exterior of the afterburner section. These very nice lenses come in various colors as well as clear and have a mirror-like backing. They look exactly like what they are supposed to represent. These are manufactured by MV Products.

The aftermarket decal sheet I used was produced by Albatros Modelworks and is illustrated below. It's comprised of actually a number of sheets, illustrations, and instructions. It includes markings for quite a few F-104s, including Col. Laven’s aircraft, along with more pieces of tiny stenciling than you’re likely to want to spend the time on, and, of course, the obligatory 1950s white wall tires! All of the sheets are beautifully rendered and represent good value.

A number of books are available on the F-104, some of which are illustrated below.

In summation, and despite the negative remarks above, I think this is a very good model which can be made much better. It’s one which would make a nice – although heavy – addition to your collection. You’d best have lots of room if you begin to acquire more than just a few of these 1/48 scale models. And reinforced shelves as well!

[A-109E]

Additional photos and references.

[hworth18]

Thaty was impressive when you posted it "way back when" on MHI Bob, and it is still an awesome piece of work..

[A-109E]

Originally Posted by hworth18

Thaty was impressive when you posted it "way back when" on MHI Bob, and it is still an awesome piece of work..

Thanks, Harry. I hate to be redundant but I thought I'd run it by this forum just for those who haven't seen it before.

[STARMAN 352ND]

Wow.....what a Beautiful bird to see.
Great job Bob.
JP

[aeroeng]

Super cool. I have the stock version .

[SKUNKY]

Bob, I have to tell ya, I really hate that F-104...but few people in this world have the uncanny ability of being able to polish a turd, and you sir, are a steely-eyed turd polisher!.........Nice job as usual.

....and as always, I curtsy to your supreme mastery.....

[A-109E]

Originally Posted by SKUNKY

Bob, I have to tell ya, I really hate that F-104...but few people in this world have the uncanny ability of being able to polish a turd, and you sir, are a steely-eyed turd polisher!

Why, thank you, Skunky! Much appreciated! That's very kind of you to say so.

But I'm having some difficulty on my latest "polishing" project and wonder if I might receive some help from you in this regard since I know you have no little talent in the subject area:

[STARMAN 352ND]

Originally Posted by A-109E

Why, thank you, Skunky! Much appreciated! That's very kind of you to say so.

But I'm having some difficulty on my latest "polishing" project and wonder if I might receive some help from you in this regard since I know you have no little talent in the subject area:

Oh no not this now.....
Let's not take this one any farther...
Now back to the F-104 i looks so real and the polishing on it is awsome.
JP

[SKUNKY]

Bob, I see absolutely nothing that could be improved upon with that one..Perfection straight out of the "box'" so to speak....I wouldn't mess with it at all.

Would you consider selling it?...