The Italian Air
Forces F-104S 'Rocket' (S meaning " Sparrow") is the most potent
version of the unique Starfighter ever built. The S version is an upgraded
and improved variant of the original F104G that was built under licence in Italy
by Fiat. The aircraft was initially produced to meet a requirement issued
by the Italian Air Force, the Aeronautica Militare Italiana (AMI).
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The Main Differences
between the F-104G and F-104S
-
J79-GE Dash-17
or Dash-19 engine
-
Alenia 'Aspide'
version of the AIM-7 Sparrow missile
-
Cannon replaced
by a radar target acquisition device and an auxiliary fuel tank (only
exception are some of the planes of 37 Stormo, still have cannons)
-
Strengthened
landing gear
-
Wider wheels
tyres
-
Bulged Gear
Doors
-
Additional pair
of ventral fins
-
Angle of attack
of the cental ventral fin set at 45 degrees
-
Slightly wider
air intake with more oval cone
-
Wider dorsal air
intakes (functioning only on the ground)
-
More protruding
exhaust cone 15cm/ 5.6 inches with a different design
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Armed with
Italian derivative of the Sparrow, the Alenia "Aspide", similar in
shape
-
IR sensor under
the windscreen removed
-
Cone antennas (1
under and 1 above the cockpit)
-
Tail sensor
after the belly fins
-
Little bulges at
both sides of the tail, near the serial numbers
I chose to build my 104 S as the
ASA-M Starfighter of 37 Stormo. This would be one of the latest
Starfighters to serve with the Italian Air Force. The AMI are now
operating around 60 F-104S/ASA-M's. The delivery of the last F-104S marked
the end of the Starfighter production throughout the world, with a total of 2579
being built in the U.S., Canada, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Japan and the
Netherlands. The more powerful J79-GE-19 engine of the F-104S provided
vastly improved acceleration, rate of climb, and manoeuvrability at all speeds
and altitudes. In addition, the lower specific fuel consumption of this
engine allowed for increased range, making the F-104S the most potent
Starfighter to be built. Unique looks, unique performance and still being
used in combat zones. Not too bad for a jet aircraft nearly 40 years old.
Construction:
There have been many articles
written on the Hasegawa F104 kits and they are all basically the same. The
fit is exceptional and the kit goes together with a nice tight fit. The
only comment I can make is that I chose to use the Aires cockpit which was not a
drop in, and I ended up having to do some modification to get it to squeeze in.
The only other problem which has been addressed by others are the ejector pin
marks on the wings and control surfaces. These can be easily smoothed out
with some light sanding or using filler such as CA glue, or liquid paper.
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Paint
and finish:
The over all colour
for the "low vis" scheme is 'Gregio Medio Opaco' FS 36231.
I used Gunze medium sea grey lightened with a few drops of matte white.
The panel lines were preshaded with matte black and then the main colour was
applied. When the paint was dry I diluted Tamiya Smoke and carefully post
shades selected panel lines and areas where oil or exhaust might stain.
The kit was left to dry over night before the clear gloss coat was applied.
I used Johnson's Shine Magic airbrushed lightly until a gloss coat was achieved.
The kit was left to dry over night once more before it was ready for the decals.
The decals are from the Sky Models Italian F104 sheet. This is a beautiful
sheet with enough decals to do quite a few F104 G's and S models. Once the
decals were on I added the final touches of weathering by applying a very
diluted wash of Citadel black ink along the panel lines. With the decals
and weathering done, the last step was the matte coat. I use Tamiya Flat
Base mixed with the Shine Magic. The final details included painting
the landing gear and landing gear bays with Tamiya aluminium, painting the pitot
tube, the nozzle with Model Masters Burnt Metal, and the navigation lights with
clear orange for the rear, clear blue for the starboard side and clear red for
the port side.
Final
Notes:
I
really
enjoyed building and finishing this kit and I plan on doing more of the
Starfighters, possibly in some of the other schemes of the Italian Air Force.
I highly recommend the 104 kit for anyone wishing to build a jet fighter.
References:
Andy Evans 'Last of the Rocketeers' Italian F-104S ASA-M Starfighter in Detail.
Military in Scale April 2001 Issue No. 101
Anthony
Visit my website at The
Model Hangar
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