Jeeves
Well-known member
First off- again my thanks to Italeri for the kit to review.
I'll admit to not knowing much about this particular aircraft but I welcome the challenge to give it a go. From the instructions:
"The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, with its slender fuselage and the very little wing surface, has been for a lot of years the reference fighter of the Aeronautica Militare Italiana. Thanks to the thrust of its General Electric J79 afterburning turbojet engine, it could exceed Mach 2,2 with an excellent rate of climb. During the years of its operational service, several fighter squadrons of Aeronautica Militare, realized unique commemorative livery, with a strong an amazing visual impact. The adoption of particular liverys was used both for the celebrations of the fighter squadron flying activity and history, such as the F-104G Stregh (Witches) made in 1989 by the 3° Stormo located in Verona Villafranca using the colors of the 28° Gruppo, or to commemorate important events on the mass culture. About this second category one of the best known is the fantastic F-104G “Rosso 27”, made by the 4° Stormo 20° Gruppo, located in Grosseto, that adopted the Ferrari Red livery and the number 27 in memory of the Canadian F1 champion Gilles Villeneuve. Donated by Aeronautica Militare to Ferrari the “Rosso 27” is the "gate guardian" at the Fiorano track."
The kit comes with numerous sprues cast in light grey plastic, a clear sprue, and a set of decals for the two different schemes described above.
Sprues A and B represent the main fuselage halves and intakes and covers as well as each half of the nose cone...
There are no traces of flash that I see on the kit and the details seem crisp from what I can see-- again, I can't vie for their accuracy as this is a new sort of aircraft for me.
Sprues C & F come attached together and contain wing tops, hatch covers, and gear doors...
Some of the interior side detail...
Sprues D & G are also attached and are comprised of wing bottoms, horizontal stabilizers, ailerons, and leading edge flaps...
Sprues R, T, and one of two U contain engine fans, struts, instrument panel, gear wheels and hubs, and various small bits...
A close up of the second U sprue:
Sprue S are parts for the seat...
Sprue K contains the cockpit floor and side panels, bulkheads, engine nozzle, and other hatches...
Sprue L has the front gear bay, and parts for wing tanks that go with one of the schemes...
Sprue N is the clear sprue-- very crisp and nicely detailed...
The instruction booklet is typical of modern Italeri kits-
And the decal sheet for the two schemes previously mentioned--
Looking forward to delving into new territory- and either scheme looks to be pretty challenging to pull off...I hope I am up to the "Special Color" challenge!
I'll admit to not knowing much about this particular aircraft but I welcome the challenge to give it a go. From the instructions:
"The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, with its slender fuselage and the very little wing surface, has been for a lot of years the reference fighter of the Aeronautica Militare Italiana. Thanks to the thrust of its General Electric J79 afterburning turbojet engine, it could exceed Mach 2,2 with an excellent rate of climb. During the years of its operational service, several fighter squadrons of Aeronautica Militare, realized unique commemorative livery, with a strong an amazing visual impact. The adoption of particular liverys was used both for the celebrations of the fighter squadron flying activity and history, such as the F-104G Stregh (Witches) made in 1989 by the 3° Stormo located in Verona Villafranca using the colors of the 28° Gruppo, or to commemorate important events on the mass culture. About this second category one of the best known is the fantastic F-104G “Rosso 27”, made by the 4° Stormo 20° Gruppo, located in Grosseto, that adopted the Ferrari Red livery and the number 27 in memory of the Canadian F1 champion Gilles Villeneuve. Donated by Aeronautica Militare to Ferrari the “Rosso 27” is the "gate guardian" at the Fiorano track."
The kit comes with numerous sprues cast in light grey plastic, a clear sprue, and a set of decals for the two different schemes described above.
Sprues A and B represent the main fuselage halves and intakes and covers as well as each half of the nose cone...
There are no traces of flash that I see on the kit and the details seem crisp from what I can see-- again, I can't vie for their accuracy as this is a new sort of aircraft for me.
Sprues C & F come attached together and contain wing tops, hatch covers, and gear doors...
Some of the interior side detail...
Sprues D & G are also attached and are comprised of wing bottoms, horizontal stabilizers, ailerons, and leading edge flaps...
Sprues R, T, and one of two U contain engine fans, struts, instrument panel, gear wheels and hubs, and various small bits...
A close up of the second U sprue:
Sprue S are parts for the seat...
Sprue K contains the cockpit floor and side panels, bulkheads, engine nozzle, and other hatches...
Sprue L has the front gear bay, and parts for wing tanks that go with one of the schemes...
Sprue N is the clear sprue-- very crisp and nicely detailed...
The instruction booklet is typical of modern Italeri kits-
And the decal sheet for the two schemes previously mentioned--
Looking forward to delving into new territory- and either scheme looks to be pretty challenging to pull off...I hope I am up to the "Special Color" challenge!
