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USAF F-104C in SEA scheme


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Received a set of Cutting Edge F-104C decals last night - a set of Iliad Designs decals still coming in the post - both 1/48.

I'll be in with a SEA F-104C - question is still outstanding whether it'll be 1/48 Hasegawa (or Monogram, or ESCI) or 1/72 Revell (or AMT, or ESCI)

Choices, choices! :)

First, though, I need to finish my Aeronavale AU-1 for the CAS GB.

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  • 1 month later...

Right guys, could do with your input, please, as I'm making some progress with my AU-1 and it's time to start planning the Starfighter.

At this point, I need to make some choices, basically - I plan to build an F-104C in SEA scheme, but which kit to go for?

1/48 Hasegawa (with or without Aires cockpit set)

1/48 Monogram

1/48 Esci

1/72 Revellogram (with Black Magic mask set)

1/72 Esci

1/72 AMT (Esci clone, but I gather the seat is nicer)

All are to hand from the stash, but which is the most satisfying and straightforward build (bearing in mind time will be a bit short over the next month or two)? Does anyone have any experience of the Aires set? Is it (a) necessary compared to stock Hasegawa and (B) as fiddly as I've heard some other Aires cockpits can be?

Thanks, guys!

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The 1/48 hasegawa kit is of course the best of the lot. However it's also the one that requires more work to be completed as it has more parts than the others. Fortunately the 1/48 kit has each fuselage half as a single part and not split in as the 1/72 ones, something that makes it easier to build compared to its smaller brother.

The monogram kit is still valid, but not as nice as the hasegawa kit. The fit of the parts on those monogram kits is also not always the best.

The esci kit rates third although it's an easy build. However would you add a nice aftermarket sheet on an old kit with little detail and decals in the cockpit ?

Speaking of 1/72, the revellogram is the best. The esci or AMT kits are still very nice but would benefit from some detail in the cockpit. You are right that the AMT box has a nicer seat, the original one is, well, rubbish !

If you want a fast build in 1/72 however the esci kit beats the revell one as it's simpler. The final result is still very good although the accuracy of some details is not the same. One area are the wheels: only revell has them right for a 104C in 1/72. In the same way, I think only hasegawa has them right in 1/48, all other kits have early F-104G wheels (that is narrow as the C ones but with a different rim).

Can't help on the aires pit, sorry !

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Thanks Giorgio, that's very helpful. I do rather wonder whether the Aires 'pit might fit in the ESCI 1/48 plane... Some would say a waste of a good cockpit, but I dunno - I've not heard many complaints about the shape of the ESCI, relative to the others, so is it THAT bad? The other alternative I've been noodling on is to get the Eduard Zoom etch set and put that in a Hasegawa plane.

The only ones which don't come with SEA decals in the box are the Hasegawas and the AMT, so I wouldn't need to "waste" AM decals on "inferior" styrene... ;)

I think I'm leaning towards a 1/72 plane for this build, if for the only reason that almost everyone else is doing a Hasegawa! That and I'll be brushpainting the thing, so 1/72 is just less hassle. If I really can't decide between AMT (with ESCI decals) and Revell, anyone fancy a comparison build thread!

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My mistake, I totally forgot that the Esci F-104C had decals for the SEA scheme... quite stupid from my side as I still have an old early '80s catalogue showing the box art with both schemes... one of those lovely paintings where the subject had a crosshair on top, beautiful !

Shapewise the 1/48 Esci kit has one problem: the canopy is a bit too wide. The rest is quite OK, although the wheels are those of a G. It's not as detailed as the monogram kit but it can still be made into a very nice model.

A double build of both the Revell and Esci 1/72 kits would be nice !

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Right, time to get this party started... sorta...

It is indeed going to be a double build, of the 1/72 Revell F-104C and 1/72 Esci F-104C, both in SEA schemes.

Very different approaches to the engineering of the fuselages on these two kits - it'll be interesting to see which is more of a PITA and which gives nicer end results.

AECB3340-EDC0-4104-8B71-AB789181C97C-260-00000024AEDC3DB9.jpg88E2B15E-8662-41C8-85D8-202017E28BFE-260-000000252127BF64.jpg

BB084759-8157-4087-89F9-F685B09E47DB-260-00000025061B6113.jpg0252D570-736F-4DB8-8221-2EC54C657438-260-000000253F4620F1.jpg

I have a couple of resin LCII seats on order, so I don't need to worry about the nastiness of the ESCI's seat. The ESCI decals look a bit old and dubious - if they don't work out, I'll have some Wolfpak ones standing by (or I might just switch to those up-front, not decided yet). I've had the ESCI kit since about 1990 - bought it in the shop at Cosford, if memory serves - the Revell was purchased from another BMer, a few months ago.

Still trying to clear my last build from the bench - the AU-1 is ready for priming now, at least... Oh, to have two hands again - stitches out tomorrow! :)

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Great choice, 2 Starfighters are better than 1 ! :speak_cool:

Speaking of Esci's decals: I suggest trying one bit that you don't need first. The old Esci decals seem to age badly and might easily disintegrate as soon as they touch the water. Guess how I know....

If your test bit suffers this fate, then better protect the whole sheet with a couple of coats of microscale micro decal film. This should sort the problem but better anyway use water sparingly on them.

A couple more hints about the Esci kit: the airbrakes can be posed open, that is a nice thing. However these were very rarely seen open on real Starfighters. The problem is that the fit of the airbrakes if closed is very bad on this kit.

Last but not least: the front and rear fuselage parts need some care to avoid steps. Personally I prefer to glue together the front and rear on each side instead of following the instructions.

Edited by Giorgio N
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