CatcliffeDemon Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) Having made Japan my home I've been dying to build something belonging to the JASDF. With the Starfighter - also known as 'Eiko' over here - being such an iconic past member of the self-defence force fleet this GB could not have been more timely. After looking at many pictures of F-104Js, images of these aircraft carrying dart-style target tows kept cropping up. Most of us probably have several of these in the scrap box, so this seemed like an ideal opportunity to actually use one of these striking pieces of equipment! One of the reasons I got into aircraft modelling is to increase my range of modelling skills, so I've also decided to finish my F-104J in the stunning NMF that is so associated with the Starfighter. Anyway, without further ado, here are the traditional range of pictures showing the contents of the box. I also have the Eduard zoom set for the cockpit and the kabuki tape masking pack heading to Japan from back in the UK. Hopefully they should be here soon. The box itself - the Hasegawa 1/48 kit only cost about 15 quid so I'm very happy with that result. The grey plastic sprues. No additional resin bits for me, this will be a mostly OOB build. Not sure which identity to choose for this 'Eiko', although 56-8672 matches one of the target carrying aircraft I have found pictures of (from www.916-starfighter.de) so that is a good bet. The clear bits. Looking forward to getting on with this over the weekend! Edited August 10, 2012 by CatcliffeDemon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafrobbo Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I'll be watching this build. Got a target dart myself somewhere in a Hasegawa weapons set and I think the box art shows it hanging off an F.4. I always fancied using it to brighten up a dull scheme but those japanese Zippers always seen to carry plenty of tail art...along with a mass of stencils. Are you doing painted NMF or going with real metal and doing foil wrap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatcliffeDemon Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 Good question, I guess I'll have a look around and see what finish other people have been achieved with the two methods and see which one best suits my limited range of ability! Here are some target tow carrying Eiko on www.916-starfighter.de http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/Stars/wJ617.htm http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/Stars/wJ672.htm http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/Stars/wJ683.htm None of these are NMF though. Bonus awesome painted RNLAF example! http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/Stars/wK6684.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatcliffeDemon Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 So I began working in anger on my Eiko for a few hours this weekend and this is the progress I had made by today. As usual for the more current Hasegawa kits it really does fall together. I might add some little pipe runs and so on but this is how the model stands now. Main undercarriage bay has been fixed in place The wings slot nicely into the whole in the side of the fuselage and are locked perpendicular thanks to the tab in the bay Front wheelbay is a great fit too, with only a slight amount of material having to be removed from the base of the nose at the front to give a smooth profile The pointy nose will need some filler on the joins - there was quite a bit of flash on both halves for some reason The fuselage as it stands now. I have to do some painting before I can close things up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatcliffeDemon Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 More progress from the weekend. The complex cockpit parts. I'll paint these next so the body can be closed up. There is also an Eduard Zoom set to add yet as well... The famous "I can't believe it can fly" wings under construction. Not sure how to mount the flappy things yet which is why they haven't been fixed in place yet The wingtip tanks look fantastic when built up The undercarriage gear also looks great, but I need to check against walkaround pictures before moving any further with these Happy with the way this is coming together so far. I'll dig out the target tow next I think! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Good job up to now ! Your pictures also show how good this kit is. I must say that after having visited Japan earlier in the year, I'm very envious of the kind of model shops you have over there ! £15 for a 1/48 F-104 is a great price, wish they were so cheap here in Europe ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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