Hasegawa 1/48 F-104 Starfighter; Is it really that rare?

[Jens]

The kit represents an early F-104G or CF-104, so the wheels & doors are correct. It's a myth that the thick wheels and bulged doors are an F-104G feature (If you have them, you have an F-104G or S, but the lack of them does not mean you don't have an F-104G), they were a mid-production modification that also saw refitting in the fleet, an early production F-104G is visually indistinguishable from a CF-104A aside from the gun muzzle (missing on the CF-104A) and paintjob.

First, there is no such thing as an CF-104A. There is a CF-104 (single-seat) and a CF-104D (twin-seat). The CF-104/CF-104D, F-104J/F-104DJ and German F-104F all had the narrow main wheel and flat main gear doors - well, apart from the Danish CF-104/CF-104Ds which were all modified with the wider wheels and bulged doors.

I have seen your claim before - even to the extent that the bulge was supposed to be internal. I have yet to see any clear photographic proof of the former (the latter being outright ridiculous). Please prove your point with a few clear pictures.

FYI, all Danish F-104Gs and TF-104Gs were delivered with the wider wheels and bulged main gear doors. That feature was part of the 'beefed up' fighter-bomber Starfighter.

Jens

[Adam Maas]

First, there is no such thing as an CF-104A. There is a CF-104 (single-seat) and a CF-104D (twin-seat). The CF-104/CF-104D, F-104J/F-104DJ and German F-104F all had the narrow main wheel and flat main gear doors - well, apart from the Danish CF-104/CF-104Ds which were all modified with the wider wheels and bulged doors.

I have seen your claim before - even to the extent that the bulge was supposed to be internal. I have yet to see any clear photographic proof of the former (the latter being outright ridiculous). Please prove your point with a few clear pictures.

FYI, all Danish F-104Gs and TF-104Gs were delivered with the wider wheels and bulged main gear doors. That feature was part of the 'beefed up' fighter-bomber Starfighter.

Jens

Anybody who says the bulge was internal is unaware of the modifications. The bulge was definitely visible, it just wasn't on early production F-104G's because they had the skinny wheels (but still had the beefed up undercarriage). It was the wheels rather than the undercarriage mods themselves which required the bulges. To my knowledge most G's were at some point fitted with the larger wheels and bulged doors if they remained in service, It was a relatively easy change and well worth it. I'm actually surprised that the Canadian CF-104 fleet never got that modification when they switch to the conventional tactical support role in the early 70's and started hauling larger payloads.

http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/da106.htm

There's a couple early G's showing no bulges.

As to the CF-104A, that's a common unofficial designation to differentiate the single-seater from the entire series, you are correct that the official designations are CF-104 and CF-104D.

Note that the CF-104 was also the 'beefed-up' fighter-bomber Starfighter along with the G, or to be exact the second try (the F-104C was the original fighter-bomber starfighter). Originally the only differences between a CF-104 and a F-104G were the avionics fit (the G had the air-to-air capable version of the avionics, the CF-104 lacked the A2A modes) and the CF-104's replaced the gun with a fuel cell, but retained the capability to fit the guns. All other modifications including all of the original strengthening was common to both models and Canadair built more than 100 early G's using the CF-104 tooling. This is also why so many ex-CAF CF-104's ended up as F-104G's after they were refurbished, it was a simple set of modifications, mostly to the avionics plus fitting the wide wheels and bulged gear doors which by then were standard on the G's.

Edited February 9, 2013 by Adam Maas

[PC2012]

I bought a Hasegawa 1/48 104C from Amazon uk early this month (feb)

[Mozzy19]

There's a couple over at modelhobbies.co.uk, probably the same ones as hannants but they're a bit cheaper than the big H.

http://www.modelhobbies.co.uk/shop/hasegawa-cf104d-starfighter-canadian-force-09955-p-38473.html

http://www.modelhobbies.co.uk/shop/hasegawa-tf104g-starfighter-pt40-p-42108.html

[Rob P]

No longer rare, in stock now at Hannants

http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/HAPT019

[sunshine coast]

No longer rare, in stock now at Hannants

http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/HAPT019

Thanks for that .......some on their way already ....

Regards Trevor.....

[Mick_Gannon]

Intresting comments regarding the eulusive Hasegawa F104, well back in 2007 when most people looked at the kit and thought "yea that will be around i will wait till the price drops" well in did not, most modellers at the time did not know of the tie up with Revell, so when Revell listed the kit everybody thought it was the old Revell made model, I found out at the Toy Fair one year and started to buy up the kits as they appeared on Ebay, my best purchase was £5-00 the most expence £40-00 for the last release F104 CCV aircraft.

As for decals most that were produce by afore mentioned companies were never re-printed, the last was the Two Bob's CF starfighter display team decals for both single and twin seat aircraft, they went on Ebay for £50-00, to my knowledge and that is limited there are only 2 Italian retirement scheme's that where not done, 2 designs one in blue the other in red and a German maintenance unit at Beja airforce base in overal white with black red and yellow detail.

The best book for colourful scheme's is the "Fightermeet airshow colour schemes" by CJ van Gent the last book on the starfighter to be printed was the Profiles book by Dave Windle and Martin Bowman, the red Italian scheme mentioned above appears on the front cover.

You can get on ebay from China the model seller is Kingman Models.

The Daco update set for the starfighter is nothing to do with any re-release from Hasegawa, the owner likes the starfighter, the fact he has had the moulds made in China and that it has taken near on 3 years to get to first test shots sent means there are less models around, most i suspect are in lofts waiting to be built.

Hope this is of intrest to anyone.

Edited May 14, 2013 by Mick_Gannon

[stalal]

What is the difference between Hasegawa F-104J and F-104G boxing?

Can one build an accurate out of the box G version if one can only find a J boxing?

[Dr Evil]

Cheap G on MFS.....

http://www.modelsforsale.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=752207-Hasegawa-1/48-F-104G-Starfighter-Mount-Olympus-Date:-00%27s-09505

And the Hasegawa J has different mainwheels & doors, lacking bulges, and only the C2 seat (a few G operators used this rather than MB) not beyond the realms of possibility to convert to a G though.

[Giorgio N]

I know it may sound as nitpicking, but let me mention that all F-104 operators used the C2 seat, at least initially. Later, a number of users introduced the MB seat while others kept the Lockheed seat. This means that the seat installed will depend not only on the user but also on the timeframe. Better check first when building a model.

Edited May 19, 2015 by Giorgio N

[KoenL]

http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=HSG%2009365 still has cheap F-104G's.

Edited May 19, 2015 by KoenL

[Max Headroom]

Is this Revell one a rebox of the Hasegawa?

http://www.kingkit.co.uk/product_detail.php?prodID=11124

Trevor

[Creepy Pete]

As has been pointed out before in this thread, that boxing is NOT the Hasegawa kit reboxed. It is the Monogram kit.

The Revell rebox of the Hasegawa kit has kit number 04552, and has a blue/white Luftwaffe F-104 artwork on the box

Edited May 19, 2015 by Creepy Pete

[XV107]

As has been pointed out before in this thread, that boxing is NOT the Hasegawa kit reboxed. It is the Monogram kit.

The Revell rebox of the Hasegawa kit has kit number 04552, and has a blue/white Luftwaffe F-104 artwork on the box

https://s1.scalemates.com/products/img/2/6/7/115267-10401.jpg- This one

[Fernando]

Hi, Mark,

LuckyModels has in stock one F-104G "Taiwanese AF" boxing. I got one and you get the "usual" 104G plastic plus the "catamaran" launcher. Very cheap, under 20 bucks. When I bought it, you could add a bagged "Taiwanese F-104G Weapons set" for keeps (kinda 4 bucks); you got "half-sets" for bombs and AAMs.

Fernando

Edited May 21, 2015 by Fernando

[MikeC]

Deleted - use the buy and sell area

(Hope this shameless plug doesn't contravene any forum rules.)

Edited June 1, 2015 by Greg B

[WildeSau75]

Deleted - use the buy and sell area

Edited June 1, 2015 by Greg B

[Guest]

If it helps I have both German kits, the G model for the Kriegsmarine, and the TG -104 for the Luftwaffe, and they are great kits that are detailed enough that PE parts and resin editions are not absolutely necessary. It is up to you if you want to super detail the kits but you can build a quite respectable kit out of the box. You can find all the kits and aftermarket parts on EBay, and if you are a crafty shopper you can get them for a reasonable price. The Kriegsmarine kit is probably the most difficult to find but just keep checking on EBay. As for the Revell kit, well it is nowhere near as nice a kit as the Hasegawa but with a little work can be made into a respectable replica of an F-104. As far as after market parts for the Revell kit goes, I have never seen any, and can't guarantee how well Hasegawa designated AM parts can be transposed onto the Revell kit. The last set of Luftwaffe decals I saw for purchase were from Germany and were 45.00 usd. I have a close friend who flew them back in the day, he told me about some mock combat with a Hawker Hunter over Western Europe, but more about that if you want to know who bested who. Still one of the most beautiful planes ever built.

Cheers

[Whisky Papa]

The Kriegsmarine ceased to exist about 70 years ago...

WP

[Guest]

The Kriegsmarine ceased to exist about 70 years ago...

WP

The Kriegsmarine ceased to exist about 70 years ago...

WP

Yes you are right technically, nailed me good on that one, points for you mate. But, even though that is not the current title (Deutsche Marine is it now?), I was trying to get the basic idea across. Roughly translated Kriegs Marine is simply "War, Navy". Regardless we have the basic idea, the German Navy used the F-104G and it is a very hard to find kit. I should have stated "German Navy, soon to be part of the Russian Navy if the current aggression continues.

Cheers

Edited June 1, 2015 by Spitfire addict

[stalal]

Yes you are right technically, nailed me good on that one, points for you mate. But, even though that is not the current title (Deutsche Marine is it now?), I was trying to get the basic idea across. Roughly translated Kriegs Marine is simply "War, Navy". Regardless we have the basic idea, the German Navy used the F-104G and it is a very hard to find kit. I should have stated "German Navy, soon to be part of the Russian Navy if the current aggression continues.

Cheers

Why do you say that? F-104G kit is available. If you so really want to build a Kreigsmarine Marineflieger F-104, you can buy Daco decals.

Edited June 2, 2015 by stalal

[Guest]

Why do you say that? F-104G kit is available. If you so really want to build a Kreigsmarine F-104, you can buy Daco decals.

I look primarily on EBay and the Marine F104 is rarely seen. I never said it was unavailable, just very hard to find. Other versions of the F-104, as well as the German G model are quite easily found, especially if you want to buy the kit from Japan. If you have another source I am not aware of, you might have some luck with one of them depending on how much you want to pay, but the German Navy kit which was discontinued a long time ago is not a stock item at any of the suppliers I have researched. Perhaps it has been re-released unbeknownst to me, undoubtedly you must know. The DACO decals are quite expensive in relation to other decals from the prices I have seen, but I have a sealed kit and do not intend to pay the high price (which I have seen higher in price than the actual kit) for the decals. I don't do super detailing so are quite happy with small additions like detailed ejection seats etc. I would be interested to see how many of the Marine kits you can find that are available and in stock at hobby shops, you could do is a favor by revealing sources for us, I am sure your effort would be most appreciated.

Cheers

Edited June 2, 2015 by Spitfire addict

[Whisky Papa]

Another option for MFG-decals is the Hahen-set.

I know (still remember - at my age!) that F-104G were flown by German naval airwings, since I spent a year of my national service with 2./MFG 2 in 1975/76. (I was there when one of the first Jaguars crashed on our base).

Are we drifting o.t. here?

WP

Edited June 2, 2015 by Whisky Papa

[SAT69]

CF-104A was the unofficial designation given to F-104A Serial Number 56-770 (12700 in Canada), modified by Lockheed to serve as an avionics test bed for the CF-104's avionics system. The airplane was highly modified at one point (pointed intake cones being one of the modifications) and was used to set an altitude record in Canada. It appears that the airplane was referred to officially as CF-104. It survives today in a museum in Canada.

[Scooby]

On 5/14/2013 at 12:23 AM, Mick_Gannon said:

Intresting comments regarding the eulusive Hasegawa F104, well back in 2007 when most people looked at the kit and thought "yea that will be around i will wait till the price drops" well in did not, most modellers at the time did not know of the tie up with Revell, so when Revell listed the kit everybody thought it was the old Revell made model, I found out at the Toy Fair one year and started to buy up the kits as they appeared on Ebay, my best purchase was £5-00 the most expence £40-00 for the last release F104 CCV aircraft.

As for decals most that were produce by afore mentioned companies were never re-printed, the last was the Two Bob's CF starfighter display team decals for both single and twin seat aircraft, they went on Ebay for £50-00, to my knowledge and that is limited there are only 2 Italian retirement scheme's that where not done, 2 designs one in blue the other in red and a German maintenance unit at Beja airforce base in overal white with black red and yellow detail.

The best book for colourful scheme's is the "Fightermeet airshow colour schemes" by CJ van Gent the last book on the starfighter to be printed was the Profiles book by Dave Windle and Martin Bowman, the red Italian scheme mentioned above appears on the front cover.

You can get on ebay from China the model seller is Kingman Models.

The Daco update set for the starfighter is nothing to do with any re-release from Hasegawa, the owner likes the starfighter, the fact he has had the moulds made in China and that it has taken near on 3 years to get to first test shots sent means there are less models around, most i suspect are in lofts waiting to be built.

Hope this is of intrest to anyone.

The kits were cheap when they first came out in Canada, $26.95 each, but we had the North American Distributor based in Canada at the time, which I found resulted in cheaper prices. How do I know the price still? I bought a full case of them and the kits I haven’t opened still have the price sticker on them.