Dutch Starfighter

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While considering the virtues of the Kinetic F-104G kit I stumbled across an old ESCI kit with a great range of decals.  I was thinking Luftwaffe but the decals included didn’t fit with what I was after, but the Dutch markings for 312 Squadron looked great.  I have fond me,oriels of the mad Dutch pilots at Mildenhall shows in the early 80s.  So much so I got the pilot’s autograph!

 

 

Anyway, on to the kit.  I used the base of a Martin Baker seat combined with the kit top section to show the smaller headrest / parachute pack as seen on these F-104s.  Some scratch improvements in the cockpit & to add the ECM fittings below the nose & tail. The only other change was cutting the canopy & adding some of the opening structure.  Decals are all kit.  So this is her in some rare sunshine in front of the HAS

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I still need a Kinetic one to do a good German F-104G.  Question is Luftwaffe or Marine?  Might have to wait as I now have another Kelly Johnson jet waiting to get started

 

 

Thanks for looking

[rakete173]

Realy nice looking "weduwemaker" (widdowmaker).

The diorama looks also quite nice.
The comparison with the SR-71 make you aware of the size of the engines of the blackbird.

I´m looking forward to the german starfighter.

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Thanks @rakete173 I seem to have been on a German airforce roll with an RF-4E, Alpha Jet and a Gina, so a Starfighter seemed the next (although I have an F-4F waiting too).  The Dutch airforce consists of a couple of F-16s and the Starfighter, so I need to get on with my scratch build F-27.  But a splinter camo F-104G is so tempting

[SAT69]

Very nice model. Starfighters are beautiful machines!

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1 minute ago, SAT69 said:

Very nice model. Starfighters are beautiful machines!

Cheers. To me they always looked fast & noisy even when on the ground!

[Solvent Parrot]

Very nice indeed. It's a very pretty (is that the right word?) but faintly ridiculously proportioned aircraft really. 

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24 minutes ago, Solvent Parrot said:

Very nice indeed. It's a very pretty (is that the right word?) but faintly ridiculously proportioned aircraft really. 

I was looking at the shape the other day & thought it would make a nice set of Starfighter shapes tent pegs.  The nickname ‘ground nail’ was not lost on me!  But from one extreme of stubby wings came its cousin the U2.  Basically the same fuselage with huge wings attached.  Must dig out the TR1 & put it next to the Starfighter and Blackbird.  Turning into a Kelly Johnson collection

[BerndM]

Good work on this old kit. The dutch markings looking really nice.

A Luftwaffe F-104G in this splinter camo pattern would be a good addition ( The Marineflieger variant as well, i can t choose too )

 

[Lord Riot]

That’s a beauty that! There’s something very cool about Dutch Starfighters, and German ones. Proper NATO 80s metal. I can imagine them smoking into Lakenheath between F-111 touch and goes. Marvellous stuff. Cracking diorama too!

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19 minutes ago, Lord Riot said:

That’s a beauty that! There’s something very cool about Dutch Starfighters, and German ones. Proper NATO 80s metal. I can imagine them smoking into Lakenheath between F-111 touch and goes. Marvellous stuff. Cracking diorama too!

I can hear my dad at Mildenhall saying ‘it’s a Starfighter - better watch this one’. He still talks about driving past the end of the runway at Coltishall and having one go over very low & loud.  Early 80s pre Rammstein they would do a whispering approach over the crowd and fly along the flight line.  Left an impression on me for sure.  Guess that is why I got the pilot to sign the calendar.

[F-32]

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