Jump to content

1/48 CF-104 Starfighter (Kinetic K48127)


RaceAddict

Recommended Posts

The Wikipedia summary: The Canadair CF-104 Starfighter (CF-111, CL-90) is a modified version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter supersonic fighter aircraft built in Canada by Canadair under licence. It was primarily used as a ground attack aircraft, despite being designed as an interceptor. It served with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and later the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) until it was replaced by the McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet.

 

I've wanted to build a Canadian Starfighter for a while now, but hadn't gotten around to it yet... so this GB is the perfect excuse to get into one! The polished aluminium with white wings and red tail will look absolutely stellar on my shelf if I can pull off a good finish. 

 

Until now I've been a strictly 1/72nd guy, mostly due to space constraints, but also because of my glacial building speed, and I don't really think my skills are up to par for larger models. However, I've written a loophole into my own rules: Canadian subjects can be 1/48th. 😁 (I've set a long-term goal to eventually build at least one of each major aircraft type that Canada flew in 48th. At the rate I build we may be retiring our F-35 fleet before I'm ever done.)

 

Ubiquitous box shot:

spacer.png

 

Of course I got some canopy masks from Eduard... but I also picked up their Löök set for the CF-104, which includes a 3D printed instrument panel and some nice PE parts for the cockpit. I'm eager to see how that goes together. It looks like it'll be a nice upgrade though. 

 

spacer.png

spacer.png

spacer.png

 

What the heck, I need to get another display cabinet from IKEA anyways...

Edited by RaceAddict
  • Like 9
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Marklo said:

You and me both. You know they sell extra shelves too.

 

 

Which cabinet is that? The Billi? I've got 2 of them for my books and other media... plus a Detolf for my models.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, an interesting bonus point for any of us Canadians in this GB... Friday - Canada Day - is also a statutory holiday (bank holiday, as you Brits would say) so we get a day off to devote exclusively to building. :D It's even forecast to be a bit rainy here in Montreal, so I will have even more hours in the day to build.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice to see an RCAF Starfighter. I'm curious to see how the Löök panel works out. 

 

On 6/25/2022 at 12:59 PM, RaceAddict said:

 

Which cabinet is that? The Billi? I've got 2 of them for my books and other media... plus a Detolf for my models.

 

If you have a Detolf, do you know about the wire anchor mod that allows you to double the number of shelves?

 

IMG_20190608_154848-338x450.jpg

 

IMG_20190608_154830-338x450.jpg

 

Carl

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 25/06/2022 at 19:21, Marklo said:

B7FD4115-5BBA-4841-80D1-AA12FD62E49F.jpgYes a Billy, with a few extra glass shelves and space for a few more :) 

Yep, I have one of these as well, and a half sized. I was thinking about extra shelves, I didn't know they had glass ones 👍

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, FG2Si said:

Nice to see an RCAF Starfighter. I'm curious to see how the Löök panel works out. 

 

 

If you have a Detolf, do you know about the wire anchor mod that allows you to double the number of shelves?

 

IMG_20190608_154848-338x450.jpg

 

IMG_20190608_154830-338x450.jpg

 

Carl

 

Oh... that looks interesting! Do you just buy standard glass squares for the extra shelves?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, RaceAddict said:

 

Oh... that looks interesting! Do you just buy standard glass squares for the extra shelves?

I used acrylic sheet cut to match the same size as the stock ones. 

 

Now if you have a router you can go one step further and Siamese two Detolf cases together and make a single larger case. I did this later on with another pair of Detolf cases. 

 

IMG_20200612_160938-338x450.jpg

 

Sorry for going off subject. 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's going be a beauty!  I have the same in 1/144, but I need some Canadian decals for it.  I'm looking forward to seeing yours complete, especially in the bare metal scheme!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Order placed!  Thank you so much!  I have done many, many searches, and this site has never come up for me in any of them.  It opens so many options now!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/29/2022 at 3:38 PM, FG2Si said:

I used acrylic sheet cut to match the same size as the stock ones. 

 

Now if you have a router you can go one step further and Siamese two Detolf cases together and make a single larger case. I did this later on with another pair of Detolf cases. 

 

IMG_20200612_160938-338x450.jpg

 

Sorry for going off subject. 

thats clever.

- but if youre making the base and lid, why not just make the shelves wider and have the frames at the ends? then you dont have the superflous frames in the middle?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Dansk said:

thats clever.

- but if youre making the base and lid, why not just make the shelves wider and have the frames at the ends? then you dont have the superflous frames in the middle?

That's version 2.0 when I get time. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Between the usual pre-vacation workload, a rally weekend, and beautiful summer weather you'll see that very little progress has been made. 

 

Assembled a few small sub-assemblies, painted a couple of them, and that's all I have to report for now. 

 

spacer.png

 

I'll be off work for the next 2 weeks though, so hopefully proper amounts of work will happen. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd originally planned to build my -104 with the speed brakes, canopy, and radome open (especially since the kit includes all the pieces for the radar) however it doesn't come with the cradle to hold the radome once removed from the airframe. Then, while looking at my references I noticed that not a single photo of the CF-104 on a ramp showed the airbrakes open (nor the flaps drooped, for that matter). 

 

So I've switched to making it all clean & tidy... though I think I'll still pose the canopy open, if only to show off the aftermarket bit that hopefully will make it worth looking into.

 

Incidentally, if anyone ever needs CF-104 references, particularly for the natural metal finish ones, this link - https://www.silverhawkauthor.com/post/canadian-warplanes-6-jets-canadair-cf-104-starfighter - has an abundance of photos. After pouring over the pics there I feel that an AK Xtreme Metal shopping spree is in my near future! 😆

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This cockpit felt like a model in itself... I'm used to 72nd scale builds... much simpler bang seats, instrument panels, etc. 

 

I'm still a bit sketchy with the photo-etch work though, but I think it came out acceptable:

 

spacer.png

spacer.png

 

Glad to be moving onto the next big step now! 

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got the fuselage halves together yesterday afternoon, and tidied up the seams after supper... Super stoked with how it looks so far. The Starfighter is certainly one of the cooler looking aircraft even built! 

 

If this build comes out as nice as I'm hoping it will I think a new DETOLF cabinet for my office will make the perfect home for it. 

 

spacer.png

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hit a bit of a roadbump this weekend...

 

The weather here's been hot and ultra humid, and I think it may be the cause of an issue I've had with some painted parts.

 

I don't have AC in the basement where my office is, but if this keeps up I'll run the dehumidifier tomorrow and hope for some better results with the paint.

 

 

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Back at the bench....

 

Between the heat and humidity last month, and then getting busy with projects, to-do lists, and such this month I'm am way behind on this build. 😬

 

Got my work area tidied up and dusted over the weekend, and spent some time resetting myself. Wings are painted, top & bottom, and started on the tip tanks last night. If I'm going to get this build done before the deadline I need to buckle down and get to work. I've got an airshow coming up this weekend, and unfortunately a funeral the weekend after.... then I'm gone for a week and a bit from the 6th to the 16th.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...