Book Review of
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
Kagero Publishing
Kit Build no. 31008
ISBN: 78-83-07294-11-9
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $22.95
Kit Build no. 31008
ISBN: 78-83-07294-11-9
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $22.95
HISTORY:
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic air superiority fighter which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the "Century Series" of fighter aircraft for the United States Air Force (USAF), it was developed into an all-weather multirole aircraft in the early 1960s and produced by several other nations, seeing widespread service outside the United States.
After a series of interviews with Korean War fighter pilots in 1951, Kelly Johnson, then lead designer at Lockheed, opted to reverse the trend of ever-larger and more complex fighters and produce a simple, lightweight aircraft with maximum altitude and climb performance. On 4 March 1954, the Lockheed XF-104 took to the skies for the first time, and on 26 February 1958 the production fighter was activated by the USAF.
Only a few months later it was pressed into action during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, when it was deployed as a deterrent to Chinese MiG-15 and MiG-17 fighters. Problems with the General Electric J79 engine and a preference for fighters with longer ranges and heavier payloads meant its service with the USAF was short-lived, though it was reactivated for service during the Berlin Crisis of 1961 and the Vietnam War, when it flew over 5,000 combat sorties.
While its time with the USAF was brief, the Starfighter found much more lasting success with other NATO and allied nations. In October 1958, West Germany selected the F-104 as its primary fighter aircraft. Canada soon followed, along with the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, and Italy. The European nations formed a construction consortium that was the largest international manufacturing program in history to that point, though the Starfighter's export success was marred in 1975 by the discovery of bribe payments made by Lockheed to many foreign military and political figures for securing purchase contracts.
The Starfighter eventually flew with fifteen air forces, but its poor safety record, especially in Luftwaffe service, brought it substantial criticism. The Germans lost 292 of 916 aircraft and 116 pilots from 1961 to 1989, its high accident rate earning it the nickname "the Widow-maker" from the German public. The final production version, the F-104S, was an all-weather interceptor built by Aeritalia for the Italian Air Force. It was retired from active service in 2004, though several F-104s remain in civilian operation with Florida-based Starfighters Inc.
The Starfighter featured a radical design, with thin, stubby wings attached farther back on the fuselage than most contemporary aircraft. The wing provided excellent supersonic and high-speed, low-altitude performance, but also poor turning capability and high landing speeds. It was the first production aircraft to achieve Mach 2, and the first aircraft to reach an altitude of 100,000 ft (30,000 m) after taking off under its own power. The Starfighter established world records for airspeed, altitude, and time-to-climb in 1958, becoming the first aircraft to hold all three simultaneously. It was also the first aircraft to be equipped with the M61 Vulcan autocannon.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Specifications (F-104G)
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 54 ft 8 in (16.66 m)
Wingspan: 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m)
Height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Wing area: 196.1 sq ft (18.22 m2)
Airfoil: Biconvex 3.36% root and tip
Empty weight: 14,000 lb (6,350 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 29,027 lb (13,166 kg)
Power-plant: 1 × General Electric J79 afterburning turbojet, 10,000 lbf (44 kN) thrust dry, 15,600 lbf (69 kN) with afterburner
Maximum speed: 1,528 mph (2,459 km/h, 1,328 kn)
Maximum speed: Mach 2
Combat range: 420 mi (680 km, 360 nmi)
Ferry range: 1,630 mi (2,620 km, 1,420 nmi)
Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)
Rate of climb: 48,000 ft/min (240 m/s) Initially
Lift-to-drag: 9.2
Wing loading: 105 lb/sq ft (510 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.54 with max. takeoff weight (0.76 loaded)
Armament:
Guns: 1 × 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barreled rotary cannon, 725 rounds
Hardpoints: 7 with a capacity of 4,000 lb (1,800 kg), with provisions to carry combinations of:
Missiles: 4 × AIM-9 Sidewinder
Other: Bombs, rockets, or other stores
THE BOOK;
Kagero Publishers is based in Lublin, Poland. Their books are done in both Polish and English. This book is in both languages.
It is soft-cover of 50 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” format. It comes in a clear self-sealing plastic cello envelope.
The cover art shows a color photo of the Kenetic brand 1/48th scale F-104G/S. It is overall medium-grey over a light-grey undercarriage, has a white nose and is carrying wing-tip drop tanks that have orange centers. Under the rudder is a large black MARINE outlined in white. Under the cockpit is large-black number 26 + 60. German AF crosses on wing tops and bottoms. There is a blue shield insignia on the rudder, outlined in white with a yellow cross-hairs circle, with a white 2 on it.
At the bottom of the cover there are 4 small color walk-around photos of the model made up.
Reading left to right, the first photo shows the model painted, but unmarked, sitting on its bottom with no wheels or nose cone added yet. There is a paint bottle sitting beside it.
The second color photo shows the pilot seat assembled and painted.
The third color photo shows the model laying on its top with the panel lines darkened.
The fourth color photo is not repeated in the book, like the other three photos are. It shows the cockpit painted.
The title page of the book shows 6 color cover arts of other Kagero aircraft-books: T-34, Hellcat, P-51 Mustang, F/A-18E, Corsair and Avenger.
The front half of the book is devoted to showing the building of the Kenetic 1/48th scale F-104 kit. Sixty-three color walk-around type photos are shown, that include all the sections of it and paints.
The back half of the book is devoted to showing the building of the Hasegawa 1/72nd scale F-104J/CF kit. Sixty-nine color walk-around photos are shown, that also include all the sections of it and paints.
It is overall medium-grey. It has a shark-mouth design on its nose. The nose is removed and the radar-dish and equipment inside the nose are shown. It has a Japanese AF roundel and large black no. 635 under the cockpit on its sides. There is a black serial no. 46-8635 on the sides of the rudder, over white arrow with a blue circle, outlined in white, with 4 white diamonds on it.
The author does not mention what Japanese AF Squadron these markings represent.
There are two color side-view illustrations of more German AF F-104G’s. Both are overall medium-grey, with white nose cones and nose probes that have red bands around the probes. One has black serial no. 25 + 18, outlined in white, under the cockpit. A small black illustration of a circle with a white bat on it on the sides of the engine nacelle. A blue shield with white outline and diving white bat on it on the rudder, next to a black, red and yellow flag.
It was with 2.JaboG 33, Buchel, 1979.
The second one is in the same color scheme as the first one.It carries black serial no. 00+118 under the cockpit. A blue shield with 2 black F-104’s flying over a white cloud on the sides of the nacelle and the black, red and yellow flag on the rudder.
It was with 1.JaboG 33, Memmingen, 1966.
There is a F-104S that is in a wave pattern camouflage of two shades of grey. It has a white nose and nose probe that has red bands around the probe. Large white serial no. 5-40 under the cockpit. An illustration of a yellow triangle with a black greyhound dog leaping over an arrow, above no. 25 on the sides of the nacelle. Italian AF roundel in front of the rudder. Yellow horizontal stripe with blue circle, outlined in white with a white archer on it on the rudder.
It was with 23rd Gruppo, 5 Stormo, Aeronautica Militare Italiana,
The second Italian AF F-104 is a G version. It is in the same color scheme as the first one. It carries large white stenciled serial no. 6-26 under the cockpit. Italian AF roundel in front of rudder. Illustration of a black circle with a white devil’s head on its sides of the rudder.
It was with 6th Stormo, Aeronautica Militare Italiana, Ghadi, 1982. Sigonella, 1985.
The back cover shows two F-104C’s. The first one is overall bare metal with a black nose cone and white nose probe that is white with red bands. Black U.S. AIR Force under the cockpit, star with bars insignia on side of nacelle. Black serial no. 60919 on the sides of the rudder, under an illustration of a blue shield outlined in yellow with a yellow eagle on it, on top of a yellow lightning bolt.
It was with the 435th TFS/479 TFW, Da Nang, 1965.
The second one is in a wave pattern camouflage scheme of two shades of green, with a white nose probe with red stripes around it. A star with bars on the side of the
nacelle. A small black diamond with a white arrow on it front of the rudder. Black serial no. USAF over 70928 on the rudder sides.
It was with the 435th TFS/479th TFW, Udom, 1967.
This is a neat book about building kits of the F-104. It will be of great interest to modelers and aviation historians.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Kagero books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemates' website at:
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic air superiority fighter which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the "Century Series" of fighter aircraft for the United States Air Force (USAF), it was developed into an all-weather multirole aircraft in the early 1960s and produced by several other nations, seeing widespread service outside the United States.
After a series of interviews with Korean War fighter pilots in 1951, Kelly Johnson, then lead designer at Lockheed, opted to reverse the trend of ever-larger and more complex fighters and produce a simple, lightweight aircraft with maximum altitude and climb performance. On 4 March 1954, the Lockheed XF-104 took to the skies for the first time, and on 26 February 1958 the production fighter was activated by the USAF.
Only a few months later it was pressed into action during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, when it was deployed as a deterrent to Chinese MiG-15 and MiG-17 fighters. Problems with the General Electric J79 engine and a preference for fighters with longer ranges and heavier payloads meant its service with the USAF was short-lived, though it was reactivated for service during the Berlin Crisis of 1961 and the Vietnam War, when it flew over 5,000 combat sorties.
While its time with the USAF was brief, the Starfighter found much more lasting success with other NATO and allied nations. In October 1958, West Germany selected the F-104 as its primary fighter aircraft. Canada soon followed, along with the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, and Italy. The European nations formed a construction consortium that was the largest international manufacturing program in history to that point, though the Starfighter's export success was marred in 1975 by the discovery of bribe payments made by Lockheed to many foreign military and political figures for securing purchase contracts.
The Starfighter eventually flew with fifteen air forces, but its poor safety record, especially in Luftwaffe service, brought it substantial criticism. The Germans lost 292 of 916 aircraft and 116 pilots from 1961 to 1989, its high accident rate earning it the nickname "the Widow-maker" from the German public. The final production version, the F-104S, was an all-weather interceptor built by Aeritalia for the Italian Air Force. It was retired from active service in 2004, though several F-104s remain in civilian operation with Florida-based Starfighters Inc.
The Starfighter featured a radical design, with thin, stubby wings attached farther back on the fuselage than most contemporary aircraft. The wing provided excellent supersonic and high-speed, low-altitude performance, but also poor turning capability and high landing speeds. It was the first production aircraft to achieve Mach 2, and the first aircraft to reach an altitude of 100,000 ft (30,000 m) after taking off under its own power. The Starfighter established world records for airspeed, altitude, and time-to-climb in 1958, becoming the first aircraft to hold all three simultaneously. It was also the first aircraft to be equipped with the M61 Vulcan autocannon.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Specifications (F-104G)
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 54 ft 8 in (16.66 m)
Wingspan: 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m)
Height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Wing area: 196.1 sq ft (18.22 m2)
Airfoil: Biconvex 3.36% root and tip
Empty weight: 14,000 lb (6,350 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 29,027 lb (13,166 kg)
Power-plant: 1 × General Electric J79 afterburning turbojet, 10,000 lbf (44 kN) thrust dry, 15,600 lbf (69 kN) with afterburner
Maximum speed: 1,528 mph (2,459 km/h, 1,328 kn)
Maximum speed: Mach 2
Combat range: 420 mi (680 km, 360 nmi)
Ferry range: 1,630 mi (2,620 km, 1,420 nmi)
Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m)
Rate of climb: 48,000 ft/min (240 m/s) Initially
Lift-to-drag: 9.2
Wing loading: 105 lb/sq ft (510 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.54 with max. takeoff weight (0.76 loaded)
Armament:
Guns: 1 × 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barreled rotary cannon, 725 rounds
Hardpoints: 7 with a capacity of 4,000 lb (1,800 kg), with provisions to carry combinations of:
Missiles: 4 × AIM-9 Sidewinder
Other: Bombs, rockets, or other stores
THE BOOK;
Kagero Publishers is based in Lublin, Poland. Their books are done in both Polish and English. This book is in both languages.
It is soft-cover of 50 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” format. It comes in a clear self-sealing plastic cello envelope.
The cover art shows a color photo of the Kenetic brand 1/48th scale F-104G/S. It is overall medium-grey over a light-grey undercarriage, has a white nose and is carrying wing-tip drop tanks that have orange centers. Under the rudder is a large black MARINE outlined in white. Under the cockpit is large-black number 26 + 60. German AF crosses on wing tops and bottoms. There is a blue shield insignia on the rudder, outlined in white with a yellow cross-hairs circle, with a white 2 on it.
At the bottom of the cover there are 4 small color walk-around photos of the model made up.
Reading left to right, the first photo shows the model painted, but unmarked, sitting on its bottom with no wheels or nose cone added yet. There is a paint bottle sitting beside it.
The second color photo shows the pilot seat assembled and painted.
The third color photo shows the model laying on its top with the panel lines darkened.
The fourth color photo is not repeated in the book, like the other three photos are. It shows the cockpit painted.
The title page of the book shows 6 color cover arts of other Kagero aircraft-books: T-34, Hellcat, P-51 Mustang, F/A-18E, Corsair and Avenger.
The front half of the book is devoted to showing the building of the Kenetic 1/48th scale F-104 kit. Sixty-three color walk-around type photos are shown, that include all the sections of it and paints.
The back half of the book is devoted to showing the building of the Hasegawa 1/72nd scale F-104J/CF kit. Sixty-nine color walk-around photos are shown, that also include all the sections of it and paints.
It is overall medium-grey. It has a shark-mouth design on its nose. The nose is removed and the radar-dish and equipment inside the nose are shown. It has a Japanese AF roundel and large black no. 635 under the cockpit on its sides. There is a black serial no. 46-8635 on the sides of the rudder, over white arrow with a blue circle, outlined in white, with 4 white diamonds on it.
The author does not mention what Japanese AF Squadron these markings represent.
There are two color side-view illustrations of more German AF F-104G’s. Both are overall medium-grey, with white nose cones and nose probes that have red bands around the probes. One has black serial no. 25 + 18, outlined in white, under the cockpit. A small black illustration of a circle with a white bat on it on the sides of the engine nacelle. A blue shield with white outline and diving white bat on it on the rudder, next to a black, red and yellow flag.
It was with 2.JaboG 33, Buchel, 1979.
The second one is in the same color scheme as the first one.It carries black serial no. 00+118 under the cockpit. A blue shield with 2 black F-104’s flying over a white cloud on the sides of the nacelle and the black, red and yellow flag on the rudder.
It was with 1.JaboG 33, Memmingen, 1966.
There is a F-104S that is in a wave pattern camouflage of two shades of grey. It has a white nose and nose probe that has red bands around the probe. Large white serial no. 5-40 under the cockpit. An illustration of a yellow triangle with a black greyhound dog leaping over an arrow, above no. 25 on the sides of the nacelle. Italian AF roundel in front of the rudder. Yellow horizontal stripe with blue circle, outlined in white with a white archer on it on the rudder.
It was with 23rd Gruppo, 5 Stormo, Aeronautica Militare Italiana,
The second Italian AF F-104 is a G version. It is in the same color scheme as the first one. It carries large white stenciled serial no. 6-26 under the cockpit. Italian AF roundel in front of rudder. Illustration of a black circle with a white devil’s head on its sides of the rudder.
It was with 6th Stormo, Aeronautica Militare Italiana, Ghadi, 1982. Sigonella, 1985.
The back cover shows two F-104C’s. The first one is overall bare metal with a black nose cone and white nose probe that is white with red bands. Black U.S. AIR Force under the cockpit, star with bars insignia on side of nacelle. Black serial no. 60919 on the sides of the rudder, under an illustration of a blue shield outlined in yellow with a yellow eagle on it, on top of a yellow lightning bolt.
It was with the 435th TFS/479 TFW, Da Nang, 1965.
The second one is in a wave pattern camouflage scheme of two shades of green, with a white nose probe with red stripes around it. A star with bars on the side of the
nacelle. A small black diamond with a white arrow on it front of the rudder. Black serial no. USAF over 70928 on the rudder sides.
It was with the 435th TFS/479th TFW, Udom, 1967.
This is a neat book about building kits of the F-104. It will be of great interest to modelers and aviation historians.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Kagero books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemates' website at:
Highly recommended.