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Bernd Ebeling
4 articles

"Bare Beauty"CF-104D Starfighter in 1/72

December 23, 2023 · in Aviation · · 20 · 495

Hi folks,

in case you are not yet in Christmas mood, taking a look at my recently finished build might help you. Ho, ho, ho!

It features the "old" Hasegawa in :

  • all natural metal areas were dressed up with Bare Metal Foil, polished to different degrees (panel by panel)
  • I used the Verlinden set as well as other sets (CMK, Eduard, etc.) to add some details to a kit which was released in the 90s and therefore offers quite a good fit, but lacks many details
  • the inner canopy frames were completely scratch built (e.g. defrosters, IFR curtain, ...) and in general a lot of cockpit/seat parts had to be built from scracth
  • scratching included the inner structure of the radome and the radome trolley as well
  • the Hasegawa NF-2 lighting unit was extremely modified to match nowadays standards and features working lights (LEDs), too
  • both figures are from "Reedoak"

I think that a model not necessarily has to be huge to be attractive, but that is just my personal opinion.

Enjoy!

Reader reactions:
27  Awesome 2  6 

11 additional images. Click to enlarge.


20 responses

  1. Nice work. Bare metal Starfighters rock, especially Canadian ones with big roundels and red stabilizers!

  2. A beauty in every respect, Bernd!
    Amazing job allover!
    Congratulations!

  3. Thank you very much for the compliments!

  4. Great build & finish. Your fabrication work is noteworthy along with the diorama. Classy holidays lady.

  5. Excellent work. Looks great and very nice presentation. If it weren't for the room needed, I think I would put every model I have on a base. The ones I do have look far better than the shelf sitters. Yours look terrific.

  6. No wonder Santa can make it to all those houses in one night, he's driving an F-104! Is that Mrs. Claus on the wing? That's enough reason to only work one night a year!
    Your absolutely right about a great model not having to be a huge one. You have definitely proven that with this build, outstanding job, Bernd.

  7. Truely beautiful, Bernd
    Excellent work with the foil, looks very realistic with the various shades.
    And this diorama definitely brings on the Christmas mood.

  8. Wow - nice work on the bare metal - and everything else.

    Ms. Claus must be light as a feather to sit on that leading edge without hurting herself (the wing leading edge was s sharp it could cut a person; they had to put special covers on the leading edge).

  9. Detail work is superb.! Nice work.

  10. Well done Bernd, nicely detailed and modeled, looks good.

  11. 🙂 ... Greetings ... 🙂 :
    Definitely a very well-made eye candy piece of modeling, Bernd!
    Good work on the metal foil.

  12. Some amazing work on this diorama. All the little details that catch your eye. @bernd_ebeling

  13. Nice work on that beauty!

  14. @bernd_ebeling
    This looks incredible ! and I love me some bare metal foil aircraft. There's nothing like using real metal, and it's a finish that can't be duplicated using regular paints. I definitely clicked on several of the various "like" buttons.

  15. The is amazing Bernd (@bernd_ebeling)! I love it. Well done and Merry Christmas 🙂

  16. Nothing beats "real" metal...great job!

  17. An excellent model of the F-104. The iconic Starfighter is beautiful in any scale and yours is reflects that in its presentation and the quality of the build of a good 72nd scale Hasegawa kit. Love the concept tis the season, Merry Christmas to you and your family Bernd, thanks for sharing.

  18. Again, many thanks and Merry Christmas to all of you!

  19. Very nicely built and displayed Starfighter with a seasonal twist.

  20. Since I only build 1/72, I'm a huge fan! You did marvelous work with all the scratchbuilding and added details. Well done!

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