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Alistair Gauld
113 articles

Kinetic 1/48 Lockheed Starfighter F-104N

September 2, 2023 · in Aviation · · 35 · 417

One I've wanted to do for a while.
I picked up the F-104G and some aftermarket Caracal Decals to go for the NASA 104N

Primed with Neutral Grey and Lacquer Gloss Black for the metallic surfaces.
Painted with.
Colourcoats Dark Sea Grey and Light Aircraft Grey
Tamiya Nato Black, Rubber Black and an Off-White mix.
Fiery Red
Mr. Color Chrome Yellow and Radome Tan.
Xtreme Metals Polished Aluminium, Dark Aluminium and Steel
Washed with Abteilung Smoke thinned with lighter fluid and Citadel Seraphim Sepia.
Finished with Aqua Gloss.
Other aftermarket.
Quinta Cockpit Decals and some stencils for the tip tanks and no step markings.

This is a beautifully engineered kit and the fit is exquisite. No issues that weren't self inflicted and that was all paint issues.
I can heartily recommend the kit to anyone.

Thanks for looking,
Cheers,
Alistair

Reader reactions:
12  Awesome 1  1 

7 additional images. Click to enlarge.


35 responses

  1. Wow, Alistair. The metal finish and the subtle weathering is simply gorgeous. Amazing build!

  2. Great Starfighter, Alistair. I’m a fan of the AK Extreme line too. Durable enamel silvers, kind of an oxymoron but they work. A lot like the old SNJ product.

  3. Hooray. Well-done. Build & finish superb. NM job spot-on.

  4. Very colorful lawn dart. Great work!

  5. Nice build, nice scheme, looks great!

  6. Really nice StarFighter, Alistair @alistairfgauld
    Very nice scheme and perfectly applied.

  7. Nice to see a F-104 in a NASA suit!
    Lovely NMF with subtle metal tone variations, awesome job.

  8. The different colors of metal used throughout, make this an outstanding build.

  9. Wow that looks nice! I really wish Caracal would reissue those decals. I missed out the first time. This is one of my favorite F-104 schemes.

  10. Beautiful work Alistair and a great result. It's neat to see an F-104 in unusual markings like these.

  11. Excellent result, Alistair! A beautiful scheme, which you replicated perfectly.
    Congratulations!

  12. Your 104 looks fantastic in this colour scheme , really great job on this Alistair.

  13. That’s a gorgeous F-104, Alastair, it might be a good kit, but it takes skill to get it to this level.

  14. Excellent article and presentation of the 104. My favorite Century series aircraft is the Starfighter. The finish is excellent and the images are first class. Please to know that the Kinetic kit is not too difficult to assemble as I have just received the Eduard's F-104C which is the Kinetic plastic. And just looking at the sprues oozes with crisp details, and now to know that it is not a difficult build, not that would have deterred me from building it. A nice motivator to go ahead and start on it, I may just do a still very good Hase F-104G as well at the same time. Thanks for sharing

  15. Wonderful work, Alistair @alistairfgauld! 🍺 That's a beautiful missile with a man in it! 👍

  16. Really nice model, Alistair (@alistairfgauld). I have the same Caracal decals, but haven't used them yet. My first assignment in the Air Force was the base that trained NATO pilots to fly the F-104, so I used to see them all the time.

  17. That is one bright, shiny rocket! Looks fantastic - well done.

  18. A very sharp looking aircraft

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