Academy 1/72 F-104G Starfighter

Started by Spiros Pendedekas · 102 · 3 years ago · 1/72, Academy, F-104
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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Hi everyone!

    This is the Academy 1/72 F-104G Starfighter.

    It looks to be a simple kit. Surprisingly, panel lines are finely recessed and no flash is evident at the well molded sprues.

    Instructions are simple and clear:

    Only one scheme option is provided, the Marineflieger 23+25.

    I intend to build it at the scheme provided, "wheels up", mounted on a base, as a desktop model.

    It will be a present for my godson, who has his birthday on 7th February, so, there is a deadline here!

    The kit scheme option is actually one of his favorites, as he is fond of a videoclip, where a pair of German Starfighters are participating, wearing the exact scheme!

    More to come!

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    And here we go!

    I first attached the airbrakes at "closed" position and secured them with stryrene pieces glued from the inside. I then glued styrene pieces at the insides of the wells, in order to provide some kind of inner support for the "closed" doors (I hate to hear the offending :"crack", usually happening at the final stages...):

    Attachment of the doors followed, and everything was "solidified" by application of thin liquefied styrene at all joints.

    I trapped what is supposed to be the cockpit tub (it's a joke, really, but I will attach a pilot, so, most of the joke will be hidden!) between the two fuselage pieces and glued them together: Fit was so so. The two piece intakes followed... Finally, I assembled the four wing tanks...

    I will let everything dry and do an initial coarse sanding tomorrow, before attaching the wings (it will be easier...).

    Thanks for stopping by!

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    John vd Biggelaar said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    This will be a great present, Spiros @fiveten
    Those 104's were/are fantastic planes.
    It will be looking great in this scheme and flying position.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Thanks my friend @johnb!
    Yep, the Starfighter is absolutely cool!

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    Allan J Withers said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Nice one Spiros, I like the 104, have two Hasegawa kits to build, how old is your godson ?

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Thanks Allan @kalamazoo! He is 8 years old, the last couple of years having created kind of obsession with planes!

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Top prioritized and taking shape...



    After initial carving/sanding the wings, tailplane and the structural piecebetween the MLG wells were glued on. That last piece caused some fit issues, treated with liquefied styrene.

    Thanks for stopping by

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    John vd Biggelaar said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    That's quick and great progress, Spiros @fiveten
    Sure you are going to make it before February 7th.
    What was the idea of Academy engineers for that structural piece?

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    Erik Gjørup said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Once again we get treated to a PFP Speedbuild! I'm strapped in, visor down to take the wind.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Thanks, my friends @johnb and @airbum!

    To be fair, I expressed positive comments about this kit at the thread intro, it being "nice and simple". Well, it is not really nice in some areas, the totally empty wheel wells being one of them. This area is very characteristic in the Starfighter and, I believe, even 1/144 (let alone 1/72) kits should represent this area.

    The central structural part at the MLG well, is supposed to be the face of the separating "wall" between the MLG wells. Of course, there's no wall, since there are no wells.

    This is not a problem for my "closed bays - wheels up" build, though..

    So, here she is puttied:

    And here is the base that she is going to be attached, leftover from an Academy 1/72 Thunderjet, if memory serves...

    Thanks for stopping by!

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    Erik Gjørup said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Nice "hightec" base - that'll do the trick my friend.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Painted silver maybe, my friend @airbum?
    By the way, display bases are not so often provided by kit manufacturers, which is a pity...
    (Also, dollies and the like, but more rarely...)
    Those accessories must be supplied with the basic kits. For example, how am I going to display my 1/72 Bv-222, other than scratch build a dolly, of which I will likely not have the best of pic info...

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    George Schembri said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    This is going together faster than a Starfighter flies!
    Nice kit choice to have ‘wheels up”

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Thanks George @georgeswork!

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    John vd Biggelaar said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    If I remember correctly then those stands were more often present when I was modelling as a kid, moreless 35 years ago.
    Restarting this beautiful hobby, I noticed that those stands are not present anymore.