Nice scratch build addition, Spiros @fiveten
This will for sure brighten up the pilot's workspace.

Wrapping up...

I painted the cockpit black, the ejection handles black with yellow stripes, the minimal instrument panel black with silver and red dots. The area in front of the instrument panel was unevenly painted green, in order to simulate the blanket the real thing sports there. The same green was used to paint the "seat" top, which is actually the parachute pack. I then installed the already painted pilot (with red scarf!). all is missing now is a small acetate to represent the HUD glass.

I also attached the exhaust nozzle, the wing tanks and the wing pylons. I let the plane rest at it still unpainted base and all is drying now...

Thanks for stopping by!

The ejection seat handles and pilot fill that cockpit nicely. I like this scheme a lot too, Spiros. There’s definitely no shortage of great color options when building F-104s!

It is becoming a beautiful gift, Spiros @fiveten
Maybe an idea to give your godson a red scarf as well like this pilot has.
He will for sure like this great build of yours.

Almost finished and looking good Spiros !

Finishing touches before final coating

The Starfighter sports some very characteristic navigation lights just above the air intakes (red and green) and bilaterally at roughly the turbine height (both red or both amber). all those were wrongly represente by ther decals as red. To make them look more like the real thing, I touched them with my Pilot silver pen and, upon drying, I added a tiny droplet of clear red or green, where applicable.

Here is the result for the starboard front navilight:

• I drilled out the gun hole and painted its innards gun metal.

• I added a small gunsight from an acetate piece, affixed with white glue

• I attached the hook, painted with the underside color (the shape is less toyish, but not the attachment, as in reality hte hook enters the fuselage through a hole at the starboard side of the ventral fin...oh well...)

  

  1. Sidewinders
  2. Hook

• The Sidewinders were painted white, had their rears drilled out and painted black, in order to simulate their nozzles, and had their tips painted cream (to simulate the seeker glass). They were then attached at their pylons.

  

  1. Blackwashed

• The pitot tube was attached. Its body was painted radome color, its tip burned metal, polished upon drying.

• The base was painted Plastikote chrome silver (from a can).

• I could not hold myself and applied a light weathering black wash. It accenuated the engraved panel lines subtly, but pleasantly.

  

  1. Gunsight glass, white glue still drying (still white!!! then transparent!)

Off to the paint shop for the final coating!

Wow, Morne @mornem!

What a video! Aerobatics with the Starfighter!

Even more so, as they sport the same camo with the one I build!

Performing aerobatics with the Starfighter means you are a class pilot!

I kept on watching the low speed/high AOA pass section...

This is amazing!

Thanks a lot, my friend, for poasting it, I really enjoyed it!

And here is my Marinefliger coated (drying):

That's right, Morne @mornem, they had horrendus losses at the start, mainly because they were operating fast and low at difficult weather conditions...
Things improved a bit later on, mainly due to better training.
Thanks for liking my progress! I hope the silvering at the wing will disappear upon clear coat drying...it was not there (or, not that apparent) before the final coat...