1/48 F-104S Starfighter ‘Tiger Meet’
Posted by Chris M on November 30th, 2009 | 0 comments
Reviewed By Steven Brooks :: Hasegawa Kit# 09767 :: MSRP: $41.90
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, supersonic interceptor used by the USAF from 1958 until 1967. It continued in U.S. service in the Air National Guard until 1975 and in a small support squadron for NASA until 1995, when it was retired and replaced by the F-18. The F-104 Starfighter has seen service in many NATO countries including Italy. When the last F-104S it was decommissioned in 2004, the Italian Air Force had received over 40 years of service from the Starfighter. The Hasegawa kit number 09767 is modeled after the Italian entry into the 1988 and 1991 ‘Tiger Meet’. Continue reading “1/48 F-104S Starfighter ‘Tiger Meet’” »
More often than not the kit suspension springs leave a lot to be desired, usually just a blob of plastic trying to pass as springs. Even the better kits can often require considerable time and effort to make them presentable. Due to these shortcomings in kits I tend to disregard kit parts and make my own rather than try and clean-up kit parts. Also I tend to scratch build vehicles that often have quite visible chassis details, and there are no suitable “donors”. While what follows is aimed more for the 1/25 -1/24th scales it is quite easily adapted suit smaller scales, and is well within the capabilities of the average modeler (if I can do it, anyone can). 
What follows is the method I use to create louvers. While what is described here may seem a difficult task, it is actually a simple technique requiring only patience and thought, and is well within the capabilities of the average modeler. As with any new method/technique while learning start with an easier type pattern and even do a few “practice runs” before cutting away a kit piece. More suitable for the larger scales (1/25, 1/24th) but has been used in the smaller scales (1/35th and 1/32nd). 
I am sure everyone has had a kit that included some wood that was molded in plastic. Not only could I never paint it to look like wood, but also never really like the fake look it retained from the plastic. I tinkered around and found this method to work pretty good to make either a freshly installed look or the been around the block a few times look depending on what color you decide to go with. 
