Viasistina Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 Hi gents..I see Revell is releasing a 1/72 F-104G soon. As I have been out of the cycle for a while, i've lost track of what is what. Is this a new mold or a re-boxing of someone else's kit? I know Hasagawa has a nice kit of the F-104G but that has its faults and is a bit long in the tooth. Thanks in advance for any info. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paul Boyer Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 Revell German has had a very fine 1/72 F-104 kit of its own for several decades now. So this won't be "new" except for the paperwork (box, decals, instructions). You won't be disappointed. The base kit has fine recessed panel lines, and the alternate parts in alternate boxings provides proper parts for USAF F-104C (it was issued by Monogram back in the '90s), and there is a two-seat boxing of the kit as well. I've been very happy with the two I've built. I've never built the "new" Hasegawa (not the "old" 1960s kit), but I have not seen the need to get one because I'm satisfied with the Revell. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hemspilot Posted November 17, 2019 Share Posted November 17, 2019 You can actually exchange the front parts between Hasegawa and Revell. only drawback is that Revell does not offer an open canopy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SERNAK Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 (edited) Overall, it is a nice kit (#03904 - 1995 mould) and it represents a German '104' (most characteristic detail, the "bumps" on the wheel bay doors). However, I heard once that it has some issues that need to be fixed (too narrow radome and canopy?) if someone wants an accurate 104 in 1/72. Just my two cents. Edited October 8, 2020 by SERNAK Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted April 7, 2023 Share Posted April 7, 2023 On 11/17/2019 at 12:19 PM, Paul Boyer said: Revell German has had a very fine 1/72 F-104 kit of its own for several decades now. So this won't be "new" except for the paperwork (box, decals, instructions). You won't be disappointed. The base kit has fine recessed panel lines, and the alternate parts in alternate boxings provides proper parts for USAF F-104C (it was issued by Monogram back in the '90s), and there is a two-seat boxing of the kit as well. I've been very happy with the two I've built. I've never built the "new" Hasegawa (not the "old" 1960s kit), but I have not seen the need to get one because I'm satisfied with the Revell. Paul, Do you know if the Revell GMBH #03904 F-104G kit also comes with the F-104A/C short chord tail? The instruction sheet parts diagram shows those parts blacked out. I don't know if they are not there or just not for that particular boxing. K/r, Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
andyf117 Posted April 7, 2023 Share Posted April 7, 2023 Kit review with parts photos here, Dutch: https://ipmsdeutschland.de/archiv/FirstLook/Revell/Rev_F-104G_Starfighter/Rev_Lockheed_F-104G_Starfighter.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted April 7, 2023 Share Posted April 7, 2023 (edited) 16 minutes ago, andyf117 said: Kit review with parts photos here, Dutch: https://ipmsdeutschland.de/archiv/FirstLook/Revell/Rev_F-104G_Starfighter/Rev_Lockheed_F-104G_Starfighter.html Thank you Andy. It looks like only the Sidewinders and launch rails are blocked out. So I will need to look for the earlier Monogram or Revell F-104C or the newer Academy boxing to ensure I get the F-104A/C short chord tail? K/r, Dutch Edited April 7, 2023 by Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ST0RM Posted April 7, 2023 Share Posted April 7, 2023 What about the 1/72 AMT/Esci F-104C/G? It has both tails, IIRC. -Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted April 7, 2023 Share Posted April 7, 2023 Jeff, True, I built several of the ECSI kits ~25 years ago. Good kit. I don't remember if both tails were included in each boxing, though; I don't think so. It was probably either/or. Does the latest Italeri kit release have both tails? It has decal marking for both short and long tails. K/r, Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ST0RM Posted April 7, 2023 Share Posted April 7, 2023 @Dutch From Scott Van Aken's review "and separate tail sections as the C and G are different in this area." https://modelingmadness.com/scott/viet/previews/amt/8759.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jan_CZ Posted April 7, 2023 Share Posted April 7, 2023 (edited) Academy reboxed the 1/72 Revell F-104G kit with tails for C and G/J version, assembly step 4 - parts 19 and 20 (G/J), resp. 75 and 76 (C) https://www.super-hobby.cz/products/USAF-F-104C-Vietnam-War.html Edited April 7, 2023 by Jan_CZ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Quixote74 Posted April 7, 2023 Share Posted April 7, 2023 3 hours ago, ST0RM said: @Dutch From Scott Van Aken's review "and separate tail sections as the C and G are different in this area." https://modelingmadness.com/scott/viet/previews/amt/8759.htm Note that AMT/Ertl boxing of ESCI's kit was unique in offering the early and late tails in one kit (since it covered a QF-104C and the long-tail German and Canadian variants). As far as I'm aware all of the original ESCI boxings and all the recent Italeri reboxings only provide the parts for the A/C or the G/S, not both in one package. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob de Bie Posted April 8, 2023 Share Posted April 8, 2023 The Revell 104 has some problems. I'll use the Hasegawa kit as reference. From the heart: 1. canopy. R left, H right. Revell is flatter, has the frame between windshield and canopy 1 mm too far forward, and a weld line in the middle of the canopy, that you cannot polish out. But for it's the displaced frame that ruins the 'face' of the model. 2. nozzle. Left to right: Esci, H, H, R. The Revell nozzle is for the German-modified post-1970 smokeless J79-MTU-J1K engine; they are longer and have only 16 petals. The standard J79GE-11A has 24 petals. Best solution is probably to steal a nozzle from the Fine Molds F-4C kit. 3. tanks. The real diameter is 20.4", scaling to 7.2 mm. Left to right: Hasegawa (7.1 mm), Revell (6.8 mm), Esci (6.4 mm average). So the Revell tank is slightly undersized, but not too dramatic. However, the tanks attach ~2.5 mm too far aft on the wing, and they butt-join against the wing tip, whereas the real tanks slides over the wing over a distance of 165 mm (2.3 mm). My recommendation: stick to the Hasegawa model. The photos above are taken from my own eternal project to build an RF-104G Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 Thank you everyone. Especially to Rob for the detailed analysis. I will try to find the Hasegawa kit. Kindest regards, Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 (edited) After searching, I cannot find any Hasegawa 1/72 F-104A/C release. Both the older 1968 molded kit and newer 1989 molded kit are for the long tail G/J/S. I do remember building a couple of the older kits as F-104A/C models to use the old Microscale sheet by cutting the vertical tail to the correct chord, filing the trailing edge and reducing the length of the afterburner petals, but otherwise OOTB. I do not like the Revell canopy with lateral seam, but may go the Monogram route as the best compromise for features and tank size. I will see about the tank to wing placement and fix that. Certainly, the older ESCI, now Italeri kits are just too small. Interestingly, I also built several of the broad chord tail ESCI kits as G/J/S kits, again either using the old ESCI or Microscale decal sheets. I was young and ignorant then. Live and learn! K/r, Dutch Edited April 10, 2023 by Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob de Bie Posted April 9, 2023 Share Posted April 9, 2023 I don't think there's a Hasegawa 1/72 F-104A/C. I wanted to build a C model too, and combined the Hasegawa kit with the Esci-now-Italeri tail section. First I built the Hasegawa right fuselage side. I cut off the Hasegawa tail about 1 mm behind the FS614 rear fuselage break, in order to save that panel line (I hate panel lines coinciding with glue joints). Similarly I removed about 1 mm of the Italeri right tail section, then positioned it carefully and glued it to the fuselage with CA. Next was the left tail section, followed by the left mid-fuselage section. It has the added advantage that the stupid Hasegawa rivet detail is deleted! Before and after painting: Maybe I'll use the Esci/Italeri wings too, they look a lot nicer than Hasegawa's. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted April 10, 2023 Share Posted April 10, 2023 Rob, Your Hase-taleri kitbash looks very good. Very nice indeed. Camo or natural metal finish? K/r, Dutch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob de Bie Posted April 10, 2023 Share Posted April 10, 2023 Dutch, NMF is a bridge too far for me, so it will be camo'd. I will have an open electronics bay hatch, and an open hydraulic hatch that shows a bit of the engine. Just like I see in flightline photos. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dutch Posted April 10, 2023 Share Posted April 10, 2023 Very nice! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GeneK Posted April 10, 2023 Share Posted April 10, 2023 8 hours ago, Rob de Bie said: I will have an open electronics bay hatch, and an open hydraulic hatch that shows a bit of the engine. Rob, Who makes the resin pieces you are using? Gene K Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rob de Bie Posted April 10, 2023 Share Posted April 10, 2023 The light yellow parts are CMK, the greenish engine is Verlinden. The Verlinden engine looks more like a J79 than the CMK part. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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