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F-104C/G electronics bay colors/details help...


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Posted (edited)

I am looking to detail the electronics bay (behind the cockpit) on my 1/48 F-104C/G kit.

I am trying to find more color photos that show the details of the bay. I have only found these CF-104G pictures (Google) of this area...

 

Bay1.thumb.jpg.609a5cdce9000ec4ec607ff928d72290.jpg
Bay2.jpg.977253a33dc026952c3dd84b406a37fd.jpg

Bay3.jpg.d51254db6fd21cf62aa9874af4a7baa7.jpg
What should the colors be?


One pic has the bay in gray overall with a YZC divider.

The next has YZC bay with black boxes.

The third pic has, well, I can't tell. It might be gray with black edges?

What colors should I use for this bay/area? Black or gray?

Perhaps there is a T.O. for this area that can help with the colors?

Please post more pictures if you have them.

Thank you for all your help.

Scott
CNJC-IPMS

Edited by F-16
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Hi Scott,

It probably depends on the version and where it was built. The first photo is from the Lock-On #1 book from Verlinden and is a Belgian F-104G, specifically FX-94 as marked on the compartment cover 😉. The other two are CF-104s (no 'G' suffix; they are a different variant). The DACO book 'Uncovering the (T)F-104G Starfighter' (https://www.dacoproducts.com/KDCB005.php) has photos of at least two empty compartments - in YZC and the same grey as the boxes. One of the photos indicates the central support is grey with the rest of the structure in YZC and one in YZC with grey sills to the compartment! All of the avionics equipment is grey, which matches the cockpit colour. It's possible that the aircraft with an all grey compartment is an ex-German Navy F-104G that has received additional corrosion protection against salt water enviroments.

 

This is a preserved CF-104 https://youtu.be/jxDVehIAK6Y?t=549 showing the black boxes. Earlier in the video (at about 5 minutes) is a F-104 coded FG-771 on the production line with a virtually empty compartment.

 

A picture of an open F-104C compartment is here: https://www.i-f-s.nl/udorn-aircraft-part-1/. The visible boxes are grey. Detail and Scale Volume 38 has a picture of a F-104C compartment with the same colours.

 

If I were building a F-104A/C, G  or S I'd paint the area YZC with FS36231 grey cans. For a CF-104 it'd be YZC with black boxes as per your pictures and confirmed by Tony's (Snowbird3a) post.

 

HTH,

Jonathan

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Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it!

I forgot to mention that the models are a USAF " C" and a German Navy "G".

The colors would be different then...?

 

Scott

CNJC-IPMS

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Had a look in my archive for alternative colours.

Here is F-104G c/n 7033 from Luftwaffe with a different set of internal colours! It was donated by the Germans to our museum, of course the “black boxes” were removed but the bay and the cockpit in every other way was in perfect condition when it was delivered. I could not say the same for its present state unfortunately! : (  : (  : (

 

On the first photo the left side of the bay looking aft. On the right side a big oil barrel was placed by the Germans to keep the balance of the aircraft.

The second looking forward and also showing the ammo cover.

 

Best regards

Gabor

104 G 7033 1.jpg

104 G 7033 2.jpg

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Posted (edited)

A bit more to make the story as complete as possible.

The Starfighter 21+64 was delivered late afternoon of 14th December 2000 on board Transall 50+10 to Szolnok AFB. Here are some views of it. One thing missing from it was the Martin-Baker ejection seat. : (  : (     But of course it was a present as gratitude from Germany for everything that Hungary did for German unification. So the question of the ejection seat was never raised. We were extremely happy to get the 104!!!

 

Later one more Starfighter arrived but this time from Turkey. I believe it is a Canadian made example, Turkish a/c number 8-893 but unfortunately dont have any images of the after electronics compartment. It was a pure exchange between the two sides. A MiG-21MF went in return to a Turkish museum.  

 

Here is 21+64 still inside the C-160 Transall and later at the official handing over ceremony in January 2001 after the airframe was put back together.

 

Best regards

Gabor

scannn860 1.jpg

scannn856 1.jpg

Edited by ya-gabor
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