Small Scale Military Headquarters

I know the aircraft are in short supply, but there have to be those hidden gems stowed away for a better day to work on! I have just finished one that was in sad shape and stored for 10 years waiting for attention. The subject (and I wish I could show pictures but I have to find a new host to do that) is the 21st Century F-104 Starfighter "Smoke II". She was dropped accidentally by a friend and the original main landing gear smashed. I then had the idea of removing the ugly nose markings (easy), repairing the landing gear (not so easy), moving the wingtip tanks to under-wing tanks (fabricating pylons-medium easy) and moving the missile launch rails to the wingtips (medium easy). When I unboxed her recently, I discovered the refueling probe had broken off and was missing (need to fabricate a new one of those too). With the Covid-19 stuff, I've had some extra time and opened the bench again....this one is DONE! The down side is the gear was repaired. but cannot be retracted. Everything else is done and looks great. As soon as I get that hosting thing solve, I'll post some pictures. I always thought the Vietnam camo version of the F-104 looked better....now I can prove it! In the meantime, what happened to all those other aircraft mods???

The baby near finished.

Ready for display in my office.

The pylons are fabricated from plastic sheet, the refueling probe is brass tubing and a lathed plastic tip, the wingtip rails are scavenged from other 21st Century models....the main gear was repaired and (unfortunately) is down permanently, and add alot of sweat, time, and paint (I almost wore out my Iwata!) and there you have it. A 1965-1968 Vietnam F-104 Starfighter used as the initial air superiority fighter in-theatre. Now I own a one-of-a-kind 1/18th model....

Great work!

That looks really good!

Thanks guys....I try.

That looks really nice! I’ve got my “Smoke II” F-104 packed up in its box at the moment, but recently took a look at it and I’d forgotten how much 21st oversprayed on the camouflage, at least in my example... You did a significantly better job and it shows

The more I look at it the better I like it!

Mine's still in the box too. Don't know when I might open it.

She has a home now...

Well...it was bound to happen...knowing my luck with this F-104. As the picture above shows, she was hanging on the wall of my office (WAS is the right word for it) when I reached behind me for something and bumped it. That's all it took...the nose gear snapped and down she went. The horizontal stab snapped off, the refueling probe bent, and a pylon and extra tank also broke off. So, back on the bench we go...film at eleven!

Yes, the risks of hanging large heavy models is always present. At the Museum, we had the fishing string break on a P-47. When the hangar doors are open and even when the ceiling fans are on, the planes will spin slowly back and forth with the breeze. After hanging for 12+ years, seems friction wore through the string. It fell a good 9 feet hitting a concrete hangar floor. It was displayed with wheels retracted and the various stores underneath took the brunt of the fall. Miraculously, the prop was spared. Minor repairs are being made and the plane will be "back in action" soon. It's like the Jug's reputation of toughness transcended into the model.

Oh the travesty...I drilled out the center and repaired it with a wire center shaft. Now to repair the left main that came unglued.

Three down and green again!

Since I have this back on the bench, I've been working on dirtying the lower sections and accenting panel lines. There are alot of them, so progress is slow.

From Udorn, Thailand Air Base. These definitely show wear, stains, smudges and weathering. Looks like RF-101's in the background off to the right.

Absolutely right. The Voodoo spent time there in the early years too. Would love to have an 1/18 scale one of these!

Okay folks....time for glamour shots. Udorn F-104 on the tarmac...

Looking good! Too bad all that underside detail can't be seen when it's right side up.

It I hang it from the ceiling "in flight ", that detail will be visible..

That's the plan.

Folkwulfe could you possibly go into detail on what you did to repair the landing gear on your F-104? I have one from many years ago that i damaged the gear on when I was a young boy that didnt know these would be so valuable later on. I would love to be able to repair my bird back to her former glory

Dannyc....be glad to. First though, I need to know how and where the damage is. If you can, please include a picture. That way I can be sure the damage is the same as hat mine had.

Unfortunately the plane is in storage an hour away from me. I can tell you at least the spring is inside of the plane. I believe it has to do with the spring and not the spar breaking

Is this nose gear or main gear? And is the rest of the gear intact (strut, pivot, and locking arm)?

Folkwulfe wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 17, 2020 9:39 am

Is this nose gear or main gear? And is the rest of the gear intact (strut, pivot, and locking arm)?

One of the main gear and if I recall correctly it should be intact. I will have to try and pull out the old girl when i go north to visit family later this week