| Scale | 1/48 |
|---|---|
| Type | Fighter |
| Period | After 1945 |
| Country | Japan |
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Less than five years after Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, Clarence "Kelly" Johnson watched the first combat experience between jet fighters in the skies of Korea and realized the need for an aircraft that could reach high altitudes and influence high-speed interception to achieve and maintain air superiority. His revolutionary Model 83 was designed to meet this need and was presented to the US Air Force as an unsolicited proposal. The Air Force agreed with the need, but decided to look to industry for other ideas. Designs were submitted by Republic and North American, but cautious Air Force personnel chose the Lockheed design. Thus the F-104 was born.
Two XF-104s were delivered less than two years later, but the first production F-104As did not enter service until early 1958. The F-104 was the first operational aircraft to fly above Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound). Its small airframe is equipped with a powerful J79 afterburner that can lift the F-104 from the ground to an altitude of 80,000 feet in less than five minutes. The F-104J and its two-seat training variant, the F-104DJ, were operated as a dedicated interceptor for the JASDF. The aircraft could be armed with up to four AIM-9 Sidewinders, but had no strike capability. Most were produced in Japan by Mitsubishi, and after the type was withdrawn from service by the JASDF, some were transferred to Taiwan.
About a year ago, Kinetic Models first released their 1/48 F-104G kit in their Gold series, followed by the F-104J. Here is their latest release, the F-104J / F-104DJ 2 in 1. The kit is cast in light gray styrene and comes in five pieces, as well as one tree of clear parts and one small one from Photoetch. Among the functions and options in this kit:
Choice of single and double options
Beautifully detailed Lockheed C2 ejection seat (a) with photoetching for pilots.
Beautifully detailed cockpit (i)
Positionable canopy (i)
positionable fairing
Detailed display radar kit with open fairing
Detailed afterburner section and J79 nozzle
Detailed landing gear and wheel arches
Positionable avionics bay door with detailed avionics bay
Positionable rudder
attitude stabilizer
positionable ailerons
Adjustable leading edge flaps
Positionable trailing edge flaps
Positionable speed brakes
Positionable main landing gear doors
glue and paint are not included in the set
