“Missile with a man, Lawn Dart, Widow Maker,” what ever people called it, it was still Lockheed’s F-104 Starfighter, one of the most technologically advanced jet aircraft of the cold war. Over a dozen countries around the world have operated the ‘104, most into the 80s, some into the late 90s. While several manufacturers have released kits of most versions in 1/72, to date only Monogram has released kits in 1/48 (‘104C and ‘104G). Last month, Hasegawa released their Starfighter (starting with the C, to be followed by the J) to an eager crowd worldwide. While I have minimal interest in the ‘104C, I did purchase one to use as a learning tool prior to building my Canadian models.

Hasegawa’s kit features finely engraved panel lines, and copious amounts of engraved rivet and fastener heads. Several people have argued that this rivet detail has been over done (it doesn’t both me personally), since the real ‘104 was flush riveted and filed to produce an almost perfectly smooth wing surface.

The wings, and tip tanks went together quickly, however it should be noted that the control surfaces, and the tip tank fins feature rather deep ejector pin marks that require a minute or two to fill and sand. All control surfaces are separate allowing for positioning. These include the leading edge slats.

Assembling the fuselage is quick and simple, however install the instrument panel and dash prior to assembly and not when the instructions call for it or you’ll never get the panel inside! I wasn’t impressed with the number of small “fiddly” parts to make the ejection seat (aftermarket resin would be great here). I also had to install the exhaust nozzle “turkey feathers” before assembly of the halves since it would crack the rear fuselage joint afterwards. The only need for liquid putty came at the top of the air intakes, and the rear canopy cover. From the way the fuselage was broken down, its easy to see that more kits are on the way. Knowing Hasegawa’s marketing, a dual seat 104D, 104G, and possibly European 104S models are on the way.

Although Hasegawa's white is actually more of a cream colour, I still opted to use the kit decals. They worked fine and helped speed up this build.

This was a nice quick kit to build, with hundreds of interesting paint schemes to model. What disappoints me is that there are no underwing fuel tanks included with either release (including the ‘104J). However, the 1/64” gap between the three window sections, and the inevitable price increase from Hasagawa leads me to rate this kit at 8 out of 10. Because of the window fit, and the smooth surface of all Starfighters, I’d recommend the Monogram release just as much as this fine kit.