HOBBY MASTER AIR POWER SERIES

The West German AF received their first RF-104G in November 1963. One of the RF-104Gs delivered was EA+235 that arrived on November 22, 1963. In July 1966 four Starfighters from the West German Air Force AG51 "Immelmann" based at Ingolstadt-Manching AB did an exchange with Canadian Starfighters from the 439 th and 441 st Squadrons based at RCAF Marville, France. During the exchange West German aircraft from AG51 wore their "Red Squirrel" logo and Canadian flags on the tail covering any AG51 markings. AG51 was decommissioned on March 17, 1993.

Designed to meet a need for an aircraft that could successfully compete against the MiG-15 in Korea, the F-104 Starfighter was first flown on February 20, 1958. American pilots believed that the F-86 Sabre was too large and complex to outmaneuver the lighter MiG, and they wanted a smaller, simpler, high-performance aircraft to replace it. The resulting design was a light, aerodynamic airframe wrapped around a powerful J79 turbojet engine. The F-104C was used by the USAF from 1958 until 1967, but most of the 2,578 production Starfighters were built and flown by members of NATO, including the Italian Air Force, which didn't retire it until 2004.

Hobby Master's 1:72 scale F-104 Starfighter is a good looking model with many quality features. The exceptionally long fuselage is constructed in diecast metal, with plastic side-mounted engine intakes. The rear turbine blades and the exhaust with its "turkey feathers" are some of the high points of this model, along with a canopy that opens to reveal an ejection seat and pad printed front and side instrument panels. The M61 Vulcan Gatling gun port is beautifully recreated, and the complex main landing gear is accurately rendered, securely locking into place for ground display. Most releases include removable wingtip fuel tanks, with fuselage mounted missiles on some versions.

Info:  RF-104G Stargazer - Luftwaffe AG 51 Immelmann, EA+235, Germany, 1966