Part 1: First Look

MSRP: $41.90 The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, supersonic interceptor used by the USAF from 1958 until 1967. It continued in U.S. service in the Air National Guard until 1975 and in a small support squadron for NASA until 1995, when it was retired and replaced by the F-18. The F-104 Starfighter has seen service in many NATO countries including Italy. When the last F-104S it was decommissioned in 2004, the Italian Air Force had received over 40 years of service from the Starfighter. The Hasegawa kit number 09767 is modeled after the Italian entry into the 1988 and 1991 'Tiger Meet'. The first thing that caught my eye about this Hasegawa kit was the box. Unlike most model boxes that are decorated with an artist interpretation, Hasegawa has included a very clear and accurate reference photo. I like research as much as the next guy, but its nice to have a photograph of the actual aircraft you're going to build. The kit contains 10 light gray sprues and 1 sprue of clear parts for a total of 145 parts. The pieces are very nicely molded with clean, sharp engraved panel lines and no flash. Each sprue is clearly marked and the part numbers are easy to read. The canopy and other clear parts are crystal clear. The eight page instruction sheet breaks down the construction into fourteen assembly steps, with two pages of paint and decal directions for building two versions of this aircraft, the 1988 and 1991 'Tiger Meet' F-104S. These versions are very similar, but with enough differences that you may have a hard time deciding which one to build. The decals are amazing, with bright yellow orange tigers, sharp and crisp tiger stripes and lettering, and very nice cockpit decals.

To sum up my first impression, I believe Hasegawa has given us another beautiful model to add to our collections, and I can't wait to build it. I will have the full build review completed very soon.

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