Scaleworld

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

by

Jim Upton

One of the greatest modern era fighter jets ever produced by the United States has to be the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. Known by many as "the missile with a man in it", it was truly a revolutionary design.  Nothing like it had ever been seen and the number of firsts attributed to it is mindboggling. First and foremost, it went from design to an operational combat fighter in only one year! Beyond that, it was the world's first Mach 2 combat aircraft and was also the first to mount an airborne 6,000-round-per-minute Gatling gun. If by now you're thinking that the aircraft needs a book devoted to it, then Specialty Press was thinking the same way.

That book is now available as a member of their excellent Warbird Tech Series. Familiar to Warbird Tech readers, Jim Upton was a professional flight engineer for Lockheed and was the project aerodynamicist on the F-104. In other words, he was the guy who made sure the darn thing would fly. Who better to author a book on the F-104?

Chapter 1 deals with the aircraft's origins, as it should. Particularly fascinating are the nine different design concepts that eventually led to the F-104 as we know it. From there we move on to chapters dealing with aircraft features (inlet design, engines and so on) and flight testing.

Chapter 4 is a complete rundown of all F-104 models, from the XF-104 to the F-104S. Weapons systems get their own chapter, as do international operatiors.  Chapter 7 deals with all kinds of modifications, including a design for an escape capsule and the ZELL (Zero Length Launch) concept. One thing that'll get your attention is a U-2 nose radome grafted onto an F-104.  And let's not overlook the civilian F-104s. Those range from the NASA birds to privately owned ones.

For the modelbuilders in the crowd, you'll find a 2-page Model Kit Guide in the back of the book that's written by yours truly. Basically a round-up piece covering recent and currently available F-104 kits.

Photographically, you won't have any argument. The 8 1/2" x 11" softcover book contains 250 b & w photos and drawings, along with 8 pages of beautiful color shots. Probably the strangest photo in the lot is a bright orange F-104 fuselage with an eagle painted down it's length. No longer an aircraft, it's been converted into a racecar in order to attempt a new land speed record.

You get all of this for the ususal Warbird Tech price of only $16.95. Available as usual from bookstores and better hobby shops. Or order direct from Specialty Press. You can also call them direct at 1-800-895-4585. Just keep in mind that when ordering from Specialty Press, there is a $4.95 shipping and handling charge added to each order.