1:32 F-104G Starfighter wheels and canopy paint mask outside only (for Italeri 2514 kit)

The thin wing of the Starfighter

The G form was the multirole version designed for European users, and it served for decades with the West German Luftwaffe and with other air arms. The original concept came from the experience of Korea: the least possible drag, a powerful turbojet and a wing so thin that its leading edge had to be covered on the ground for the safety of the ground crew. The aircraft became famous for its speed and for the demands it made on pilots in flight low over the terrain.

The sheet covers the cockpit glazing, the windscreen and the wheels. The frames are narrow on this type and run straight, so the precision of the cut shows immediately and hand work with tape usually ends in dissatisfaction here.

• Glazing, windscreen and wheels on one sheet
• Intended for the European multirole version
• The shapes fit the kit in 1:32
• The outside of the parts, with the inside left uncovered

Do not throw the unused edges of the sheet away. The offcuts between the individual shapes come in useful for small coverings elsewhere on the model, for instance on navigation lights, gun muzzles or part of a landing gear bay. Store the rest of the sheet flat and out of direct light, because film hardens over time and the adhesive loses its grip faster than one would expect.

The supply of user liveries is exceptional with this subject. The metal-finished machines of the first years, the two-tone camouflage of European squadrons and the later all-gray finishes differ so much that you can build the same model three times and get something different every time. A glossy metal surface is the most demanding, because no trace of a finger may be left under it.