I’ll be painting this Starfighter in its initial bare metal finish scheme from the 1970s. Hasegawa’s instruction doesn’t include this scheme so I based the color callouts on the Fine Molds F-104J instructions instead. Painting begins with a base of black.
The wings were painted white for the top side with RC222 Real Color Insignia White FS17875.
The bottom of the wings was painted H57 Aqueous Aircraft Gray. Note that I have already attached the pylons at this point. This is something I always do nowadays when I can.
The belly AIM-9 launchers were also painted in white and these along with the wings were then masked off.
The bare metal finish is my tried and true HSM01 Aqueous Super Metallic Super Fine Silver.
After a day of curing, it’s time to tackle the exhaust area.
I masked off the outlines first before backfilling with larger strips of masking tape.
The blue tape is My Hobby’s low-tack masking tape. While it hasn’t happened so far, I use it just in case the normal yellow masking tape reacts with the silver paint.
The tail area is an interesting mix of various shades of metallic colors which I carefully masked and sprayed.
Liking the result so far!
The nose requires some careful painting. The nose is H61 Aqueous IJN Gray with the antiglare panel a green color using XF-81 Tamiya Dark Green 2 (RAF). Right behind canopy is an area that Fine Molds calls for ‘sail color’. I used H27 Aqueous Tan lightened with a bit of white.
There is a section of vent on the tail that was painted in 77721 Vallejo Metal Color Burnt Iron. A panel on the tailfin was masked off and painted H57 Aqueous Aircraft Gray.
The F-104J is finally taking shape.
A square panel ahead of the nose gear was painted XF-55 Tamiya Deck Tan while the AIM-9 launchers had their ends painted in XF-7 Tamiya Flat Red.
The intake cones and lips were painted XF-85 Tamiya Rubber Black while the gunport got a coat of 77721 Vallejo Metal Color Burnt Iron.
The trailing edge of the ventral fin is a different color of XF-55 Tamiya Deck Tan.
Metallic colors are notorious for revealing shoddy work and they really showed up on the fuel tanks. I decided to ‘fix’ them again.
For the gloss coat, I tested out Mig’s A-STAND Aqua Gloss Clear which are sprayed straight out of the bottle. Happily, the gloss didn’t change the tone of the metallic furnish and was easy to apply. After given a few hours to cure, I applied the decals. The Hasegawa kit comes with all the squadrons that flew the F-104 and I couldn’t resist picking the bear (Panda?) for the tail marking.
Decals were trouble-free and the reds really contrast well against the metal finish. I then sealed everything up with more Aqua Gloss.
Normally I don’t do panel washing on bare metal finishes but I decided to try it this time with Tamiya Dark Grey Panel Line Accent Color. The effect is pretty subtle and I think I’ll need to re-look at this again in my next build. It’s time to move on and finish this build.
The canopy masks came off without any problem and the Aurora film affect on the HUD is pretty nice.
The landing gears go on next with the main gear doors needing very careful positioning and cement to fit properly.
The clear parts go on next but they were slightly too big to fit into the holes. I decided to paint the holes in clear red and then fill them up with a drop of PVA glue which dried clear.
The fuel tanks and the AIM-9s were then attached.
The nose probe is last on and I’m done. The sleek silhouette of the F-104 is slightly marred by the fuel tanks and missiles but it’s still one of the fastest looking jets in my display case.
Build Log
Pt.1 – Construction | Pt.2 – Painting & Finishing
