Subject: Re: Submission to edit asap: Lockheed F-104 G Starfighter - JaBo 33 - From Italeri 1/72
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Alessandro Cimenti" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 13:07:12 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
ARC Air - Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.arcair.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Alessandro Cimenti 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2014 4:32 AM
  Subject: Submission to edit asap: Lockheed F-104 G Starfighter - JaBo 33 - From Italeri 1/72

  Lockheed F-104 G Starfighter - JaBo 33 - From Italeri 1/72

  Show fullsize of Photo12 here

  Hi to all ARC modellers! 

  this Luftwaffe F-104G JaBo 33 is my last kit made from an Italeri/ESCI box after I read an article about the same model built in 1/48 scale in an italian modeller's site last year (the complete article can be viewed at this link: http://www.modelingtime.com/lockheed-f104-%E2%80%9Cg%E2%80%9D-starfighter%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%93-jabo-33-dal-kit-hasegawa-in-scala-148/). 

  I decided to make the same identical aircraft, but in 1/72!

  Show fullsize of Photo1 here

  I built the kit using some aftermarket and scratchbuilt parts, ejection seat, wheels, cockpit console, fuel tanks and the SUU exercise bomb dispenser came all from the spare parts, or from Eduard, the SUU internal bomblets are from an old Hasegawa external loads kit.

  I cut the wings in order to obtain flaps and slats, assembled in lowered position, while the cockpit was reworked using an aftermarket ejection seat typical of the first examples delivered to the german Luftwaffe (not the Markin Baker mounted later on AMI and Luftwaffe examples), the controls panels were heavily modified, so I could use some Revell decals for the Starfighter cockpit, the final result is not very realistic, but while the canopy is closed, I was enough satisfied of the final result.

  Show fullsize of Photo2 here

  The painting process was rather long and accurate, most part of the job was done looking at the article made by the italian modeller who made the 104 in 1/48 starting from an Hasegawa kit, I just followed his suggestions using Alclad silver paint instead of the Chrome silver Tamiya.

  Upper wings were painted in white, lower wings in light gray as the pylons, wing tanks painted with a different silver paint, as well as the parts close to the exhaust cone and the tail, that were darkened a bit in order to simulate the smoke and heat effects on those parts.

  Post shading effect on most part of the panels after the silver was dry.

  Show small enlargable size of Photo3 here - Show small enlargable size of Photo4 here - Show small enlargable size of Photo5 here

  After all, I polished for several times the whole model with an antistatic cloth, then I applied a thin layer of transparent varnish, waited for a couple of days, and finally applied the decals.

  Decals are a mix of Italeri (stencils) Hasegawa (Crosses and fin flash) Heller (JaboG 33 tail insigna) while the individual numbers (DA+101) and the little white "bat-phantom" nose insigna were printed using a blank decals foil, and a professional ink printer. 

  Show fullsize of Photo6 here

  This (together with the spare Hasegawa tanks) was made possible by the super-skilled french modeller Fabien Antonietti, who send me via mail a detailed series of profiles with individual numbers and insigna of the early german Zippers.

  The aircraft was finally assembled with the SUU exercise bomblet dispenser under the fuselage, painted in white and added with some stencils, while the bomblets were painted in USN  midnight blue, dispenser assembled with bombs bay opened.

  The pictures show an aircraft on the tarmac, ready to take off for a fighter-bombing exercise mission.

  Show small enlargable size of Photo7 here - Show small enlargable size of Photo8 here - Show small enlargable size of Photo9 here

  The final pics show tail details, and the aircraft in clean configuration.

  Show small enlargable size of Photo10 here - Show small enlargable size of Photo11 here

  I want to thank the expertise of Fabien Antonietti and Massimo  "pitchup" De Luca (http://www.modelingtime.com) for their precious help and suggestions. 

  Happy modelling to everyone!

  Alex Cimenti