Lockheed F-104S Starfighter

Italian Air Force 10 Gruppo, 9 Stormo

Grazzanise AB, Italy, October 2004

Hobby Master 1/72  HA1045

F-104S Starfighter MM6934 was delivered to the Italian Air Force in September 1978 and assigned to the 36th Wing. In June 1984 MM6934 was assigned to 5 Stormo as 5-37. In April 2000 the aircraft was converted into an ASA-M and after several more moves the aircraft was assigned to 10 Gruppo/9 Stormo on November 11, 2001. On October 11, 2004 MM6934 of 9 Stormo completed its final flight as 9-51 having flown 3,836 hours. In 2014 the aircraft became a monument located at Grazzanise.

F-104S Starfighter

Designed to meet the need for an aircraft capable of successfully competing with the MiG-15 in Korea, the F-104 Starfighter was put into service on February 20, 1958. The American pilots felt that the F-86 Sabre was too large and complex to outperform the lighter MiG, and they wanted a smaller, simpler, high-performance aircraft to replace it. The result was a light and aerodynamic cell wrapped around a powerful J79 turbojet engine. The F-104C was used by the USAF from 1958 to 1967, but most of the 2,578 production Starfighters were built and operated by NATO members, including the Italian Air Force, which withdrew it only in 2004.

The Hobby Master "1:72 Air Power Series" range presents detailed, ready-made diecast models of military aircraft.

Hobby Master "1:72 Air Power Series" diecast airplanes feature:

• Die-cast metal construction with some plastic components.
• Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
• Pad-printed markings and stickers that will not fade or flake like decals.
• Opening of the awnings, revealing details from inside the cockpit.
• Interchangeable extended/retracted landing gear.
• Presentation stand to present the aircraft "in flight".
• Authentic detachable artillery loads with posters.
• Detailed bottom with hidden screw heads.