Canadair CF-104 Starfighter – 1 CAG, Canadian Air Force, West Germany, 1964

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA1065: Canadair CF-104 Starfighter #104733 of 1 CAG, Canadian Air Force, West Germany, 1964. Production run of 700 models.

Length 9.25 inches Wingspan 3.75 inches

Built as a CF-104 by Canadair with a s/n 12733 and given the RCAF serial 12733, it joined the Canadian Armed Force at Baden-Solingen Germany in a nuclear role. In 1971 the CF-104 became a ground attack aircraft. In 1986 the CF-104 was being replaced by the CF-18 Hornet so some aircraft were scrapped or placed in storage until they were sold to other countries. In 1986 CF-104 104733 was sent to Turkey where it became 62-733 and flew until 1996 when it was preserved at Askeri Muzesi, Harbiye, Istanbul.

Designed to meet a need for an aircraft that could successfully compete against the MiG-15 in Korea, the F-104 Starfighter was first flown on February 20, 1958. American pilots believed that the F-86 Sabre was too large and complex to outmaneuver the lighter MiG, and they wanted a smaller, simpler, high-performance aircraft to replace it. The resulting design was a light, aerodynamic airframe wrapped around a powerful J79 turbojet engine. The F-104C was used by the USAF from 1958 until 1967, but most of the 2,578 production Starfighters were built and flown by members of NATO, including the Italian Air Force, which didn’t retire it until 2004.