Lockheed CF-104 Starfighter – 421 Sqn 40th Canadian AF (Toothbrush) 1983

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA1036: Canadair CF-104 Starfighter Diecast Model CAF No.421 Sqn, #104805, CFB Baden-Sollingen, Germany, Squadron 40th Anniversary 1983. Production run of only 600 models.

Length 9.25 inches      Wingspan 3.75 inches

CF-104 12805 CL-90 c/n 683A-1105, made it’s maiden flight on June 12, 1962 and was delivered to the RCAF on November 1, 1962. In 1970 CF-104s were given new serial numbers and 12805 became 104805. In 1983 as part of the 421st Squadron / 1 CAG based at Baden-Söllingen, 104805 was given a red paint scheme with an Indian motif to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the 421st Squadron and the 30th Anniversary of CFB Baden-Söllingen. The scheme came to be known as the “Toothbrush” because of the fuselage marking.

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.