Postage Stamp Planes PS5377-3
Lockheed F-104C Starfighter Diecast Model
USAF 479th TFW, #56-09091, George AFB, CA, 1963 |
| 1:120 Scale | | Length | | Width |
|---|
| Lockheed F-104C Starfighter | | 5.5" | | 2.25" |
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, supersonic high-altitude fighter aircraft. It was originally developed for the US Air Force, but later was operated by the armed forces of more than a dozen nations from 1958 to 2004. The F-104 was designed with a unique set of extremely thin trapezoidal wings and was the first combat aircraft capable of sustained Mach 2 flight. It set numerous world records, including both airspeed and altitude records, and was the first aircraft to have held both records simultaneously. Aircraft 56-901 served with the U.S. Air Force during the height of the Cold War in the 1960s. This aircraft set the altitude and speed record for an operational F-104C reaching 92,000 feet at a speed of 2.5 Mach while stationed in Hahn Germany with the 479th Tactical Fighter Wing in 1962. Aircraft #56-0901 is currently on display at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, CT. 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. © Copyright 2003-2025 The Flying Mule, Inc. The "Postage Stamp Planes" range presents affordable, ready-made diecast models of military and civilian aircraft. "Postage Stamp Planes" diecast airplanes feature: - Diecast metal construction with some plastic components.
- Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
- Pad printed markings and placards that won't fade or peel like decals.
- Presentation stand to display the aircraft "in flight".
- Authentic ordnance loads.
© Copyright 2003-2025 The Flying Mule, Inc. |
