| Model manufacturer: | Hobby Master Aircraft |
| Order code: | HA1037 |
| Scale: | 1:72 |
| Material: | Combined (Metal / Plastic) |
| Weight: | 0.8 kg |
| Registration number: | 104868 |
| Air company: | CAF |
| Aircraft manufacturer: | Canadair |
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.
