USAF F-104 STARFIGHTER -Adult Collector Diecast Metal Airplane-Pristine Condition-Perfect Gift for Collectors, Veterans and Airshow Fans!


$ 49.99

USAF F-104 STARFIGHTER SUPERSONIC FIGHTER/BOMBER -Adult Collector Diecast Metal
Airplane-Pristine Condition-Perfect Gift for Collectors, Veterans and Airshow Fans!

Awesome! USAF F-104 STARFIGHTER SUPERSONIC FIGHTER/BOMBER. Highly detailed, adult collector-constructed of heavy die cast metal. Made by Maisto. Rare find, hard to find vintage model! Measures-measures 5"L x 2 1/4"W x 2 1/4" (mounted). This model is in pristine condition and has never been handled or displayed (until today for your photos). Comes in its original factory clam-shell (protective packaging). Perfect gift for Military aircraft, and vintage toy collectors. We ship fast & safe worldwide every day! READ Aircraft bio below....




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NOTE: My dad owned a Diecast toy store for 30 years. I inherited the store inventory when he passed away many years ago. I am just now, beginning to sell the mint condition vintage models. All are store-inventory is new-old-stock, models have never been "played with". Please visit often-as I adding more cool stuff every day!

AIRCRAFT BIO:

Role : Air superiority fighter, Fighter-bomber National origin United States Manufacturer Lockheed First flight 4 March 1954 (XF-104)[1] Introduction 20 February 1958 (United States) Retired 1969 (USAF) 1975 (US ANG) 1972 (Pakistan Air Force) 31 October 2004 (Italy) Status Retired from military service; in use with civilian operators as warbirds Primary users United States Air Force German Air Force Turkish Air Force Italian Air Force Number built 2,578 Developed from Lockheed XF-104 Starfighter Variants Lockheed NF-104A Canadair CF-104 Starfighter Aeritalia F-104S Starfighter Developed into Lockheed CL-1200 Lancer/X-27 Lockheed CL-288

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic air superiority fighter which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the "Century Series" of fighter aircraft for the United States Air Force (USAF), it was developed into an all-weather multirole aircraft in the early 1960s and produced by several other nations, seeing widespread service outside the United States.

After a series of interviews with Korean War fighter pilots in 1951, Kelly Johnson, then lead designer at Lockheed, opted to reverse the trend of ever-larger and more complex fighters to produce a simple, lightweight aircraft with maximum altitude and climb performance. On 4 March 1954, the Lockheed XF-104 took to the skies for the first time, and on 26 February 1958, the production fighter was activated by the USAF. Just a few months later, it was pressed into action during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, when it was deployed as a deterrent to Chinese MiG-15 and MiG-17 fighters. Problems with the General Electric J79 engine and a preference for fighters with longer ranges and heavier payloads meant its service with the USAF was short-lived, though it was reactivated for service during the Berlin Crisis of 1961 and the Vietnam War, when it flew more than 5,000 combat sorties.

While its time with the USAF was brief, the Starfighter found much more lasting success with other NATO and allied nations. In October 1958, West Germany selected the F-104 as its primary fighter aircraft. Canada soon followed, along with the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, and Italy. The European nations formed a construction consortium that was the largest international manufacturing program in history to that point, though the Starfighter's export success was marred in 1975 by the discovery of bribe payments made by Lockheed to many foreign military and political figures for securing purchase contracts.

The Starfighter eventually flew with fifteen air forces, but its poor safety record, especially in Luftwaffe service, brought it substantial criticism. The Germans lost 292 of 916 aircraft and 116 pilots from 1961 to 1989, its high accident rate earning it the nickname "the Widowmaker" from the German public. The final production version, the F-104S, was an all-weather interceptor built by Aeritalia for the Italian Air Force. It was retired from active service in 2004, though several F-104s remain in civilian operation with Florida-based Starfighters Inc.

The Starfighter featured a radical design, with thin, stubby wings attached farther back on the fuselage than most contemporary aircraft. The wing provided excellent supersonic and high-speed, low-altitude performance, but also poor turning capability and high landing speeds. It was the first production aircraft to achieve Mach 2, and the first aircraft to reach an altitude of 100,000 ft (30,000 m) after taking off under its own power. The Starfighter established world records for airspeed, altitude, and time-to-climb in 1958, becoming the first aircraft to hold all three simultaneously. It was also the first aircraft to be equipped with the M61 Vulcan autocannon.