 Victory Productions’ 1/48 USAF and NASA Starfighters
It used to be that finding USAF markings for Starfighters was hard.
Now, you can build just about any American F-104 you want, including
NASA and Navy (yes, Navy) Starfighters. When it rains, it pours.
This sheet—or three sheets, rather—is epic. The instructions
portray 42 F-104As, F-104Bs, F-104Cs, F-104Ds, NF-104As, QF-104As, F-104Ns
and YF-104As and give complete historical and equipment details for each
aircraft. With some research, just about any USAF F-104 could be depicted
using the immense quantity of decals in this set.
Here’s the breakdown, by type, of what’s in the set:
 F-104A: 538th FIS, 1958; 4760th Combat Crew Training Squadron, 1967;
Air Force Flight Test Center, 1959; Naval Ordnance Test Station China
Lake, 1960; 56th FIS, 1958; 83rd FIS, 1959; 337th FIS, 1959; 319th
FIS, 1964; 331st FIS, 1964; 151st FIS, Tennessee ANG, 1960; 4750th
Test Squadron, 1959; 157th FIS, South Carolina ANG, 1961; 151st FIS,
Tennessee ANG, 1961; 157th FIS, South Carolina ANG, 1963; 83rd FIS,
1959; 331st FIS, 1964
NF-104A: Aerospance Research Pilot School, 1964
QF-104A: Air Force Flight Test Center, 1961; 3205th Drone Squadron,
ADTC, 1970; 3205th Drone Squadron, 1967.
YF-104A: NASA Drden Flight Research Center, 1971; 83rd FIS, 1958
F-104B: 337th FIS, 1960; 538th FIS, 1958; 197th FIS, Arizona ANG,
1960; Sacramento Air Logistics Center, McClellan AFB, 1970
 F-104C: 436th TFS, 479th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1960; 435th TFS,
6252 Tactical Fighter Wing, 1965; 435th TFS, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing,
1966 (SEA camouflage); 434th TFS, 479th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1959;
435th TFS, 479th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1959; 476th TFS, 47th Tactiacl
Fighter Wing, 1959; 476th TFS, 479th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1960; 198th
FIS, Puerto Rico ANG, 1972 (SEA Camouflage)
F-104D: 479th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1963; 198th TFS, Puerto Rico
ANG (1974); Air Force Special Weapons Center, 1965; Air Force Flight
Test Center, 1959
F-104N: NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, 1966; NASA Dryden Flight
Test Center, 1966; NASA Dryden Flight Tests Center, 1979; NASA Dryden
Flight Test Center, 1987
That’s a lot of decals! They’re well printed, too, by Cartograf.
One page is made up of the various badges, flashes, logos and crests
of the various units, and the registration is absolutely spectacular.
The Tennessee ANG logo featuring Sylvester the Cat of Warner Bros. fame
is especially well done. The second page has stars and bars, Air Force
legends and various data markings, including different pinstripes for
the arrestor hook. Sheet three has a “number jungle,” plus
the South Carolina, Arizona and Tennessee ANG markings and single-color
markings, including the NASA blue and gold striping. There’s also
a set of orange/yellow/black markings for the NASA High-visibility scheme.
Overwhelming is the word that comes to mind.
 The art for this sheet was done by Jack Morris and Jennings Heilig,
which is the modeling equivalent of having your car customized by both
George Barris and Boyd Coddington. These two gents are the best at what
they do in the U.S. and, arguably, on Earth, and having both of them
involved is almost overkill. These are the kinds of people who throw
tantrums when they spot inaccuracies (your reviewer has seen Jack in
action), making them exactly the kinds of loonies you want doing your
decal artwork.
This is easily the best F-104 decal package ever produced, and perhaps
the most remarkable sheet ever developed for a 1/48 jet subject. If this
were a perfect world, it would also be available in 1/72, but I would
probably be so happy to see it I’d unable to model for a long while.
If you’re building an American F-104—or, heck, if your local
modeling club is building F-104s—this is the only decal sheet you
will ever need. Do yourself a favor and get this set as soon as you possibly
can. Our thanks to Victory Models for the review sample.
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