German Navy Marineflieger, a supersonic jet fighter, made into a 3D figure! Reconstructing engine nozzles, navigation light equipment, Mk.GQ7 ejection seat, etc. with new molds!

When hearing “navy aircraft”, what do you imagine? Many people might imagine anti-submarine patrol aircraft, carrier-borne helicopters, or carrier-based fighters taking off from aircraft carriers. However, the figure of naval aviation power varies depending on the country. An interesting existence among them is F-104G operated by Marineflieger of the West German Navy, in other words the Naval Air Arm. A supersonic jet fighter taking off from land bases to bear attacks on enemy vessels, rather than launching from aircraft carriers as a carrier-based aircraft. What lets you enjoy this machine possessing a slightly unexpected history in 1/72 scale is “German Navy F-104G Fighter 'Marineflieger'”. While gazing at the slender and sharp figure of the F-104, the point where you can imagine even the unique operational philosophy behind it would be the fun of this model.

Speaking of F-104G, it is also a machine where difficulty of handling surfaced in operation within the West German Air Force. However, the navy did not judge it simply as a “hard-to-handle fighter”. High wing loading led to the advantage of being less affected by wind gusts, and further demonstrated high-speed performance of Mach 1.15 even at sea level altitude. In addition, because the airframe itself is small, they also paid attention to the feature of being difficult to be discovered by enemies. In other words, traits often talked about as weaknesses become weapons if duties and environments change. It is quite an interesting episode making one realize that evaluation of weapons is not decided by numbers on performance charts alone.

The way of fighting assumed by Marineflieger's F-104G is also truly bold. Entering under enemy radar coverage while flying at high speed at low altitude, it approached targets equipped with anti-ship missiles. For West Germany back then, the Baltic Sea and North Sea were the front line facing the Soviet Union. There, the F-104G, which took on maritime attack missions utilizing its small airframe and speed, has a power different from fighters whose main purpose was air-to-air combat. Even after completing the model, rather than simply gazing at the parked state, if you imagine “Did this thin machine fly near the sea surface at intense speed?”, the silhouette of the F-104G seems to come to look even more attractive.

If going out of the way to make Marineflieger specifications, you want to be particular about fine equipment as well. In this kit, to precisely express F-104G adopted by the West German Navy, in addition to chaff and flare dispensers, engine nozzles, navigation light equipment, and Mk.GQ7 ejection seat are made into 3D figures with new molds. Such parts are small elements when viewed from the whole airframe after completion, but for model lovers, they are rather places that cannot be missed. While enjoying the sharp style unique to F-104, shifting eyes to details reveals features unique to navy specifications. It has become a kit where you can enjoy in different ways when gazing from afar and when observing thoroughly at hand.

For markings, aircraft belonging to Naval Air Wing 1 “MFG1” and aircraft belonging to Naval Air Wing 2 “MFG2” are prepared. Time thinking about which belonging aircraft to finish as is also a real pleasure unique to plastic models. Not to mention people who like the airframe F-104 itself, if you are a person interested in Cold War era European military aircraft or West German Naval Aviation, wouldn't it be a machine you are quite curious about? Slender pointed nose, small main wings, and unique proportions giving a premonition of high-speed flight. By adding the background of a maritime attack aircraft to that figure, a story not ending with a simple “F-104 variation” comes into view. Make it to enjoy details, and after completion reflect on missions borne by the actual aircraft. It is a 1/72 scale kit letting you savor time unique to models like that.