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When Atlantis acquired many of the early Revell kit molds, many thought it was only a matter of time before the long serving Lockheed F-94C Starfire kit in 1:56 scale, again hit the shelves.
The kit has a long and interesting history. Introduced in 1953, it was one of Revell's first aircraft kits and was the recipient of a major makeover which kept it credible for decades.
As first released, it was pretty standard for the time, consisting of just 11 parts plus a two piece stand.
Each wing was molded into one panel, not top and bottom as we see today. So, two piece fuselage, two wings and two stabilizers made up the airframe. The tip tanks were two pieces each. Finally, a clear canopy covered the cockpit which consisted of the crew heads sticking above a flat plain.
So, pretty simple.
However, that was the state of the kit makers art.
It is similar to the early Aurora kits that competed for boy's pocket money at drug, dime and hobby stores. My first build was the Aurora Spitfire that came out a year after the F-94. It was similarly basic: two one piece gear legs (no doors) which fit into holes under the one piece wings. A plug-in tail wheel was also included. The cockpit was similar to the Revel with just the pilot's head and shoulders.
However, the next year (1954), Revell felt the need to up their game. They re-engineered the Starfire kit by adding two piece wings and full landing gear with doors. The flat cockpit was replaced by a two person "sled" where the pilots were molded along with their seats and control panels, the unit being glued into a fuselage half before assembly. It appears they kept the basic fuselage mold, the raised Decal lines with the same serial number. Those lines remain on the Atlantis kit, so its fuselage tooling dates back to the year Eisenhower took office. New box art came along, it as used for a Revell reissues and now the Atlantis release.
The update must have worked because Revell kept the kit in their lineup, off and on, until 1998.
In 1963, it was included in the 3 Jet Fighters box set along with a F7U Cutlass and F9F-8 Cougar... molds Atlantis might have.
In 1954 it was included in the 6 jet *Supersonic Gift Set". It must have been THE Christmas Gift of the year, no doubt given by aunts to deserving nephews across the country. Only a spoil sport would have the nerve to tell Aunt Betty that two of the planes included, the X-3 and the F-94 were decidedly NOT supersonic. A third, the F-102 was only marginally so. The Douglas SkyRocket, F-100C (both reissued by Atlantis) and the Saab Viggen were capable of Mach 1+.
(Note: the recently released Atlantis Viggen is from the old Adams/Lindbergh molds).
ABOUT THE F-94...
Since this is WIX and not a model site, lets talk about the now seldom seen Starfire.
After WWII, the U.S. was feeling pretty smug until Russia tested its own atomic wrapon. And, thanks to a B-29 that landed in Russia while on a mission against Japan, a means to deliver it.
The current interceptor was the F-82 Twin Mustang. Even with its decent performance, long range and radar, it was not up to the job.
The Air Force committed to building the Northrop F-89 twin jet interceptor in early October 1948, just six weeks after the Russian bomb test, and the F-94 as an interim interceptor a week after that.
It was thought the F-94 would be ready quickly since it was basically an radar-equipped, armed TF-80...the T-33 designation would not be standardized until mid-1949.
The F-94 A first flew in July, 1949 and became operational in August 1950. The improved shark nosed F-94 B were sent to combat in Korea to help protect B-29s and serve as night fightets. One was lost to enemy action while crews claimed four enemy planes destroyed.
The subject of our kit, the F-94C was a major redesign of the type.
Powered by a Pratt & Whitney afterburning J48 in place of the earlier Allison J-33, the fuselage was almost totally new with thinner wings, swept horizontal stabilzers, dive flaps, and A linger nose housing an improved Hughes E-5 radar. The big news, was its all rocket armament: with 24 2.75" FFARs in four nose flaps which encircled the radius and another 12 on each wing in midi span pods with frangible noses. That feature was shown to dramatic effect on the initial Revell box art which did not feature the wing pods as they were introduced later in the production run.
The "C" became operational in June, 1953 and reached its peak of 265 aircraft a year later.
The "C" was a popular subject for kits, also being offered by Lindbergh in 1:48th and Aurora in 1:76. Both those kits featured the "C's" prototype markings like the Revell.
And as previously mentioned, it is in the classic Monogram Air Power 1:240 collection, despite being on the brink of retirement.
In the '90s, Hobbycraft offered 1:48 kits of both the "A" and "B" variants, but a modern kit of the "c" would have to wait until the 2012 kit from Kittyhawk.
Why did that take so long to get a new kit?
Despite 109 "A" s, 356 "B" s and 387 "C" s produced, and being a major part of the interceptor force, the Lockheed was always seen as interim type; as a backup to the F-89, then the F-102. (The speedy single- seat F-86D, was apparently used for "close in" interceptions). The Northtops were used extensively at extreme Northern bases, where its long range was needed to intercept bombers as far away as possible and the safety of its twin engines appreciated.
The Air Force seemed to be half hearted with the '94, and considered cancelling the entire program in July,1952. But, the type was kept in production because the service didn't have anything better. Pilots in Korea praised the '94, and maintenance crews liked the accessibility to its avionics systems...though early examples were apparently plagued by rain leaks which played havoc with them.
At least they were relatively inexpensive; Official Air Force documents price the "B" at $196,248 and the upgraded "C" at $534,073.
I would imagine few readers are old enough to remember seeing a F-94 fly, it was retired in the summer of 1959, when the Minnesota ANG relinquished the type (other sources say mid 1960).
Today, there are about 20 survivors in museums. I recall happening upon a wing less "B" in the early days of the Pima Museum circa 1976. One was mounted for years in a Duluth Minnesota park. it is now in the MINN ANG museum. And a pristine example is in the NMUSAF at Wright-Patterson.
If you are interested in an official U.S. Air Force history of the Starfire, I recommend...
"Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems vol. 1 Post WWII Fighters 1945-1973" by Marcello Size Knaack.
Office of Air Firce History, 1978.
Available from the Superintendent of Dicumei, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
The book is an invaluable source for historians of the Cold War Air Force, bit sadly largely unknown to enthusiasts.
Below...Revised Revell box art now used by Atlantis.
Bottom is the original Revell 1953 box art for the initial issue.
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