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Italeri 1/32 F-104A/C Broken Canopy Replacement?

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  • Member since
    November 2011
  • From: Philadelphia, PA
Italeri 1/32 F-104A/C Broken Canopy Replacement?
Posted by AUSTanker on Monday, July 15, 2019 12:35 PM

Hey! Got this kit for my 50th b-day- Italeri kit No. 2504, F-104A/C Starfighter, and the canopy, Part 13F, is smashed down the middle into three separate pieces. When I emailed MRC in New Jersey (who distributes Italeri into the US), they say you're SOL, this kit is discontinued for right now.

I also tried Italeri customer service in Italy, but still no word on if the part is available.

Any suggestion on how to get a replacement canopy? Did Squadron/ True Details ever do a vac canopy for the old Hasegawa 1/32 F-104? Or could I use the canopy from the old Hasegawa F-104...which would waste the rest of the kit?

Thanks!

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Monday, July 15, 2019 12:48 PM

Have you tried contacting Italeri directly? The canopy off the F-104G or S should be the same as on a A/C version. 

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    November 2011
  • From: Philadelphia, PA
Posted by AUSTanker on Monday, July 15, 2019 1:37 PM

Thanks a lot, Brother- will do! Looks like Italeri has a kit 2514, "F-104 G/S Starfighter, G/S version," that uses the same clear part.

BTW, just to pass on to help others- I've found Tamiya and Special Hobby customer service to be outstanding.

In hundreds of models in 40 years, I've only come across two or three broken or missing parts, but the two companies stepped up- I got the Tamiya 1/48 Meteor and read reviews that the wings were wrong for 1944, that in doing their research, Tamiya had copied a hybrid Meteor in a museum with a WWII fuselage but post war wings, incorrect for an initial production Meteor.

Wrote Tamiya and offered to swap my wrong wings in the kit for the right one, if they'd corrected the error. Badda bing, got a priority mail package with the correct part and thanking me for being a loyal Tamiya customer for 40 years!

Another great experiecne, I found the old Special Hobby 1/32 Buffalo, Battle of Midway version, but it arrived with a canopy smashed in half. Wrote to Special Hobby and there was some back and forth, but they replaced it which I truly appreciated.

We all should support the companies that stand behind their prodcuts like this! Best, Christian

  • Member since
    November 2011
  • From: Philadelphia, PA
Posted by AUSTanker on Monday, July 15, 2019 1:41 PM

BTW I did neglect to mention, the Vietnam-era F-104 Starfighter that I'd really like to do is called "SEX MACHINE," with funky swinging '60s nose art, but tragically, haven't seen any decals for it yet.

Caracal has a great decal for 1/32 Vietnam Starfighters, but no Sex Machine on there, more's the pity!

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Monday, July 15, 2019 1:52 PM

 

It's possible to make one. Glue the pieces together and sand out/ fill the cracks.

Then plunge mold it.

Here's a nice website about the Starfighters at Udorn.

http://www.i-f-s.nl/udorn-aircraft-part-1/

Interesting that these aircraft have Navy-style refueling probes.

 

 

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Monday, July 15, 2019 3:26 PM

According to scalemates, Superscale made a set of 1/48 decals that include that one. If you could find it, it wouldn't be hard to blow up the size to 1/32. And it's b/w so it would probably hold together graphics wise pretty well.

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Northern California
Posted by jeaton01 on Monday, July 15, 2019 4:48 PM

You have to realize that the person you talk to only knows part numbers/kit numbers, likely has no idea what an F-104 is.  It's always best to find the most recent similar release and ask for a part from that kit number, then they have a paper trail to follow.

John

To see build logs for my models:  http://goldeneramodel.com/mymodels/mymodels.html

 

  • Member since
    November 2011
  • From: Philadelphia, PA
Posted by AUSTanker on Monday, July 15, 2019 5:18 PM
Thanks, John- well realized after 40 years of building models, and already done.
 
Here's the reply from "Customer Service" at MRC, who is Italeri's US distributor. Apparently I "made a mistake," as she puts it below, in trusting them to stand by their defective, broken product after I opened the box to find a canopy smashed into three pieces.
 
"Hello,

We do not sell parts per se.  We assist customers if they make a mistake or receive a part that is molded incorrectly, etc.

...We would have to ask Italeri if the parts for 2514 can be substituted for the parts in 2540.

 Regards,

 Debra"

 

 
  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Monday, July 15, 2019 5:25 PM

Actually the way I read it they are saying you didn't make a mistake.

So now, slather glue all over it, take a photo and send it to them saying "I made a mistake and got glue all over it".

Actually I'm halfway serious.

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    November 2011
  • From: Philadelphia, PA
Posted by AUSTanker on Monday, July 15, 2019 5:33 PM

Hell, you're on to something, my friend- in our pampered, snowflake society of professional victims, that just might work- seems like it doesn't pay to be honest or ask them to take accountability for a defective part... Rather than ask them to take responsibility for THEIR broken part in a sealed new kit, maybe I should blame myself and say I was distraught because I broke my crayons from my safe space coloring book, and my cuddle puppy ate the part...they'd prolly send me two new kits and a teddy bear ha ha ha!

  • Member since
    August 2013
  • From: Michigan
Posted by Straycat1911 on Friday, July 19, 2019 5:13 AM

GMorrison

 

It's possible to make one. Glue the pieces together and sand out/ fill the cracks.

Then plunge mold it.

Here's a nice website about the Starfighters at Udorn.

http://www.i-f-s.nl/udorn-aircraft-part-1/

Interesting that these aircraft have Navy-style refueling probes.

 

 

 

Air Force used the probe and drogue method on quite a few aircraft in the 60’s. 

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