Lockheed F-94B Starfire by Sword

1/72 scale
Kit No. 72054
Retail: $30.00
Decals: Three versions, by Eduard, all USAF; two with the 319th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Suwon Air Base, South Korea, 1952
Comments: Engraved panel lines, two-piece optional position canopy, photo-etch details, detailed cockpit and main gear well

History

The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet powered all-weather day/night interceptor designed and built by Lockheed Corporation. It was the first operational United States Air Force fighter equipped with an afterburner and first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean War, replacing the F-82 Twin Mustang in this role. The third member of Lockheed’s F-80 family, the F-94 was developed to fulfill a specification issued by the USAF in 1948, seeking a new two-seat, all-weather radar-equipped interceptor capable of day and night operations to replace its piston-engined types such as the F-82 Twin Mustang in light of recent military advances made by the Soviet Union. The F-94 was derived from the successful Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star trainer; being a relatively simple conversion from an established aircraft led to USAF officials viewing it as a low risk option and opting to procure the type.

The prototypes were converted T-33’s, each with a new 26.69kN Allison J33-A-33 turbojet, radar equipment installed in the fuselage nose and suitably equipped accommodation for the radar operator in the rear cockpit. It retained the main armament of four .50 caliber guns in the forward fuselage. Maintaining a high level of parts commonality with the T-33, the majority of the F-94’s external changes were related to the adoption of a larger nose that accommodated multiple guns, radar, and an automatic fire control system. Engine thrust was bolstered by adding an afterburner to the Allison J33 powerplant used.

The prototype F-94 interceptor in flight.

Deliveries of production versions of the F-94A began in June 1950. These incorporated the wings, landing gear and centre fuselage of the T-33, with a new nose and rear fuselage (the former to house the radar and the latter for the afterburner installation). All hydraulic, electric and control systems were similar to those of the F-80C. The F-94A were followed in 1951 by F-94B which differed in having square wingtips with centrally mounted Fletcher tip-tanks of larger capacity and improved shape, raised to the wing centre-line, and a revised hydraulic system. A total of 544kg of electronic equipment included automatic locating, tracking and firing instruments, Westinghouse autopilot, Sperry Zero-Reader, ILS, etc.

During January 1951, the improved F-94B entered service; it was outwardly virtually identical to the F-94A. The Allison J33 engine had received several modifications to make it considerably more reliable. The pilot had a roomier cockpit while the canopy was replaced by a redesigned unit with a bow frame in the center between the two crew members, along with a new Instrument Landing System (ILS). 356 F-94Bs were built, and it proved to be a fairly reliable aircraft, particularly in comparison to its predecessor, encountering relatively few problems during its service life. This improved model quickly replaced the F-94As in service with the active-duty squadrons, after which the older aircraft were temporarily returned to Lockheed to be re-engined and rebuilt to F-94B standards. These upgraded F-94A/B aircraft were also modified with a twin-gun pod under each wing for two additional 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) machine guns each, bringing the total to eight. These aircraft were then passed along to Air National Guard units where they served until the end of the 1950s.

Operational Service

In March 1951, upgraded F-94Bs were received from Lockheed by the 33d Fighter Wing at Otis AFB, Massachusetts, replacing their F-86A Sabres, although the last squadron of the wing didn’t replace its Sabres until May 1952. Three federalized Air National Guard units, the 121st FIS (DC), 142nd FIS (Maine), and 148th FIS (Pennsylvania), received F-94Bs while they served on active duty during the Korean War call-up to defend the airspace over Washington, D.C. However, these F-94s were retained by the USAF when these ANG squadrons returned to State control in 1952. lso seven more squadrons received F-94Bs as part of the roll out from Lockheed.

In the Pacific, the Far East Air Force (FEAF) equipped three squadrons with F-94Bs, and Air Defense Command deployed the 319th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron to South Korea to provide a jet air-defense umbrella over the Seoul area. The first shipment of F-94Bs arrived in Japan in March 1951, assigned to the 339th Fighter-All Weather Squadron at Johnson Air Base. Also arriving was a mobile training unit from Chanute AFB, Illinois to provide transition training for the F-82G Twin Mustang pilots into the new jet interceptor. In May, F-94Bs began to re-equip the 68th FIghter All-Weather Squadron (FAWS)at Itazuke Air Base, while rotating pilots and radar operators to Suwon Air Base in South Korea where they flew combat missions over North Korea with the F-82G’s as well as air defense alert over Seoul.

The appearance of MiG-15’s over Seoul in December 1951 raised alarm bells at Far East Air Force headquarters sufficient to trigger the deployment of at least two F-94B’s from the 68th FAWS to the South Korean capital. At the time, the only United Nations interceptors over Seoul were six F-82G’s along with some Marine Grumman F7F Tigercats. The F-82’s and F7Fs continued their armed reconnaissance and weather missions against North Korean targets, while the F-94s flew interception missions over South Korea and the Yellow Sea. Care was taken to not fly the Starfires anywhere that a crash would allow the communists access to the wreck if it were shot down.

Starting in January 1952, F-94B’s were tasked with flying air defense missions over Honshu and Hokkaido, the two largest and northernmost of the Japanese home islands, against potential intrusion by Soviet aircraft. Two months later, they were assigned to fly operational missions at Suwon, providing Combat Air Patrols (CAPs) for B-29 night bombing missions. In June 1952, the F-94 made its first contact with enemy jets, with their crews reporting a belief that the communists were testing radar-warning equipment. On several occasions just when they were ready to fire on the enemy aircraft, it would start evasive action indicating the MiGs were equipped with a form of warning radar (as were the F-94’s). Other intercepts would take place over North Korea and the F-94 was credited with several air-to-air victories, including the first jet-vs.-jet night victory against a MiG-15.

A total of 854 production Starfires were built. The USAF’s first turbojet-powered all-weather interceptor, the type served primarily with Air Defense Command for national defence. It was retired from the USAF in 1958, and from the Air National Guard in 1959.

The Kit

This kit is a 2022 reissue of a 2013 release by Sword. It is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 65 parts, including one clear part for the canopy. There is also a photo-etch fret in color containing parts for the main and side instrument panels in the cockpit, seat straps for the pilot and radar operator, dual rudder pedals (the F-94 featured limited dual instrumentation, as there is only one control yoke), and additional details for the landing gear, canopy frame as well as external details for the fuselage surface.

The cockpit tub with its tandem seating is rich with photo-etch detail, and there is a separate nose wheel well assembly whose parts feature raised relief. The jet pipe assembly features four plastic and two photo-etch parts, and the instructions make clear that the separately mounted elevators must be mounted to the fuselage at exactly 90 degrees. A note on the detailed landing gear: the main wheels are each two separate parts that must be cemented together, which is not alway seen in this scale.

There are two PE parts for rear view mirrors to be cemented to the windshield, as well as one for the internal frame of the canopy. An unusual aspect of the kit instructions is that they recommend the seats be cemented into the cockpit tub after the fuselage is closed up. This may be due to the fact that four rectangular PE parts are to be cemented into the either side of the internal lip of the cockpit as part of the sidewall detail, and the seats could present an obstruction at that stage, since presumably they are to be installed afterward. Modelers may want to think twice about this and study the dimensions of the cockpit once the fuselage is closed up, or better yet make their own decisions about the sequence of construction of the cockpit components.

NOTE: There is an option for an open or closed canopy, with Part No. 47 providing the canopy support should you decide to leave the cockpit open.

Markings

The kit provides markings for htre different aircraft, by Eduard, including a series of stencil details. All three versions appear in a scheme of overall aluminum, with discrete sections of the vertical tail painted Light Grey, and the panel covering the apertures for the main armament (four .50 caliber machine guns) on the ventral section of the nose painted Flat Black.

The first version, FA-888, is for an F-94B flown by Major Bill Thomas of the 61st Fighter Interceptor Squadron, based at Selfridge Field, Michigan (now Selfridge Air National Guard Base) circa 1951. Its markings include the sharks teeth seen on the nose in the box art, and the radome in the nose is to be painted Ivory according to the instructions, rather than Radome Tan. The middle section of the wing tip tanks – for this aircraft only — are to be painted the same color.

The second version, FA-829, is rather plain and features no special markings, although the radome is painted Flat Black. During the Korean War it was initially based at Johnson Air Base in Japan with the 338th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. During 1952 it was transferred to Korea to serve with the 319th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Suwon Air Base, South Korea.

The third version, FA-449, also of the 319th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Suwon Air Base, shows the radome in Flat Black, and includes markings for colorful blue flashes on the wing tip tanks, and diagonal blue stripes along the side of the rear fuselage. This aircraft is credited with downing a North Korean aircraft (identified as “probably a (propeller-driven) Lavochkin La-9”) during a night interdiction mission on January 30, 1953.

Conclusion

This is a crisply molded kit of an often overlooked interceptor of the Korean War that is quite detailed for this scale. While not as attractive or rakish as the F-86 Sabre, B-29 aircrews relied on the F-94B Starfire for their safety after they were compelled to switch to night bombing missions once the appearance of the MiG-15 made daylight bombing too dangerous.

References

• aviastar.org
• wikipedia.org