The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet aircraft of the United States Air Force. It was developed from the twin-seat Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star in the late 1940s as an all-weather, day/night interceptor. The aircraft reached operational service in May 1950 with Air Defense Command, replacing the piston-engined North American F-82 Twin Mustang in the all-weather interceptor role.
The F-94 was the first operational USAF fighter equipped with an afterburner and was the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to enter combat during the Korean War in January 1953. It had a relatively brief operational life, being replaced in the mid-1950s by the Northrop F-89 Scorpion and North American F-86D Sabre. The last aircraft left active-duty service in 1958 and Air National Guard service in 1959.
The subsequent F-94B, which entered service in January 1951, was outwardly virtually identical to the F-94A. The Allison J33 turbojet had a number of modifications made, which made it a very reliable engine; the pilot was provided with a more roomy cockpit and the canopy was replaced by a canopy with a bow frame in the center between the two crew members, as well as a new Instrument Landing System (ILS). 356 of these were built.
The F-94B Starfire proved in service to be a very reliable aircraft with relatively few problems.
As they replaced the F-94As in service with the active-duty squadrons, the older models were sent to Lockheed to be re-engined and modified to F-94B standards. These upgraded F-94A/B aircraft were also modified with a pod under each wing for two additional 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, 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.
Back in the month of August, I shared a Hasegawa 1/72 Grumman F9F-8 Cougar model kit build with you all. That build as mentioned in that entry back then was commissioned by a diecast aircraft collector in the awesome state of Texas. As with the Cougar build, he requested no weathering at all on his models. His commands are my wishes.
Here I share a 1/72 F-94B from Sword Models built around the same time for the same client. The model as with his previous request has no weathering. The 1/72 F-94B from Sword Models is a good representation of the ‘B’ version. Note that this model kit within the limited-run group. It will make a nice display model, but it does require some elbow grease.
The entire kit was built OOB and here before the canopy is cemented you can see how the cockpit is appointed in terms of detail. There’s is definitely room for improvement but since it will be displayed with a closed canopy, extra work (and time) will not be appreciated. My major complaint was the gap from the front windshield to fuselage fit (see pictures). Fixing this would require some modification of the fuselage and the front canopy. I’m not too fond of messing around with clear parts and getting spare parts from non-mainstream brands could result in a headache and big delay for the person hiring one for the job.
As with all models in the website since 2017, this model kit was finished with Mission Models US Paints.
