jocko417

I plan on some C rip offs, both natural metal TAC and Camo SEA, I could get a 104G Luke AFB Luftwaffe training scheme out pretty quickly.

Glad you like them! I'm editing the thread to have all the download links on the front page. Updates will be posted here.

Well, that's a valid point. If the skins aren't accepted I'll post 'em on a third party host site. Thanks for your patience guys, I've always liked the Starfighter and this may be the closest we get to flying one in DCS... but we can still hope And now we wait:

One note, as they are right now, these livery files are big. The F-86 skins I did had one 4K file for the whole aircraft, whereas the CF-104 skins use three 4K files. I want to see if I can set up a way of using a common folder for normal maps and other shared textures, so separate liveries can consist of only what's needed. Maybe Megalax can chime in, I've had mixed results when working with my Saved Games folder and DCS files. A reminder, you'll need to get the VSN F-104G mod and install it into your Saved Games folder in order for DCS to let the mod work. Installing it into the DCS/Mods folder tree will result in the F-104G mod being disabled. Another thing, while I have tried to be as accurate as I can be when making these skins, there are certain parts of the airplane I was unable to get good reference pics of. When we can finally start to move forward from COVID-19 I'll see about getting some better reference pics with my own camera and update the textures as necessary. For example, the outboard pylons and catamaran missile rack have been somewhat elusive, so the lines and rivets and stuff are not as detailed as the rest of the airframe. I'm going to start a new thread with download links once the skins get approved. There will be plenty of Zipper paint schemes to come now that the "bones" are done. I apologize for these taking so long to be finished! Happy Holidays!

And number two represents an operational CF-104 in NATO service with No. 1 Canadian Air Division, as the aircraft would have looked in the early 1960s. 12833 of 3 (Fighter) Wing, RCAF Station Zweibrücken.

Ok, first two ready for take off. I don't have FC3 so all the flying was AI while I flew the camera around in formation, with judicious use of the pause key... Canadian based CF-104 12701, RCAF Station Cold Lake, Alberta, circa early 1960s. Forgot to turn on the tip tank stencils for the pic... always something. Based on the period photo, sorry, camera pod sold separately.

First one out will be... Canada's first one: 12701, manufactured by Canadair in Montreal, but shipped to Palmdale, CA for initial acceptance test flying by Lockheed, as was '702. '703 and up were all tested in house at Cartierville before being delivered to the RCAF. 701 served as a test platform for a while and sometimes used day-glo red trim and tanks. Starfighters based in Canada had red stabilators, whereas aircraft serving in Europe had white tails. Just finishing up some last details, some 104isms, like these weird stencils used to ID certain types of screws to be used on access panels, I'm guessing certain non-ferrous alloys to be used in case of sensitivity of certain components to magnetic disturbances?

Aw, what the heck... one more. Still a few screws to add on the canopy frame. Unit crest is No. 3 Fighter Wing, RCAF Station Zweibrücken, West Germany.

Merci! In the home stretch now, I've decided I'll release skins in "chronological order", starting with the earliest schemes in natural metal finish. I suck at weathering, so by the time I get to the camo birds hopefully I'll be satisfied with how dirty I can make them. When the Starfighter was first brought on strength with the RCAF, the intended mission was "Strike" (high speed nuke delivery), as well as Recon. The airplanes were finished in bare aluminum with gloss painted wings and tail planes. They were kept as clean as possible for more than one reason - the smooth, clean finish kept the speed as high as possible while hopefully reflecting as much light and heat energy to protect the pilot if "that day at work" had arrived... Buzz numbers are still the placeholders I've been using since day one. Haven't decided which serial of two hundred Zippers will be first

CF-104 776 of No. 417 (OTU) Squadron, CFB Cold Lake, early 1970s. Aircraft in this era wore "shadow titles" on both sides of the fuselage, in both official languages, english port, french starbord.

Thanks guys, I hope it'll be worth the wait, even if it's only an AI aircraft for most. Going from 2K to 4K resolution really boosts the amount of detail you can include, of course doubling the dimensions also quadruples the area... so it's been a LOT of work. Been a long time since I've built up my own template. Still on target for Christmas time. Fuselage details just about done. I had planned to take some photos at the Canadian Starfighter museum in Manitoba of various "hard to reach areas" that are difficult to see in most walk around websites. Covid-19 ruined my Manitoba plans so until I can get up close to the real thing there might be some areas on the skins that are a little generic... From back to front. Wing undersides are tomorrow's job. Working on the 3D details of the centerline pylon too.

Good looking airplane! Can’t help with the rectangular intake duct inspection doors, maybe the Italians can That livery should be easy enough to crank out once I get the template’s bones finally completed in a week or so, Belgian/USAF SEA Camo plus Luftwaffe day-glo plus Turkish roundels... nice. Planning some USAF Vietnam rip-offs (no A2A refueling probe, sorry) as well, so up the same alley.

Pylon Tanks (bare metal shown, camo also included): If you're planning to hop someone's fence carrying a nuke at 600+ kts on the deck, you're going to use a lot of gas...

Tip Tanks and Pylons today... There's a limitation with the mapping - normally 99% of the stencils on the wing pylons are on the outboard side. Unfortunately the textures are mapped to a single pylon, with left and right sides, so textures are repeated on both pylons. Looks busier than in real life but c'est la vie. Colours still to be adjusted, drag chute needs to be "urine yellow" Zipper number 104776, 1 CAG, CFB Baden Soellingen, West Germany, early 1980s:

Bogus serial number on the skin... but here's 104702 of the handful of '104s used for weapons testing by the AETE at CFB Cold Lake. Cameras were mounted inside the tip tanks, and shot high speed photography of test ordinance release through windows in the tanks. CEPE/AETE was a test squadron that flew modified service aircraft for weather and ordinance testing, among other jobs. Test aircraft denoted by the red X on the tail. Always liked this scheme, you rarely saw painted tip tanks on single seater CF-104s. Should look good with the day-glo tanks.

Getting her dirty...

Anything's possible, just let me get the Canadian ones done first 1980s scheme, CFB Cold Lake, Alberta. No. 417 Squadron (OTU).

Yeah, skin pack should be ready for Christmas, mix of camo and aluminum.

Beautiful work, lee1hy!