The Century Series: F-100, F-101, F-102, F-104, F-105 and F-106

by Chris Banyai-Riepl

WARchive Photo Series, Vol. 4

Reviewed by John Miller

The Century Series is a popular name for a group of US fighter aircraft representing models designated between F-100 and F-106 which went into full production. They included the first successful supersonic aircraft designs in the U.S. Air Force’s service, which remained active service well into the 1970s and 1980s with the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard.

Three later variants, the QF-100, QF-102, and QF-106, also continued in service, primarily as aerial target drones, until the late 1990s. The F-104G stayed in service with the Italian military until 2004. The NASA airborne science program maintains a group of F-104G in airworthy condition for use as test platforms and chase aircraft.

The name “Century Series” stems from the fighter (F-) designation number being in the 100–109 range. The term became popular to refer to a group of generally similar designs of the 1950s and early 1960s. As it evolved, the attribution of the Century Series moniker reflects models designated between F-100 and F-106 which went into full production.

Text and picture edited from Wikipedia.

I’m fascinated by the Century Series of aircraft and old enough to remember seeing two of the series, the F-104 and F-105, flying at air shows in the early 1970s. That said, I really like this new addition to the WARchive series: The Century Series.

The author, Chris Banyai-Riepl, is no stranger to producing quality texts on aviation subjects, having previously published books on the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and North American F-86D/L Sabre Dog. Chris is also a good modeler with an eye for shots of aircraft wearing lesser-known schemes. This book is filled with never-before-seen pictures of Century Series aircraft in various liveries. In addition, the book includes occasional detail shots that are perfect for the modeler.

The pictures provided in this book are based on an extensive collection of aviation images taken by his father, the well-known aviation photographer Will A. Riepl, hence the “WAR” in WARchives.

The 96-page book provides 110 pictures and is comprised of six chapters, as follows:

1. North American F-100 Super Sabre

2. McDonnell F-101 Voodoo

3. Convair F-102 Delta Dagger

4. Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

5. Republic F-105 ThunderchiefConvair F-106 Delta Dart

As with all the previous WARchive volumes, this book is filled with very cool, never-before-seen pictures. It doesn’t provide the level of detail found in books that focus on pictures of landing gear, hydraulic lines, etc., but, for those planning on building a Century Series fighter, this book provides plenty of painting inspiration. Another nice publication, Chris!

Highly Recommended for Century Series fans everywhere!

—John

For more on this review, visit ModelPaintSolutions.com

Text and images copyright © 2026 by John Miller/Model Paint Solutions.

Text by and Images by John Miller / Model Paint Solutions
Page Created 30 October, 2026
Last updated 30 October, 2026

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