F-104 Starfighter - Modern Combat Aircraft 9
by Arthur Reed, Ian Allan 1981 (p.18) states:
From the side of the fuselage to the tip, each was only seven feet seven inches long. With a thickness ratio of 3.36%, and with a maximum thickness of 4.2in next to the fuselage, it slimmed down to only 1.96in at its extremity. The theory in Lockheed was that its leading-edge flap was sharp enough to cut steak with. Whether anybody ever tried is not recorded. What is fact is that it was such a dangerous object for ground staff to walk into that special felt pad guards were provided.
My personal favourite nickname for the F-104 is "Bullet and Blades"
Rgds