Subject: Re: Photos for your Gallery - F-15SED (part 1)
From: "Steve Bamford" <[email-masked]>
To: "Sergey Zhvansky" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 00:40:11 -0800

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you have never been hurt; and
Dance like no one is watching!

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sergey Zhvansky" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2001 4:18 AM
Subject: Photos for your Gallery - F-15SED (part 1)

> Dear Steve,
> I am glad to hear nice comments apropos of my Gripen. And now I would like
to
> risk and offer a next my work.  And of course there are some “poor”
phrases
> because my poor English, sory.
>
> It is a rare seen assembled kit in spite of it is one of famous F-15s. The
> question is F-15B-4-MC 71-0291, or – simply – ‘291’, when it was the
Strike
> Eagle Demonstrator.
> So, it is Hasegawa’s kit No. E10 or 00540 in the 1/72 scale, an old
press-form
> moulding, reboxed in 1999.
> In a sense I have made this model ‘by mistake’. I collect jets military
only.
> But ‘291’ is owned not by USAF, but McDonnel Aircraft Company. In this
sense it
> is a civil aeroplane with USAF insigna and armament. But it is very
significant
> airframe in the history of F-15 fighters. It has made its first flight at
> 18.10.1973 as a part of Category I Contractor Development, Test and
Evaluation
> testing. The airframe was used many years for great variety of tests and
> presentations. Also it received at least a dozen of paint schemes. And as
the
> Strike Eagle Demonstrator it was tested in 1980-1983 years on Edwards Air
Force
> Base.
> I have chosen that exactly period for the following reasons.
> First. It allows to apply the European One camouflage scheme.
> Second. It allows to use an extremely high quantity of external armament.
In
> that case I have attached 22(!) Mk.20 Rockeye cluster bombs looking
themselves
> together like a cluster in this case. Also two empty outboard wing pylons
> extremely rare seen on F-15 were attached too. All of that are in the kit
(and
> it was a third reason).
> The Hasegawa’s kit has raised panel lines. And I have rescribed and some
> corrected all of them but bottom part of the fuselage (it is seen nothing
there
> because of the cluster of Rockeyes). Besides that I have corrected the
geometry
> of the tail beams and fins. Attention!: the top of  portside and starboard
> vertical stabilizers should be identical, i.e. without electronic
equipment on
> the portside (the kit’s instruction tells to mount different vertical
> stabilizers as on most of F-15s - it is incorrect).
> Nevertheless the main mistake of the kit is a big airbrake. As all of the
first
> 20 test aircraft the ‘291’ has small 20-square-foot speed brake. I have
made an
> appropriate operation to reduce it. It wasn’t difficult. Some problems
were
> when I corrected an upper surface. Particularly, I have built up the
> longitudinal ‘hump’ (or ‘reversed chute’) being on the airbrake and behind
it.
> It is a feature of the first production Blocks of F-15.
> I have decided to finish ‘291’ not in ‘exhibition’ standard but ‘for
myself’
> again. Therefore I have added few only details to the kit ones.
Particularly, I
> have made red anticollision lights, incidence probes, Pitot heads.
> I have finished ‘291’ in appropriate colours of European One (or Charcoal
> Lizard) camouflage scheme: Humbrol 149 as US Dark Green FS34092, Humbrol
117 as
> US Medium Green FS34102 and Humbrol 32 as Dark Grey FS36082. It was added
> Humbrol 130 White to Dark Grey and Medium Green to achieve a necessary
scale
> effect. To my regret I didn’t add White to Dark Green (I used an old
enamel
> looked too light before drying and quite dark after that; therefore Dark
Green
> is looking some darker than I would like to achieve on the model). But
from my
> point of view it was not a reason to repaint the model. The area of
engines was
> finished by Xtracolor 502 Natural Steel.
> The decals are quite thick. But they applied very well on a surface been
coated
> with gloss varnish (Humbrol 35). In this case I didn’t use any Set & Sol.
But
> in cases of panel lines only I used a small amount of the Decalfix.
> The final coating was made by two coats of Humbrol 49 and 35 mix in
proportion
> 4:1 to achieve quite matt surface.
> All the armament and undercarriage were assembled after painting and
coating.
> Overall I am satisfied with the result of two months work (almost every
evening
> in September and October 2001). But I am not quite satisfied with a
quality of
> photos and scans in spite of many hours were spent to achieve the colours
being
> adequate to the model of the ‘291’.
> ________________
>
> That’s all.
>
>
> You may place the photos in ordnance for your choice, of course.
> There is a lot of 3 shots. Another 6 (of total 9) should be followed
shortly in
> two e-mails.
>
> Best regards,
> Sergey Zhvansky, Russia
>
> P.S. Dear Steve, please note that my e-mail address was changed. Please
make
> appropriate corrections on your site in references.
>
>