When you say "F-15," those jets of the 1st Fighter Wing are first to
come to my mind. Back when I first got into Air Force stuff, it seemed
that every picture of an F-15 was one wearing the tail code "FF."
These images have stuck with me, so when it was time to build the 1/48 scale
Hasegawa F-15, I knew I wanted to do it up as a jet from Langley.
The kit used was the Hasegawa F-15C "Alaska Air Group," complete with
metal tidbits and featherless exhausts. It has been said that the kit is
somewhat inaccurate in shape, especially around the engines (?).
Even if this is true, it sure looks like an F-15 when finished.
Construction was pretty straightforward. The cockpit is workable, though
the kit seat was replaced with an ACES II ejection seat from Verlinden.
The only real problem I had with construction was joining the forward fueselage
with the main body of the aircraft. A large seam resulted, and it took a
lot of putty work and sanding to get a reasonable outcome. Nonetheless,
the kit goes together very nicely, and I have a feeling I did something wrong
when gluing the cockpit tub into the fuselage halves, resulting in the following
fit problem.
The Mod-Eagle paint scheme
looks really cool, but unfortunately, Model Master Acrylics only produces the
F-15 Dark Gray, and not the lighter shade which serves as the base coat.
This prevented me from building a Mod-Eagle jet for a while, then I finally
decided that if I want something done, I shouldn't wait for others! Using
some enamel Aggressor Gray as the standard, I mixed some Dark Gull Gray and Gull
Gray, and the result was a very close match for FS36251. Sorry, I can't
remember any ratios, but I believe the majority of the mixture comprised Dark
Gull Gray. With the paint problem resolved, the two-tone paint scheme was
painted using paper masks. A few coats of gloss followed, and then
it was time to decal the jet.
Aeromaster's "Eagles Part I" includes decals for the 94th Fighter
Squadron, circa 1997. These went on very nicely, and to my relief, the
markings matched the home-made paint just about perfectly. Whew!
These decals are very nice, and the carrier film just about disappears with the
help of some Micro Set and Micro Sol. As a note, a lot has been said of
the stark contrast between the two tones of gray. I too was a bit
concerned, but with the decals on the jet, everything seems to look just right.
The Eagles "loaded for bear" -- full combat air patrol loadout -- look
really cool. It seems the standard loadout post-Desert Storm is two AIM-9
Sidewinders, two AIM-7 Sparrows, and four AIM-120 AMRAAMs. Two AIM- 9M's
from the Revell Strike Eagle were used, and AIM-120's were taken from the
weapons box ( these were the ones included in the Hasegawa F-16's which very
noticeably lack the antennae on the side. Cool-Whip container tops were
used to cut thin strips to fit the role. They certainly help!) And
the AIM-7's are from the kit. Three external fuel tanks rounded out the
external loading for a patrol of one of the No-Fly Zones over Iraq.
The pictures of this model were taken outside, and I left it for a few moments
to get the camera. Well, this Eagle really wanted to get airborne and into
a dogfight with the wind, and unfortunately, the wind won. A bunch of
pieces broke off, but were easily repaired. Unfortunately, that large gap
I had so much trouble with popped open. Oh well, it's not too noticeable.
Hopefully, this doesn't count as the F-15's first air-to-air
combat loss!
I hope you like the Eagle. The Hasegawa kit is really nice, and looks
great next to the Revell Strike Eagles on my shelf. I understand there is
former 94th Fighter Squadron Eagle Driver on the Discussion Board.
Hope you like it, Murph!
Tom
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