Subject: Re:
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Chuang Xue Qian" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 2 May 2008 23:42:20 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

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

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Chuang Xue Qian 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 4:48 AM

  Gallery Template #05

  1/48 Italeri F-15A 'Baz'

  by Chuang Xue Qian

  --------------------

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here  

  Hello for the 3rd time! And hello from Singapore!! This is my 2nd 1/48 model and also my 20th in my never-ending collection of warplanes. I hoped you liked my F-16 and A-10 already here on ARC even though I see them as under the mediocre standard xD So without wasting any more time, let me present to you my just completed model of the world's premier air superiority fighter of the 20th Century, the F-15 Eagle aka 'Baz' of the Israeli Air Force (IAF).

  Just a brief history about F-15s. The F-15 has chalked up an impressive 104 aerial victories without sustaining a single loss of it's own with over half the kills claimed by the Israeli Air Force. My F-15 depicts F-15A 'Baz' serial number 669 of the IAF's 133 Squadron based at Hatzerim Airbase. Not only was 133 Squadron the first IAF squadron to fly the F-15, it was also the first F-15 squadron to chalk up the first 3 kills for the F-15 worldwide when 3 Syrian MiG-21s were downed over Lebanon in 1979. F-15s have also never been shot down in combat since it's operational history. F-16s have been shot down before but never has an F-15 been blown out the sky by any enemy aircraft or surface-to-air missiles. And during the Gulf War, Saddam Hussein's fighter pilots just refused to intercept the Americans as they knew that they would just get blown out the sky by F-15s if they ever took off and come into contact with the Americans. 

  Due to it's impressive air-to-air record which included MiG-29s, no wonder countries are interested in getting F-15s for their air forces. Besides the United States Air Force, F-15s are also being used by Israel, Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea and Singapore which recently ordered up to 24 F-15SGs which are even more advanced versions of the F-15E Strike Eagle and are capable of deploying JDAMs, JSOWs, AMRAAMs, AIM-9X, AIM-7M Sparrows, a 20mm M61 gatling gun and etc. 

                     Click on images below to see larger images

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 05.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 05.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 06.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 06.jpg 

  Ok back to the topic. I found this Italeri kit to be one of the weirdest F-15s I've ever seen so far. I was disappointed with the cockpit as it was nothing but decals. The afterburner cans were terrible, the main landing gear didn't look so correct to me and the HUD was an F-15E-class HUD which was wrong. I had to modify the HUD by cutting it into 2 and modifying the 2 pieces so that they look like an F-15A/C-class HUD. HUD frames were also scratchbuilt to make the HUD better. 

  But the main reason for building this F-15 was not only to have another 1/48 aircraft in my collection but also to prove myself that I can still build F-15s well as I screwed by 2 1/72 F-15s pretty badly. Well, I should say that I'm rather satisfied with the results!  At least this was also a good practise for me before I start tackling bigger and better models like Tamiya, Revell and Hasegawa which produces great F-15s.

          
        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 02.jpg here  

  This model was basically built OOB. It is armed with 4 Sidewinder and 4 Sparrow missiles for the standard A2A loadout. Painting was done with paints H307 and H308 for the basic F-15 scheme. As you know, I'm still young, only 17 and still not so good at masking and painting yet so pardon my flaws yeah? I also do not have putty or filler so pardon the gaps in between the joints too yea?  Weathering was done by smudging pencil dust in the direction of flight. The panel lines were highlighted using a sharp 2B pencil and excess dust from the pencil being smudged in the flight direction to add more realism. To conclude it all, the plane was finished by spraying a layer of gloss to protect the paint. Canopy handles and mirrors were scratchbuilt to add more detail to the canopy and the yellow bands on the missiles were painted on as I wanted to depict my F-15 carrying live rounds. The ailerons were cutted and dropped as seen from reference photos, the ailerons were usually dropped whenever the plane is on static and RBF tags were made to add extra realism. The IAF and 133 Squadron patches were printed from the Internet and backed with cardboard to strenghten the paper patches. The decals were from the kit. But I've found the eagle decal on the inner tails to be bigger than what I saw from the reference photos. 

  Well if only this kit had a proper cockpit, afterburner cans and Israeli markings which also include the kill marks and that Hebrew phrase seen on the nose of all IAF F-15s, then I think this can be a kit I'll recommend.

  Alright, I think I'll let the rest of the pictures speak for themselves. Hope you'll like it! So from now till I post again - I'll say it would be so soon as I'll be starting school and get busy and I don't have any models lying in wait to get assembled so do wait yea? hehe..  - , take care and God bless!

  Cheers!!  

  Xue Qian

  Click on images below to see larger images

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 07.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 07.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 08.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 08.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 09.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 09.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 10.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 10.jpg 

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 11.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 11.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 12.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 12.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 13.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 13.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 14.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 14.jpg 

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 15.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 15.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 16.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 16.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 17.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 17.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 18.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 018.jpg 

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 19.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 19.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 20.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 20.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 21.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 21.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 22.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 22.jpg 

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 23.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 23.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 24.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 24.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 25.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 25.jpg 

  Photos and text © 2008 by Chuang Xue Qian

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Blog it to your Space with Live Writer! Windows Live Writer