BillS

Also note the presence of anti skid on all airplanes. Also note in the hanger shot I posted of the left nose the Go Pro camera fairing ahead of the nose gear. This was on the leader’s jet.

This gives you an idea of the Inverted Fuel Pump Lights along with the center mounted stop watch.

That color is a perfect match for USAF AGE.

The spring, fuel pump lights and stopwatch are very visible. True, most folks probably would over look them.

There aren't any after market goodies for the Blues. Other additions are the stick spring, the inverted fuel pump lights on the glare shield, the smoke probe and a Go Pro camera under the nose of number one at a minimum. A friend of mine was the commander from 17-19 and led the transition to the E after relinquishing command. The legacy jets were very tired and showed it.

I never served in an SR organization. I can say with certainty however that Air Force wide, all AGE (Aerospace Ground Equipment) both powered and non-powered went from yellow to od starting around 1977. I’m pretty sure FS 34087 was specified. Actually in many cases 14087 was more common. Powered AGE was anything with a internal combustion or turbine power plant, air cycling machines, light alls etc. Non powered AGE included all ladders and maintenance stands. By the late 90s a lot of AGE started sporting a gray finish.

I too wasn't blown away with the fit around the forward fuselage, in particular the windscreen. Overall I thought it was a decent kit though.

Not to be a contrarian but the best option in my opinion is either Tamiya rattle can “Metallic Silver” or “Bare Metal”. Try spraying them over Tamiya rattle can “Gloss Black”. The quality and durability will amaze you. Another solid option when replicating a silver paint finish is Mr Color Silver.

In reality BRUs (MERs, TERs) simply had two lugs on top that engaged hooks inside the pylon. The mounted BRU in essence rested flush against pylon and held firmly in position by the sway braces. Your assembly looks accurate to me.

The inlet was white. An interesting thing about those nacelle panels is they had to be allowed to cool before removal. If they were removed while they were hot, they were a booger to reinstall because they warped as they cooled.

Get Mr. Color. They’re fairly easy to get in the US, they spray nicely, the colors Are true and they can be handled in a short drying time. The only issue for me is I prefer gloss finishes to facilitate weathering. Therefore you’ll need to apply a gloss topcoat before washes, decals etc. I love Xtracolor gloss enamels but they’re be coming harder to track down. White Ensign Color coats enamels can be found in the US, they are very accurate but just not widely available. MRP gets great press, they’re easy to find as well though I’ve never used them. They might be a really good choice.

I’ve built all of them and Ben gives a really good account. I think it really comes down to how much you want to invest in aftermarket (if at all). Dollar for dollar and considering accuracy, the good ‘ol Monogram kit is a good place to start. Fit is a bit of an issue but not insurmountable plus you have loads of decal options to tart things up. The nice thing is if you were at Tuy after ‘66 or so, you can do camo and it hides a lot! Thats why it’s called camouflage!

In my experience in the AF (F-4, F-16, T-38…) I think its safe to say you can mix and match rubber

There was an old Microscale sheet that had a D subject, “City of Orlando”. Been about 10 years since I was there but I think some of the old SAC facilities are still there.

I’ve built Hase and Kinetic. Both are comparable but I think Hase’s fit might be a schtickle better.

Wondering if this jet was left behind when McCoy closed?

Jens, i have some really nice Cutting Edge resin wheels and a set of Hase cast wheels with rubber tires you're welcome to. Let me know and I’ll ship ‘em. Iowe you guys since I bummed a Danish AF jumper at Karup!

Really excellent info. Ive wanted to see a new tool for a good while now. I did the 90s release with a butt load of Flightpath brass with good results but that was then and this is NOW!

This was one of my wish list subjects. I’m totally in. A “man’s” airplane!

You might put feelers out for the old but excellent Cutting Edge conversion. It does require lopping off a fair chunk of the forward fuselage since the cross section moving forward became elliptical in shape along with different surface details.

I need a left aileron for that jet. Can I bum one if it’s not being used?

I just sold my EU kit on Ebay. Solid “good” model but don’t want to buy aftermarket this and that and attempt inhancing more detail.

I bought this kit and did a mini review a couple weeks back. This review is more in-depth and better but the bottomline for me was lack of overall detail i.e. panel and fastener detail which lacks “oomph”. This coupled with the “basic-ness” of the cockpit/canopy area and landing gear caused me to loose enthusiasm. I hate, HATE being negative but for a beloved subject like this I expected more. That’s not to say that modelers can’t build a nice replica, they can but contrast this to recent ICM products for example and the picture comes in to focus.

Eielson’s aggressors are big mouth, 110 jets so you're good to go out of the box.