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Just grabbed a 1/32 F-15E off eBay


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have i just made a £25 mistake?

Tamiya or Revell? If Tamiya, no you did not make a mistake. You got a good deal (assuming no parts are missing and it hasn't been started on) If it's the old Revell kit, then yes. I've seen some of those go for a little over $20 before.

Yes, you have made a mistake. Please forward the kit to me and I will take this burden off of you. :wave:

Don't listen to him, forward it to me.

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Ollie,

It's not really a horrible kit. But, it doesn't build a true E. It does build however a good D. It is the only kit in 32nd that does. The cockpit is kinda basic, but can be enhanced. It's no Tamy kit, but it ain't too bad. If I were you I try and locate some decals for it and just build it as a D.

My thoughts,

Jarrod Cunningham

Austin, Texas

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Good thing the accuracy doesn't bother you, becasue from what I understand, like many Strike Eagle kits, it was based off the Strike Eagle Demonstrater rather than the production model.

I've never had one myself, but there are excellent examples of it in the Gallery here. This one comes to mind. Check on the 1/32 Revell F-15C build ups too, since they probably share a lot of the same parts. Steve Eggers is currently working on one (check the in progress forum), but from what I understand he took over the project from someone else, so he doesn't know all of the fit issues. His building is looking good so far, and he's thrown in some aftermarket burner cans to complete the project.

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It should make for an awesome pre-desert storm era F-15B/D. I'm trying to thing of someone with those era markings available ... Astra Decals/Daco or Super Scale perhaps?

I have a few in my stash, but I have little time and zero space right now. Plus, I'm staring at a PCS from Langley AFB, VA to McChord AFB, WA in Feb 07. Maybe when I get there & my Masters degree is complete ...

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The Revell Strike Eagle kit was of the F-15 Strike Eagle Prototype, which was actually an F-15B. It has a lot of differences from the production F-15E, so the kit doesn't really represent a Strike Eagle.

You can make a -D from the kit, but unfortunately there are still some limitations. For example, the seats are still the old ESCAPAC seats, which were replaced with ACES seats years ago, even in IDF birds. This is easily fixed by simply getting some aftermarket ACES seats, or just making an early B/D. Another problem is the that cockpit represent the prototype's cockpit with various CFTs on the IPs, especially on the rear. Unfortunately, there is no straight -D panel in the kit, so you'll have to fix that yourself, if you want to.

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The Revell Strike Eagle kit was of the F-15 Strike Eagle Prototype, which was actually an F-15B. It has a lot of differences from the production F-15E, so the kit doesn't really represent a Strike Eagle.

You can make a -D from the kit, but unfortunately there are still some limitations. For example, the seats are still the old ESCAPAC seats, which were replaced with ACES seats years ago, even in IDF birds. This is easily fixed by simply getting some aftermarket ACES seats, or just making an early B/D. Another problem is the that cockpit represent the prototype's cockpit with various CFTs on the IPs, especially on the rear. Unfortunately, there is no straight -D panel in the kit, so you'll have to fix that yourself, if you want to.

Hi Dave,

I think the best way to build a good 1/32 F-15D is starting from the Tamiya F-15E old kit (60302) and going with Reykjavík "FAST PACK" machine (IS). This way we only have to change cockpit, landing gears/wheels and tangential pylons/Lantirn pods (remove). In my opinion Revell F-15D/E is not a good starting point for a -D machine, undercarriage apart.

Regards,

Luca

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I dont really like the colours of the Israeli Eagles. However, i do like GUNSHIP GREY. shame it would look rediculous on a D .

If you're looking to use Gunship Gray...

f15ferris4.jpg

And markings consisted of a very small serial number on the tail

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OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH

thats pretty!

I was thinking about buying a set of Cutting Edge exhausts, is this wise? do the kit exhausts have feathers on? im sure ive seen pictures with them on.

I might be willing to do (some) work to get this thing to a modern day 'E', but im not quite sure what the differences are. Anyone help me out?

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Doing a D model dual pit shouldn't be that tough. Thankfully, the front and aft side consoles in a D model look almost identical, with the aft pit missing only some of the switches that the front cockpit has. The aft insturment panel will require a bit of creativity, but the aft pits on the B and the D usally were pretty blank as well (and very different from the E model). If you plan to do an IAF bird, then you'll need to get one of the new F-15 books that has come out recently as the IAF Ds did have some attack capabilities added to them for deep strike (such as carrying the Popeye TV guided missiles). As such, you could probably get two C model (or A model) resin pits, then chop the stuff from behind the pilot's seat for the front pit off and graft with the equally shortened aft cockpit, altering the consoles in the rear pit as needed.

BTW, as for the exhausts, I am 99% certain they are the original turkey feather style. I think Tamiya was the only company to do featherless exhausts out of the box in 1/32 scale. If you do a B, I believe that chances are good the jets had the feathered exhausts anyway. But of course it will depend on the time period. Those Ferris schemes tended to be somewhat early experiments in the Eagle's career IIRC (early to mid 1980s).

Now if you are trying to do an E from it, forget it. There are several subassemblies that are different shape-wise. You've got bulged gear doors, larger main tyres, a different rear fuselage fairing (for the common GE/PW engine bay) and reinforced stabs. Plus, the CFTs were different from those in the prototype anyway. There are other smaller differences as well. But these ones are the main ones as I can recall. Besides, if you finish it as a B or a D, you'll have a pretty unique model there as one typically doesn't see non E dual pit Eagles in 1/32 these days. And unique can be good and eye catching. Why build what everyone else builds?

Edited by Jay Chladek
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Any pictures of the 'rear fuselage fairing'?

I might just make the kit's prototype E, and paint it Gunship Grey. Im no Eagle Expert, and neither is anyone likely to look at ti, so no one will be able to tell the difference. Plus, it doesnt matter abou the tyres, as i ALWAYS build In-flight displays.

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BTW, as for the exhausts, I am 99% certain they are the original turkey feather style. I think Tamiya was the only company to do featherless exhausts out of the box in 1/32 scale.

The boxing of the Revell kit that I have, #4755, comes with both feathered and featherless exhausts, although the featheless exhaust is poor. Instead of making individual thin actuator ams, Revell made a large one-piece ring with thick arms that slip over the one-piece nozzle.

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OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH

thats pretty!

I was thinking about buying a set of Cutting Edge exhausts, is this wise? do the kit exhausts have feathers on? im sure ive seen pictures with them on.

I might be willing to do (some) work to get this thing to a modern day 'E', but im not quite sure what the differences are. Anyone help me out?

If you choose to build the Ferris-scheme F-15B, your engines would need to have the Turkey Feathers. Revell did two boxings of the kit you got, one marked F-15E with a photo of a completed kit on the box top (kit finished in the Euro 1 scheme) and it was re-released a few years ago as an F-15D/E. The D/E re-release was the exact same kit except IIRC, it had upscaled versions of the Monogram featherless exhausts and markings for an overall Gunship Gray F-15E from Luke AFB, not the demo bird. If you have the older kit, aside from some rear-cockpit work, you're good to go. If you have the re-release, you'll have to get some exhausts with turkey feathers, look for an F-15I conversion in 1:32 scale since the Israeli versions of the F-15E do have turkey feathers.

Any pictures of the 'rear fuselage fairing'?

I might just make the kit's prototype E, and paint it Gunship Grey. Im no Eagle Expert, and neither is anyone likely to look at ti, so no one will be able to tell the difference. Plus, it doesnt matter abou the tyres, as i ALWAYS build In-flight displays.

The only major issue here would be the CFT pylons would be incorrect. IIRC, even the re-release still had the demo bird's bomb rack, not the production model type. And I don't recall Revell including LANTIRN pod in the re-release

Edited by Trigger74
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