1/72 Fujimi F-15E Strike Eagle

[White Wolf]

Well, I've run into some problems with the 1/144 F-4J, so I'm putting it aside for the moment before attempting it again. In the meantime, I'll be building this from my stash, Fujimi's F-15E Strike Eagle. I needed something relaxing to get my mojo going again, and this could be it.

This kit was a source of controversy when it was first released because, despite the very nice overall details, it was found to be oversized for a 1/72 F-15 (being closer to 1/66 scale instead). It was also a "snap-fit" kit, something that turned some modellers off. Fujimi soon removed the kit from its web page, and I believe stores aren't getting any new stocks of it. Whether they might release a newer, corrected version in the future, I don't know, but it's a bit of a shame really because Fujimi had the chance to turn out a true F-15E in 1/72.

This will be a mostly out of the box build (not like there's aftermarket for it anyway...). I do need to do something about the absolutely HIDEOUS exhausts, which you will see in due time.

Here's what I've done so far. The build starts from the cockpit, as usual. Below is the completed cockpit tub and instrument panels. They have raised details, but I used the decals provided because they had some things that the raised details didn't include like certain dials and switches.

Completed ACES II seats.

Cockpit completed. Being a snap-fit kit, the fit is really quite good and I hope this will extend to the rest of the build. More to come later.

[arnobiz]

Very good start, thanks for sharing! It's nice to see someone actually building it instead of the usual bashing without having seen the kit :)

Arnaud

[White Wolf]

Thanks, Arnaud. :)

Okay, some updates! It's been a while. I have a long weekend ahead of me so I hope to make good progress over the next few days.

Below is the completed cockpit and the front fuselage halves. The nose cone is actually a separate piece, so I decided to leave it off for easier painting later. The fit was pretty good, but still needed a little filler to help.

Fujimi gives you full intake trunking for this kit.

Also included are two very detailed engines. The reason for such detail is that they're meant to be removable from the plane and displayed separately if you wish, using the included trolley rack. However, during my dry fit I found it quite difficult to remove the engines once they've been "snapped in", and I feel it's not worth the trouble. So I left them unpainted except for the engine face and exhaust area.

Speaking of exhausts, this is the exhaust that I was talking about earlier. It has interior detail, but the exterior detail leaves a lot to be desired, with poor representations of the actuator rods molded onto the engine. I'll try to make new rods out of styrene.

Finally, the main fuselage is put together and is ready for some filling and sanding. Not a bad fit but filler will be needed for the rear fuselage and the tail booms. Fujimi decided to mold the intakes in a drooping position.

[White Wolf]

Time for an update, sorry for the long wait. Besides being busy at work, I spent a long time trying to fix the gap and step between the nose and the fuselage. It looked really bad, and after the 4th attempt I decided that it looked okay and it was time to move on.

As for the CFT, Fujimi designed them to be locked onto these small pegs, which themselves are inserted into the fuselage before the CFTs. They're a very tight fit, and the manual recommends cutting off the little triangle bits from the pegs if you can't push them into the slots. Once you get the pegs in, you need to gently push the CFTs into position.

Finally, it was time to paint. Following the method I used with my Hasegawa F-15, I sprayed the metal area with silver first before masking it off. Then I sprayed the inside of the intakes white, and masked them off too. After that, I sprayed the whole body with Tamiya Gunship Grey 2, and then lightly sanded it with 2000 grit sandpaper to smooth out the paint in preparation for the gloss coat. Below is how she looks like at the moment, I'll spray the nose and main wheel wells tomorrow.

[White Wolf]

Main body completed. Some of the decals silvered, and some small screw ups here and there, but overall I think I did okay and I like how it turned out.

Fujimi gives you four options for the decals:

1. 492d FS AF91-0309

2. 494th FS AF00-3003

3. 336th FS AF89-0485

4. 550th FS AF87-0193

I'll be doing option 2.

[JesniF-16]

Fantastic looking build!!! It really is a good looking Eagle... IMO the drooped intakes look great :wub:

/Jesse

[White Wolf]

Thanks Jesse :)

[White Wolf]

Moving along at a snail's pace. Vertical stabilizers, tailhook, CFT scoops, and LANTIRN pods have been added. No troubles at all so far, the fit has been pretty good. Next will be the CFT pylons, then the landing gear.

[White Wolf]

Hello all, after a long while she's now standing on her own feet, along with the CFT pylons.

The landing gear and pylons were the trickiest components of the kit for me so far. The pylons require a LOT of force to be pushed down into position, but once you get past the grooves on the locating tab (if you'll see the part you'll know what I mean) they literally snap into place while leaving almost zero gaps.

As for the landing gear and doors, they need the same amount of effort but since they're thinner, there's a danger of them breaking from the very tight fit while sliding them into place. I broke the nose gear door off its tabs while trying to force it into the locating holes, but managed to fix it after a couple of drops of superglue. Fujimi molds the door in the open position, by the way. The door also doesn't seem to fully sit flush with the fuselage despite my best efforts, but after breaking it once I didn't dare to try to push it in further.

Next will be the weapons. The instruction manual tells you to use an unusual loadout. None of the weapons are labelled as optional, so I'm guessing Fujimi wants you to use them all:

4 x AIM-120Cs

2 x AIM-9Ms

2 x AIM-9Xs

6 x GBU-38

1 x GBU-31

2 x drop tanks

I'll be following the instructions (the weapons are probably too big to use on other 1/72 kits, although I haven't tested it yet), but I wonder if this loadout is above the maximum take off weight in real life. Mixing -9Ms and -9Xs seems strange enough already.

[j-basset]

Thanks for sharing the build.

I've got this kit sitting around too, and I have to say that it doesn't look half bad except for the tail pipes and the over-sized sway braces.

[White Wolf]

Thanks, J-basset. I have to agree, apart from those issues, this kit is actually not too bad as I didn't need to bash two kits together (Hasegawa and Academy), or turn to the expensive Wolfpack update set to get a reasonable representation.

Weapons are done. As per Fujimi's instructions, she'll be loaded up with 4 AMRAAMS, 4 AIM-9s (2 Ms and 2 Xs), 1 GBU-31, 6 GBU-38, and 2 drop tanks (to be done later). Fujimi got the color for the missile bands wrong, they gave bright red bands instead of the normal brown color. I fixed it with a little painting. Not much in the way of weapon stencils. Fujimi also doesn't give any painting or decal instructions for the AIM-9s, so you need to figure out the colors on your own.

Below is Fujimi's AMRAAM set against another 1/72 AIM-120 from one of Hasegawa's weapon sets. Fujimi's is indeed a little oversized. I won't be able to use these weapons on other kits, so I might as well use all of them here.

Weapons fitting in progress. The bombs went on okay, but the fit of the AIM-120s was surprisingly poor, due to the oversized braces. They felt loose and look like they can drop off at a moment's notice.

Almost done now!