Diamondback Six Posted October 15, 2012 Share Posted October 15, 2012 While I try to figure out the mechanics of building a #4 engine for a CH-53E WHIF, I've been hatching some ideas for an advanced F-15 technology demonstrator built around the NF-15B ACTIVE control improvements and the F-15SE. (Actually, I'm planning on building two of these monsters, with possibilities for two more.) Engineering changes: -Canard actuators would be moved to a new bulged "hunchback" fairing to allow retention of internal gun--port canard is far enough forward of the receptacle not to need much, but starboard needs raising and a geared driveshaft to clear the M61A1s barrels, and I figured handling both the same way as starboard would simplify weight and aerodynamic issues. -Stations 1/9 of F-15A reinstalled and uprated for weapons capability--these were originally meant for a never-built Eagle-specific ECM pod IIRC, but I'm thinking something like a quad-rail of Hellfire/Brimstones, a BRU-57 with JDAMs, a BRU-61 with SDB's or the dual-rail AMRAAM pylon off the Hornet. LCT and RCT stub pylons from F-15K, C/L pylon of F-15I, Tiger Eyes plus LANTIRN-Nav plus Sniper-XR sensor pylons of F-15SG. -Significant engine upgrade--minimum would be F100-PW-232 demonstrator with thrust-vectoring, but if it'd fit I'd prefer F135s even if I have to just say "F135 adapted with a modified F100 tailpipe. -Broad spectrum weapons envelope expansion to encompass as much of NATO, Warsaw Pact and Israeli- and Japanese-indigenous arsenals as possible. Don't see ALCM's working, but AGM-130, Have Nap/Popeye and Harpoon/SLAM are all musts, as are ASAT and GPU-5 Pave Claw 30mm. -Considering, but not yet committed: regearing and re-hooking from the never-built F-15N Sea Eagle design study, possibly with Phoenix missile capability. -Cockpit redesign to go heavy on MFD's and other advanced displays--these things are each gonna have the computing power of four F-22's, so I figure they should look the part... For the "over-gun canard actuator", I'm thinking something like this: . . . __ <driveshaft -----| o | <actuator ^ . . ^gun barrel assembly |canard Known parts so far: -Base plane: Revell 5511, tailgroup replaced with Two Mikes fins and Quickboost stabs. For sake of simplicity, I'm going to keep the stock CFTs rather than build CWB's. G-Factor cast-brass gear with Royale Resin wheels. Tiger Eyes pylon and stub pylons from Academy F-15K. (Haven't decided whether to just buy one "master" and clone the parts for multiple builds, or buy a full -K for each build and hope somebody here has a use for the donor parts.) Two Mikes seamless intakes when ready. -Sniper-XR and most weapons: Hasegawa Weapons Sets, VER's from Shull24 -Canards: Lock-On NF-15B conversion kit, when it's ready. Hard decisions: -F-15I parts: Should I go Wolfpack or IsraCast? I know Wolfpack's done a lot of consulting and design for Academy, but IsraCast has the advantage of having the I's in their backyard and being "Subject Specialists" on Israeli aerospace. -Cockpit interior: which all Eduard and other parts-kits should I be looking at? I plan on painting the cockpit interiors Israeli-style NVG-Friendly Black, which might make problems for some of the Eduard pre-colored parts. (It'd be really nice to not have to buy a boatload of detail kits just to pick like one part out of each and spares-bin or pitch or hope someone else here will trade for the rest.) -Stations 1/9 and ASAT: I know the Hasegawa F-15A had these, and need to pick one up for my collection of 318th FIS birds anyway. Should I try to clone the Hase parts, or is there a better aftermarket option? (I know SOMEBODY, I think SRAM, makes a resin ASAT, but most people don't even know Stations 1/9 exist mainly because you almost never see photos of them installed, and even then it's usually early -As at the start of their service lives.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Captoveur Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Academy has Stations 1/9 in their early E kit. Not sure if it was retained in the later versions of the kit. I read somewhere the upgraded E models Saudi Arabia is buying are capable of using 1/9 so that bit isn't total fantasy. I wanna say the 1/9 pylons are also in the Academy MSIP II kit. TwoMikes makes a very nice ASAT and Two Bobs makes the decals required. I wanna say Academy has an ASAT in one of their eagle kits. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FAR148 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Cool idea but why have canards and thrust-vectoring engines? :unsure: Check out page 4 for some ideas on Stations 1/9 http://www.boeing.com/singapore2012/pdf/0214_f15.pdf Steven L Quote Link to post Share on other sites
-Neu- Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 -Significant engine upgrade--minimum would be F100-PW-232 demonstrator with thrust-vectoring, but if it'd fit I'd prefer F135s even if I have to just say "F135 adapted with a modified F100 tailpipe. Probably not possible... the diameter of the F135 is 51 inches vs 31 for the -229. It would require a massive fuselage bulge to accommodate it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FAR148 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 How about a pair of F100-PW-229 with Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzles (AVEN). With it the exhaust nozzles can be deflected in any direction through an angle of up to 17 degrees. Found a video on youtube, check it out. Don't know how you would model it but it's a pretty wicked vectoring system. Steven L Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Diamondback Six Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 -Neu-, my sources said F100 family was 46": Per Wikipedia, the -229 is 34.8 in (884 mm) inlet, 46.5 in (1,181 mm) maximum external. Good point to consider, though, which is why I've also kept the F119 in my "engine options" chart. Caps, Ill see if I can find sprue-maps for the Academy -E again and see if I can spot 'em--if it's still in the -K, that's one less donor I need Steven, the goal with the combination is to build a bird that could almost turn up its own tailpipe--IIRC ACTIVE got axisymmetrical TV after the original STOL thrust-reverser exhausts came off because there were some situations where vectored thrust was more effective than surface deflection, but my memory could be foggy. This thing, I also plan on having the stabilators independently controlled as alternate elevons, with the existing becoming flaperons, best control method for the situation being automatically selected by the onboard computers and the aircraft's real limit is its crew. And I was thinking an AVEN/LOAN hybrid if I could find suitable nozzles... part of why I liked the -I's petals is that the sheetmetal can hide a fair amount of "not-modeled parts". :) I mean, convergent-divergent works for the F-22 which can't really take an axisymmetrical can for shape requirements, but it's basically as obsolete as 1st-gen "stealth by faceting". That PDF is actually part of my inspiration...So, graft a pair of LAU-128/ADU-552s onto the old SUU-61 or just use a LAU-115/2xLAU-127 combo from a Hornet or something like that? I really wanted to add on BOL LAU-138 countermeasure dispensers, but Dr. Pepper Resins discontinued 'em and the only other BOL I know of is Steel Beach's LAU-127+138 Tomcat rail-set. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FAR148 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Wolfpack makes some BOL LAU-138 in 48th http://store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/wpd48075.htm Steven L Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Diamondback Six Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 (edited) Thanks, Steven--I was hoping for something more fitting like the fullsize that attaches to a LAU-12_-series so I wouldn't have to throw away the aftermarket LAU-128s or try to hack the rails off and salvage the kit ADU-552's... Shoulda seen that with the time I've spent perusing their catalog. LOL :D Think I can fake the wide-angle HUDs by nicking the WAR units out of an F-16C Block 40/42? Caps, perusing the scans at 1999.co.jp, I can't seem to find them on the MSIP-II C, or in any of the -Es they list, but then again those are some crapalicious scans they have posted. :( Edited October 17, 2012 by Diamondback Six Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Captoveur Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Caps, perusing the scans at 1999.co.jp, I can't seem to find them on the MSIP-II C, or in any of the -Es they list, but then again those are some crapalicious scans they have posted. :( Yeah, I looked at the layouts. It looks like they took the 1/9 stations out of their updated E so it didn't make it into the MSIP boxing. I can't find sprue layouts of their old E but having built it I know they are in there. With the RSAF wanting them I would expect to see them show up aftermarket soon though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Diamondback Six Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 My gut is it's on the now-abandoned Sprue E, which IIRC back when the retool first came out Matt Roberts had noted was gone but contained all the pylons and a lot of other components now found on Sprue H and subsequent. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Diamondback Six Posted November 23, 2012 Author Share Posted November 23, 2012 (edited) Update, construction underway, slow. Bought an Academy -I as a donor. Trying to figure out grafting its intakes into the Revell bird... Question: should I add BOL countermeasures only on Stations 1/9 outboard, both 1/9 side-rails, or go all the way with full LAU-128 replacement from tip to tip? And then another question... is it conceivably plausible to add another pair of shoulder rails to the C/L pylon? Edited November 23, 2012 by Diamondback Six Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FAR148 Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 I would say mock it up with tape and if it looks cool do it, if it does not don't. Steven L :wave:/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hacker Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 How about a pair of F100-PW-229 with Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzles (AVEN). With it the exhaust nozzles can be deflected in any direction through an angle of up to 17 degrees. Steven L :wave:/> l am surprised they have not done this already to the eagle seeing the Su 27 (or is it 33?) all have them and is marketing them for sale. It would help the eagle keep the edge. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Diamondback Six Posted November 23, 2012 Author Share Posted November 23, 2012 Been done on an R&D ship, but between the brainless monkeys in the Pentagon and the just as brainless civilian pol monkeys who allocate the budget... I swear, sometimes they make me think we should just build Skynet, get it all over with and cede the world to the machines--at least THEY would run things by logic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Diamondback Six Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 Build update: Steel Beach nav lights, G-Factor gear and Steel Beach BOL's for study on the way. Note to self: must ping Darren and ask if he'd be willing to sell just bare rails with no Tomcat adapters... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dodd Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 oh boy. Great minds think alike. I'm trying to blend the SE, EX, the ACTIVE and the uh... 'strap a giant rocket to the back of the F-15'. Why? Fun. I'm thinking of extending the forward fuel strakes just beyond the air intakes and making it all a little more 'f-35'; it also gives more room for the canards. The closest things i could find were an actual F-15se model from Tomytec, and the same model with some bits from an anime, like thrust vectoring nozzles and even a little LED inside the engines on a 1/144 scale model. Cool. Have you made any progress? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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