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Best 1/48th F-15C


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Curious, are the Academy F-15C's or Tamiya kits worth building?

:cheers:/>

Well, The main turnoff for me are the engine nacelles on the kit. The are just weird. They dont flow into the body the way the real things do. However, It is an F-15 and I love it anyway. I hate the wing joint, (just like Hasegawa) but I like the down ramp option for the intakes.

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Thanks gents. I was just looking around to see what's out there that won't break the bank. The GWH kit looks sweet and sure seems to be the queen of the prom. No doubt there IMO. But it's a bit steep in price right now for the modeling budget. The Hasegawa kit would be my second choice but even on EvilBay it's at best pushing $60 with shipping. If I could find one for around the $40ish (or less obviously) mark I'd jump on it. But the Academy kit is available for around the $35-$40 mark so I was wondering what they were like. I may end up going with Academy as the shape issues don't seem too bad to me...but then again I admit that I know very little about the Eagle.

On the cool side though, I did score an original Revell F-15E Strike Eagle for $10 shipped! At least I think that's a score :unsure: . I know it lacks weapons but it gets good reviews.

:cheers:

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Curious, are the Academy F-15C's or Tamiya kits worth building?

:cheers:/>

'Worth it' is a personal decision.

The Tamiya F-15 is the oldest kit still on the market. Recessed panel lines, but the fuselage is just a two-piece pancake (upper/lower), not fore/aft split, so the panel lines on the forward fuselage will be lacking. It's pretty crude, and pretty simple, but an easy build. There are good sprue shots on-line, if you want to Google. Realistically, given the price of the alternatives, there isn't much reason to get one.

Academy's kit is sort of based on the Hasegawa kit (it's a fairly early kit, back when they were 'heavily influenced' by other manufacturers), with more options and cheaper, but less accurate. It includes dropped intakes and more weapons (especially in the new releases), but areas like the engine humps are less accurate than the competition. IIRC, the fit isn't as good as Hasegawa's either.

The short version of the various F-15C's is:

GWH is overall, probably the best. It's the most detailed, most 'modern' and just all around better than everyone else.

If you don't want to shell out for the GWH, Hasegawa is probably second best. Not quite as nice as GWH, but still a good kit, and cheaper.

If Hasegawa is too expensive, get the Academy kit. Again, not quite as good as Hasegawa, but generally okay, and cheaper.

If Academy is too expensive OR if your primary concern is overall shape, get the Monogram kit. It's (apparently) the most accurate in outline, with raised panel lines and decent details (cockpit's okay, engines are meh). Try to get an older boxing, as the molds are showing their age.

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'Worth it' is a personal decision.

The Tamiya F-15 is the oldest kit still on the market. Recessed panel lines, but the fuselage is just a two-piece pancake (upper/lower), not fore/aft split, so the panel lines on the forward fuselage will be lacking. It's pretty crude, and pretty simple, but an easy build. There are good sprue shots on-line, if you want to Google. Realistically, given the price of the alternatives, there isn't much reason to get one.

Academy's kit is sort of based on the Hasegawa kit (it's a fairly early kit, back when they were 'heavily influenced' by other manufacturers), with more options and cheaper, but less accurate. It includes dropped intakes and more weapons (especially in the new releases), but areas like the engine humps are less accurate than the competition. IIRC, the fit isn't as good as Hasegawa's either.

The short version of the various F-15C's is:

GWH is overall, probably the best. It's the most detailed, most 'modern' and just all around better than everyone else.

If you don't want to shell out for the GWH, Hasegawa is probably second best. Not quite as nice as GWH, but still a good kit, and cheaper.

If Hasegawa is too expensive, get the Academy kit. Again, not quite as good as Hasegawa, but generally okay, and cheaper.

If Academy is too expensive OR if your primary concern is overall shape, get the Monogram kit. It's (apparently) the most accurate in outline, with raised panel lines and decent details (cockpit's okay, engines are meh). Try to get an older boxing, as the molds are showing their age.

I agree, Im mainly just holding on to my academy kit because I bought it in Korea...

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