Curt B Posted September 7, 2018 Share Posted September 7, 2018 Hi All, I just received my GWH S4804 F-15C MSIP II Limited Edition Capt. Jeff Hwang MiG Killer model. I am new to (current) airplane modeling, and I'm really not knowledgeable about paint colors for planes like this. The bottom of the kit box calls out Mr.Color paint colors, but it appears as if Mr. Color paints, as far as I've been able to determine, are very difficult to find in the US, and shipping cost of these paints from, say, the UK, where they seem to be available, is insane! I am mostly a Tamiya paint guy, though I have lots of LifeColor and Vallejo paints as well, and I am also willing to get any Mission Model paint colors that might be appropriate. Does anyone have any suggestions for appropriate colors, or mixes of colors, for what this F-15C's colors should be in any of these paint brands? Also, any thoughts on aftermarket items for this plane? I've gathered that these GWH F-15s are supposed to be outstanding, so perhaps there isn't much aftermarket stuff to recommend! Thanks for any help! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
airmechaja Posted September 7, 2018 Share Posted September 7, 2018 (edited) Curt, It's kind of a loaded question because if you build it like it looked at Lakenheath when Capt. Hwang shot down the 2 Migs it will look like my pic. below which is the Mod Eagle scheme: If you build it like the plane that comemerated Col. Hwang when he was the squadron commander in Oregon , it will be a standard line F-15C at that time. Are you confused like I was when I built that kit? The kit is very nice. It needs a new resin seat however. Others will correct me if I am wrong. Edited September 8, 2018 by airmechaja spelling Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Curt B Posted September 8, 2018 Author Share Posted September 8, 2018 Hi there! I'm guessing I want to paint it like it was when it shot down the MiGs. It looks like your scheme is the one on the bottom of the box, and that's what I'd like to build and paint! What colors did you use on yours? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ORANGF15Guy Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 (edited) All of Oregon's aircraft are in the MOD Eagle paint scheme, which is FS 36176 and FS 36251. I don't know specifically what paint scheme Lakenheath was using at the time he splashed his two MiG's. Model Master has both colors readily available. Sorry I can't help with the other paint brands! Edited September 8, 2018 by ORANGF15Guy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Falconxlvi Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 (edited) The best source for Mr Color is EBay- tons of Asian retailers selling for normal, if not better than, US Hobby Shop prices. You can get free shipping on a lot of them, it just might take a little longer. I personally use the EBay seller “ladypapa” (seriously). Free shipping for Mr Color paints at $3.49 a bottle. I’ve used this EBay store many times with success. Paint comes in about two-three weeks. I will also say that Mission Models spray beautifully and I am slowly replacing my Mr Color with it as more colors as they become available. I’m not sure Mission Models makes a Mod Eagle Gray yet. Steve Edited September 8, 2018 by Falconxlvi Update Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vaildog Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 MRP paints have the proper colors and are amazing to work with. Hobbyworld-USA.com has got you covered! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jonathan_Lotton Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 1 hour ago, ORANGF15Guy said: All of Oregon's aircraft are in the MOD Eagle paint scheme, which is FS 36176 and FS 36251. I don't know specifically what paint scheme Lakenheath was using at the time he splashed his two MiG's. Model Master has both colors readily available. Sorry I can't help with the other paint brands! MOD. Almost all Eagles went MOD by 1994. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mstor Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 Sprue Brother carries the Mr Color paint line. Price is reasonable. Hobbyworld carries MRP, Mr Color, Mission and a host of other paints. MRP AKA Mr Paint (not to be confused with Mr Color) is my favorite. It is a pre-thinned lacquer that sprays and lays down amazingly. They do make the Mod Eagle colors. I other words you have a wealth of choices, though if you want to stick with Acrylics like Vallejo or Tamiya I think you are more limited and may have to mix your own, though Hataka makes an F-15 color set in their Red (Acrylic) paint line that includes the Mod eagle colors. Hobbyworld sells Hataka as does MegaHobby. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
B-ONE27 Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 What about Tamiya acrylics, whats the equivalent or is mixing involved? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
airmechaja Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 Curt, I used Model Master Aggresor Gray as the base. You can only get it now in spray forum. The other gray is Model Master Acryl Dark Gray F-15. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
airmechaja Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 (edited) 9 hours ago, B-ONE27 said: What about Tamiya acrylics, whats the equivalent or is mixing involved? I've heard that XF83 Medium Sea Gray is close to Aggressor Gray and it looks close to me. The other gray might be XF82 Ocean Gray 2 RAF but I don't have it so I don't have a clue. Edited September 8, 2018 by airmechaja info Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Curt B Posted September 8, 2018 Author Share Posted September 8, 2018 Wow, guys, thanks a million for your points of information about colors and options for paints. I feel stupid having all the paint that I already have, and still need to look for more, but if I can get the real 'correct' stuff, that's the route I will go. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Curt B Posted September 8, 2018 Author Share Posted September 8, 2018 2 minutes ago, airmechaja said: I've heard that XF83 Medium Sea Gray is close to Aggressor Gray and it looks close to me. The other gray might be XF82 Ocean Gray 2 RAF but I don't have it so I don't have a clue. Hey air, One other person mentioned those two specific Tamiya colors, also, and I'll check them out. It turns out those are two Tamiya colors I DON'T already have (of course, right!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Curt B Posted September 8, 2018 Author Share Posted September 8, 2018 In case anyone cares, I got the Mr. Color colors I needed by a combination from Sprue Brothers and EBay. So, hopefully, all is well, and thanks again!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Curt B Posted September 8, 2018 Author Share Posted September 8, 2018 15 hours ago, airmechaja said: Curt, It's kind of a loaded question because if you build it like it looked at Lakenheath when Capt. Hwang shot down the 2 Migs it will look like my pic. below which is the Mod Eagle scheme: If you build it like the plane that comemerated Col. Hwang when he was the squadron commander in Oregon , it will be a standard line F-15C at that time. Are you confused like I was when I built that kit? The kit is very nice. It needs a new resin seat however. Others will correct me if I am wrong. 3 Hey air, A few more questions. What resin seat did you use? I see that Scalemates suggests an Aries seat. Secondly, were you happy with the kit engine nozzles? It looks like your F-15C nozzles are without turkey feathers, but it was kind of hard to tell. Thoughts on those? Thank you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Janissary Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 Mod Eagle scheme is one thing I am planning to do also. I don't want to buy new paints, and would like to mix Tamiya paints. The best mix and results I have seen so far are in this video. Minutes 13:15 and 15:03 will get you the Tamiya color mixes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mstor Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 3 hours ago, Curt B said: Hey air, A few more questions. What resin seat did you use? I see that Scalemates suggests an Aries seat. Secondly, were you happy with the kit engine nozzles? It looks like your F-15C nozzles are without turkey feathers, but it was kind of hard to tell. Thoughts on those? Thank you! I'm not "air", but thought I'd try to contribute... I like the Quickboost seats as they have molded on seat belts which I think look better than PE once painted up. The GWH kit has the proper featherless exhaust nozzles but to me, the actuator rods are way out of scale and they taper from thick to thin which the real ones don't. I have used the Aires exhaust sets for years but am going to try the new KA Models 3D printed nozzles next time. They are absolutely amazing in their level of detail. Nothing comes close. They are more expensive though. Sorry for butting in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Curt B Posted September 8, 2018 Author Share Posted September 8, 2018 (edited) 29 minutes ago, Mstor said: I'm not "air", but thought I'd try to contribute... I like the Quickboost seats as they have molded on seat belts which I think look better than PE once painted up. The GWH kit has the proper featherless exhaust nozzles but to me, the actuator rods are way out of scale and they taper from thick to thin which the real ones don't. I have used the Aires exhaust sets for years but am going to try the new KA Models 3D printed nozzles next time. They are absolutely amazing in their level of detail. Nothing comes close. They are more expensive though. Sorry for butting in. No worries at all! Thanks for your opinions. I just gotten a set of Amigo exhausts for a GWH MiG-29, and they are amazing, and I have another Amigo set for my Su-35 Flanker on the way. I'm sold on resin exhausts! Holy CRAP! I just checked out those KA exhausts, and I CANNOT BELIEVE IT! I've already put my order in at the The48ers!! Edited September 8, 2018 by Curt B Addition. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mstor Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 Amigo makes great stuff, but Lawrence at KA Models is, IMHO, exploring the cutting edge of technology that will change the face of scale modeling. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
airmechaja Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 I'm with Mstor. I used the Quickboost seat. I didn't like the GWH exhausts but KA printed exhausts were not in business when I built that kit but I have seen them and they are BEAUTIFUL but expensive as I have said in the past. I would still buy them though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Curt B Posted September 8, 2018 Author Share Posted September 8, 2018 (edited) Well, I will tell you what, based on the photos of those KA exhausts, if that is the future of scale modeling, I'm sad that I'm 59 years old, and may not be around in 25-30 years to see where it goes. I have been, frankly, stupified since getting back into this hobby in the late 2000s, with the amazing photoetch, and now this resin molding/3D printing capability. The only aspect that frightens me, from a builder's perspective, is how delicate these PE, resin and even styrene molded parts are, being, in some cases, already beyond the ability of a modeler to separate and handle without damaging/destroying said parts. My dad, who is almost 89, suffers from Macular Degeneration, and my fear is that the size of models, and those tiny parts, may soon no longer be possible for me to see/manipulate, should something like what my dad has, befall me. But the delicacy, and accuracy, of these scale model parts, is beyond belief, especially when I think back to the models I had as a kid. Since both of you used the Quickboost seat, I'll go that route. WIth the molded on belts, that's even better, as the less PE I've got to mess with, the better, even though I love how amazing PE can look, in terms of adding detail. P.S. Nice to hear from you Midwest guys (WI, MN). I'm a Chicago guy myself, but have been in Las Vegas for 18+ years now...which practically makes me a native out here! Edited September 8, 2018 by Curt B Additional thought Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mstor Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 (edited) I hear ya. I'm 65 but I think by the time I hit 75 (knock on wood) I'll be able to print an entire model that will have detail that far exceeds anything we have today. It will probably come out painted too. It won't be scale modeling anymore but it will sure look cool and I'll be able to say I used my own shaky hands to press the computer keys that did it. 😬 Hopefully real scale modeling will survive and continue to evolve. Edited September 9, 2018 by Mstor correct spelling error Quote Link to post Share on other sites
airmechaja Posted September 8, 2018 Share Posted September 8, 2018 I'm the same age as Mstor. The older I get, the more optivisor lenses I buy at a higher power. I really like building great kits like GWH's F-15. This hobby has been geting better over the last 20 years with great after market parts and the like. "In for a penny, in for a pound". I will continue buying them and using them. Multi Media is what it's all about for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Curt B Posted September 9, 2018 Author Share Posted September 9, 2018 So, I'm on board with all your recommendations, now have the Quickboost ejection seat on order, too. In a slightly different area, I don't know if either of you guys built models when you were young, but I sure did, starting, I'd guess, around age 8 or 9. Somehow, I got the impression that building models was really a kid's thing, not toys, per se, but building models wasn't something I thought of, in my own youth, as an adult's hobby/activity. Boy, has that changed, in general, and in my own mind. I'd already mentioned that models and associated pieces/parts are getting extraordinary in detail, and are certainly well beyond the capability of any child that has not yet developed the dexterity and fine motor functions to put these latest technology models together. In fact, I can't really say that I recall in any detail what model kits looked like back in the mid 1960s, but I know I was focused primarily on 1/32 scale airplanes, and I distinctly remember making a Spitfire, an ME-109, a Stuka (I'm pretty sure) and recall getting a 1/32 Sabre but don't know if I ever managed to put that together. At some point, those airplanes got hung in our garage, and don't recall when they were taken down. In any event, I just wondered if you had ever felt as I did, that models were a kid's thing, until I recognized that they weren't... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mstor Posted September 9, 2018 Share Posted September 9, 2018 Yup, I built models when I was a kid. Late 50s, Aurora kits. I remember globs of tube glue and the frustration of trying to get both wings of one of the bi-planes to stay put at the same time (I had no patience). I remember the Aurora Panther along with other tanks (Centurion, M-109, Stalin). I remember my parents telling me about building a Cape Canaveral launch tower kit along with its Atlas rocket and many girders all in one marathon, multi-hour sitting (Renwal?). All the kids in the neighborhood were into models, well the all the boys were. There were little HO scale tanks we'd get and stage battles on my friend's father's train set up in the attic, or use the bigger models with the plastic army men you could buy. Of course, there was always someone who could get some firecrackers and we would see some grand destruction of older models. I remember those days fondly. Been building models ever since, with a few pauses along the line. The hobby has changed greatly over the years and it was probably the baby boomers that kept this hobby going during the rough times. I don't see a lot of younger people into the hobby here in the US, but it seems to be an active hobby in other parts of the world -- China, Japan, England and the European continent. There are still youngster level kits being made, so it is still relatively easy to introduce kids to the hobby, but so many kids in the US are caught up in other things. Life seems to move too fast for them these days, what with the various forms of entertainment media available. Modeling requires one to step back, slow down and think about what you're doing. Well, I have babbled too long again. So, I'll leave it there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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