Curt B Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 (edited) Hi All, This may be a difficult question to answer, since maybe there haven't been many of you who have directly compared what I'm asking about.. Can anyone tell me how well the kit exhausts in the GWH 1/48 F-15E Strike Eagle compare to the best aftermarket exhausts. I speaking specifically about an open nozzle without turkey feathers. I'd like to know if the kit exhaust nozzles include the actuating arms and if so, are they cleanly defined/rendered? I have a set of the closed nozzles for my GWH 1/48 F-15C from KA Models, and those nozzles are, frankly, jaw-dropping amazing! So, first, do the kit nozzles allow for open configuration, and second, how do those nozzles compare to those of, for instance, KA Models? I would expect that there would be a significant difference, given that a KA set of nozzles, including the afterburner, runs $44+, but I'm wondering if the kit nozzles include enough detail to not be GLARINGLY different from the better aftermarket nozzles. I realize I'm asking for opinions here, so give me your thoughts, please. Thanks! Edited November 25, 2020 by Curt B Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foxmulder_ms Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 I have both and no contest, KA Models wins easily in a side-by-side comparison. On its own, GWH exhaust are very good too. They do have all actuator arms as a separate and rather smart single piece. They actually look very good on a finished model, the best of any F-15 model out there. However, the exhaust have an accuracy issue: they are a little bit too long, ~3-5mm. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Curt B Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 5 minutes ago, foxmulder_ms said: I have both and no contest, KA Models wins easily in a side-by-side comparison. On its own, GWH exhaust are very good too. They do have all actuator arms as a separate and rather smart single piece. They actually look very good on a finished model, the best of any F-15 model out there. However, the exhaust have an accuracy issue: they are a little bit too long, ~3-5mm. Great answer...so, if you were me, and cost was really not (much of) an object, you'd get the KA exhaust nozzles over the kit? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
seawinder Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 (edited) The GWH exhausts are designed to be open and without turkey feathers. As foxmulder stated above, the forward ring is molded with all the actuator arms attached to it, so it's way less fiddly than say the Revell F-15E (whose exhausts I've just finished). To my eye, the GWH actuator arms are too thick and lack contour detail even compared to the Revell parts. They are about twice as thick as the KA arms. I've just taken a look at both the GWH exhaust assembly and the KA open nozzles. The four GWH nozzle pieces look definitely too long, but the distance from the molded-on actuator levers to the end of the nozzle is very close to the same as both the KA and the Revell F-15E kit. When they're mounted with the forward ring (attached to the actuator arms) overlapping them, they're about 1mm longer at the rear end and 1mm longer at the front end. I'd also have to say that if one is going to use the (gorgeous) KA parts, one is going to have to do some figuring out and probably cutting to get them properly mounted. If anybody has already done this successfully, I for one would love to know the procedure. Edited November 25, 2020 by seawinder Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ORANGF15Guy Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 KA no question....not even close! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
seawinder Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 Agreed, the KA nozzles are the best looking by far. I'd still appreciate any tips out there for mating them with the rest of the GWH assembly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zerosystem Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 You could opt for just the nozzles and skip the afterburner can sections dropping the price in half for you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Curt B Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 15 minutes ago, zerosystem said: You could opt for just the nozzles and skip the afterburner can sections dropping the price in half for you. True, and I considered that...but I went ahead and ordered the whole including the afterburners. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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