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GWH 1/48 Strike Eagle accuracy


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Hi all,

 

I have the Revell Strike Eagle which I got for pennies and for years this was the benchmark.

However, I want to build two mudhens with modern A2G ammo, the likes of which took part in OEF/OIF etc

Since the Revell bird is no longer available, is it worth in buying the much expensive QWH kit ?

 

Is it a real E or some B with parts ?

 

Cheers

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6 minutes ago, ElectroSoldier said:

The GWH kit is much later that OEF or OIF... WIthout breaking open the box Im not even sure if it has the old LANTIRN pods in the kitm I think its the Sniper or Litening pod.

 

I do seem to remember the Revell kit only has 2 of the AMRAAM rails, which I think is more ODS than OEF/OIF

I have the necessary after market pods and A2G ammo, I want to know if it is a True E or some B/D, all so called Strike Eagles except Revell`s are B/D

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5 minutes ago, marcinko said:

I want to know if it is a True E

I think so. Practically it is the same kit as in F-15I one, with proper cockpit, CFT and all antennas and sensors suitable for E, I think. I don't know what about IP for second pilot - is it the same in E like in I?
I also can say, that this kit has new version of sprue D - bottom part of the hull, with big exhaust betwwen main wheel wells.
You can see all the parts and the instruction here:

F-15E Strike Eagle model do sklejania Lion Roar -L4822 (mojehobby.pl)

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Flory did a review on his youtube page.
I seem to remember the kit can be built as a B or D model. While the Hasegawa kit for instance is a CFT'd up D model it is only because the parts required to make it an E are not in the kit.

There is no reason you cant make a kit that can be built as an accurate D model and an accurate E model, none of the changes are so fundamental. For instance the main gear doors can simple be swapped for E model doors, the P229 engine intakes can be added, as can the LANTIRN pods and CFT with pylons.

 

Its at least a year since I looked over the GWH kit and I cant remember thinking anything was amiss with it other than I got some LANTIRN pods and a weapons set. But thats only because I like older ear jets.

 

I think the GWH kit is the only E model kit that beats the Revell kit into a cocked hat.

Edited by ElectroSoldier
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Just be aware it doesn’t come with the pylon to mount the SNIPER pod and it doesn’t come with the centerline pylon (station 5) despite what the instructions show.   Also, the UFC is incorrect for a Strike Eagle post 2013-14.  They are all now the flat LCD style UFC.   Also, also, the wings have molded on structural reinforcements about halfway out the span on each side, which are not on every jet (check your references for the tail you are building)

 

PS- the exhausts...’meh

 

Steve 😅😜

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5 hours ago, ElectroSoldier said:

I think the GWH kit is the only E model kit that beats the Revell kit into a cocked hat.

I'm in the latter stages of a Revell E in Desert Storm markings. GWH may beat it into a cocked hat, but I think the Revell is a really well done kit with some ingenious engineering that makes it a pretty fun build. Case in point, the main gear doors which are foolproof and strong. I also liked the forward/aft fuselage joint, especially compared to the flimsy Hasegawa joint. If GWH is using the same exhaust nozzle parts as their F-15C kits, I'd say the Revell items are more accurate OOB. The only nit I can think of to pick, besides the lack of ordnance in the non-special boxing, is the windscreen, which is slightly thicker on one side making it a bit of a pain to center.

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I'm building the GWH F-15E right now. Actually it is the F-15I "converted" to an F-15E - both kits are the same. It is excellent, great fit and no troubles at all. 

The F-15E comes with a Sniper pod, the F-15I the lightening pod. There are also different weapons. 

 

If you want to have a look, here is links to the instruction pages for both: 

F-15E: https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/9/2/7/1148927-15-instructions.pdf

F-15I: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/great-wall-hobby-l4816-f-15i-iaf--963391 

 

Beats Hasegawa, Revell and Academy in my opinion. 

And yes, the kit still contains the cockpit parts to do A/B/C/D versions if you so prefer. Your option, but why buy an F-15E when you can buy the dedicated B/D kit from them? 

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I have the Ra am, but taking in consideration the price, for example , the Revell (which almost all consider it to be the benchmark) cost me a few years ago around 32 USD, literally a steal, today I can get the GWH for 84USD, for this price hike I would expect this to be first flawless in terms of details, to mimic perfectly the Strike Eagle.

 

It is known that the E is quite different panels wise compared to all other Eagles, so for 84USD it better be amazing

 

As a side note, I have paid slightly less for Tamiya`s and AMK`s Tomcat`s and no discussion that is a more complex bird

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18 hours ago, ElectroSoldier said:

Flory did a review on his youtube page.
I seem to remember the kit can be built as a B or D model. While the Hasegawa kit for instance is a CFT'd up D model it is only because the parts required to make it an E are not in the kit.

There is no reason you cant make a kit that can be built as an accurate D model and an accurate E model, none of the changes are so fundamental. For instance the main gear doors can simple be swapped for E model doors, the P229 engine intakes can be added, as can the LANTIRN pods and CFT with pylons.

 

Its at least a year since I looked over the GWH kit and I cant remember thinking anything was amiss with it other than I got some LANTIRN pods and a weapons set. But thats only because I like older ear jets.

 

I think the GWH kit is the only E model kit that beats the Revell kit into a cocked hat.


You cannot build an accurate B or D OOB from the E/I kits. The lower fuselage parts have been changed from the B/D kit to correctly portray the E/I belly (I found out by actually comparing the parts from the kits).

That said, I'd go for the GWH kit any day. I have lost interest in the Revell F-15Es I have in my stash, and I have scrapped an Academy kit.

 

Jens

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I just got my KA Models Exhaust (open) and Afterburner set, the Eduard BigEd set and Quickboost seats, so my GWH F-15E is ready to go...  Scary as it is for me.  It’s a very expensive model plus the aftermarket stuff...I haven’t yet built any big 1/48 scale modern jets yet, and not sure I want to make this one my ‘test case’.  We will see...!

 

Oh, and just one more thing...the KA Models Exhaust...once again, BEYOND SPECTACULAR!  So, now, I have an F-15 (for C and E) Closed Exhaust plus Afterburner set, an F-15 (for C andE) Open Exhaust plus Afterburner set, and an F-16 Open and Closed Exhaust plus Afterburner set (perfect, as I have 2 Tamiya F-16C/N Aggressor/Adversary kits, and now I can do one open and one closed). 😊  Frankly, I'm not sure, other than scratch building, which would take me 5 years, an severe anxiety, hate and anger, could I come even CLOSE to what those KA Exhaust nozzles and Afterburner interior details look like.  So...whatever the cost, to me, it's worth it!  Yahoo!

Edited by Curt B
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The Revell F-15E is a "real" E and it is not a B/D with some additional parts.

 

The Hasegawa F-15E is a B/D with some additional parts.

 

In my opinion you should by the Revell F-15E both for accuracy and price. If you don't find it elsewhere else, just search eBay. Eventually, look for the Pro Modeler release because is giving some more weapons:

 

http://www.internetmodeler.com/2001/september/first-looks/rm_f-15e.htm

 

With the money you save buying the Revell F-15E instead of the GWH F-15E (about 60USD given that you can get the Revell F-15E for about 30USD, even less if you find one at Michaels), you can buy a lot of aftermarket items like pods, cockpit, decals, weapons, etc.

 

Just to give you an example of how good is the Revell F-15E jus follow this link:

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/633448746733188/permalink/3448511158560252/

 

 

 

Edited by Lucio Martino
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  • 1 year later...
On 11/30/2020 at 10:41 AM, ElectroSoldier said:

The GWH kit is much later that OEF or OIF... WIthout breaking open the box Im not even sure if it has the old LANTIRN pods in the kitm I think its the Sniper or Litening pod.

 

I do seem to remember the Revell kit only has 2 of the AMRAAM rails, which I think is more ODS than OEF/OIF

 

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On 12/9/2020 at 7:33 PM, Lucio Martino said:

The Revell F-15E is a "real" E and it is not a B/D with some additional parts.

 

The Hasegawa F-15E is a B/D with some additional parts.

 

In my opinion you should by the Revell F-15E both for accuracy and price. If you don't find it elsewhere else, just search eBay. Eventually, look for the Pro Modeler release because is giving some more weapons:

 

http://www.internetmodeler.com/2001/september/first-looks/rm_f-15e.htm

 

With the money you save buying the Revell F-15E instead of the GWH F-15E (about 60USD given that you can get the Revell F-15E for about 30USD, even less if you find one at Michaels), you can buy a lot of aftermarket items like pods, cockpit, decals, weapons, etc.

 

Just to give you an example of how good is the Revell F-15E jus follow this link:

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/633448746733188/permalink/3448511158560252/

 

 

 

The Revell F-15E in any version of box has become a rare beast indeed. It gets more and more expensive as the weeks go by too but for me still the better option.

The extra bombs of the promodeller kit were also included in the later Revell boxings of the kit.

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GWH F-15E

 

Overly thick wing and stabilator TEs.

 

Intake tunnels which are so badly out of scale profile (pinched and skinny rather than square and boxy) they almost look like A-6E intruder intakes.

 

Bits and bobs which don't make a lot of sense in terms of 'do you really want to have to work seams around an optionally open avionics bay piano hinge?'

 

Ejection seats are clumsy.

 

Engine exhausts are stretched out and lack detail definition.

 

Stabs have a spanwise reinforcement strop which is vastly overscale.

 

Rear fuselage area between wing root and stabilator has a pretty big seam issue in some builds, complicated by the slime light which goes there.

 

Forward, right, nodding intake segment and the gun muzzle area of the wing root fairing can be (varies between kits/builds) so badly out of alignment that there is a 1-2mm step that requires a sheet insert in the cannon fairing seam to fix it.  Not typically a problem on the other side.

 

LAU-128 alignment with wing pylon shoulders is wrong, resulting in poor fit of missiles underwing.

 

Wing pylons lack a lot of details.

 

610 tanks are too tear drop shaped.

 

No AAQ-14 LANTIRN targeting pod, still pretty common, stateside, for training.  No Tigereye AAQ-13, which makes building a lot of the later model F-15K/SA/QA kinda hard.

 

No AAQ-33 Sniper pod pylon.

 

No centerline pylon.

 

Essentially, the only thing which the GWH kit gets perfect is the one thing Revell cheaped out on which ruins their release:  a single piece upper fuselage with integral wings.  The Revell kit splits the upper wings at a mid span join which is on the real jet but which results in an ugly seam and often (you have to be careful of alignment and ideally jig-build it) an unlevel wing on the outboard panel which has a natural conical camber at the leading edge.

 

Again, the Revell kit molds this area separately and the result is that it's quite easy to result in a model whose wings have a stepped look or an outboard twist which is asymmetrical, side to side.

 

The GWH avoids this with a monolithic upper fuselage/wing which is _very nice_ but unfortunately, they then do this funky chicken origami thing with the lower fuselage which looks clever but is hard to get fitted right (fortunately the CFT hide a lot of the seam on the E).

 

The CFT HRL and stubs are also badly located (just a raised outline) with poor fit and positional certainty on the GWH and the overall fit of the CFT to the fuselage is meh.  Frankly, every kit except the Tamiya F-15E in 32nd is this way.  If you're going to put a ton of money into separate variant toolings and an E-specific lower fuselage, just mold the CFT integrally with stubs already attached and a tab to give positive location to the heavy long rail placement.  There is _nothing wrong_ with copying the perfection of the Tamiya kit.

 

There are parts of the fuselage and stabs where you get a very uneven level of surface finish.  Not too bad, if you're used to rubbing down and Dremel polishing the majority of the kit for optimal surface finish but it's irritating in a 21st century kit. 

 

For the amount of cash they are charging (around 105 bucks, with shipping) you should be getting a near perfect kit from GWH.  You do not.  It has the feel of a 2nd or 3rd generation tooling test shot which is just getting towards being superb.  But not there yet.

 

Phase Hangar Resin has fixes for a lot of the big problem areas and their stuff is typically superbly cast.  But by the time you get tanks, pylons, intake trunks (mandatory, with surgery) and gun muzzle (mandatory, with surgery), you are north of 100 dollars.

 

Throw in Quinta Studio's excellent F-15E cockpit 3D decals at 30 bucks and a set of Aires late seats plus exhausts for 40 more, along with Hasegawa Weapons Set E (currently well nigh impossible to find) or Meng Long/Short Range Missiles and you are well over 300 dollars in kit plus fixes and have more resin than plastic.

 

The Revell kit has pretty decent fit, except for the wings and not so great canopy (not enough Omega, separate rails and bow frame), and can be baseline built with the Quinta decals, Aires seats and (your option) the Hasegawa Weapons Set E and Meng Satellite Guided Bombs to reach exactly the same 'look' as the GWH model with the BRU-61 and GBU-39.  Most people will pick up a set of AM decals too.  For under a hundred twenty dollars, total.   

 

Revell did not include the nodding intakes and their variable ramp representations are pretty bad.  But they added inlet FOD guards which are convenient because, while the intake tunnels are relatively scale accurate in shape they are about three inches long with highly visible seams running the entire length.  Someday, companies will learn that, sometimes, it's okay to use complex slide molding for simple, stackable, shapes, like intake trunks.  Which have truly flat, easily deseamed, butt joins 'not found on the original' and are much more readily painted as discrete subassemblies because of it.  That will be a happy day. 

 

The big issue, aside from the wings, with the Revell E is availability, price, and the fact that the tools have been over utilized, to the point where there is starting to be a bit of panel line fade.  It is not presently available, commercially, and the arrival of the GWH kit has seen EBay secondary market prices move towards 35-45 dollars with 15 dollar shipping.  The kit is not worth that. 

 

It also has a very vanilla weapons load, unless you pick up the PM edition which has underwing GBU-15, AXQ-14 datalink pod, AIM-120B with separate side avionics duct and four lumpish GBU-10.  All jets include a baseline X4 AIM-9M and wing tanks, which look okay but should probably be WRMs if armed.  The nerdy will look to the Hasegawa Weapons Set D for it's much better LANTIRN pods and GBU-12/38 which was a common mixed load in SWA.

 

GWH has separate radomes with and without electrostatic strips.  The Revell kit wants you to build the radome as integral to the forward fuselage.  Not a bad thing but not my preference, I don't like not-there-IRL seam lines in the front quarter of a display kit and it makes doing any kind of JASDF or late E-derivative aircraft harder than it should be (Wolfpack once provided a fix for this...).

 

For elegance of look, and satisfaction of build, once you know it's (separate wings, delicate gear, undersize cockpit) quirks, nothing beats the Hasegawa Fighter Eagles.  They are still worth their 60 dollar asking price.  But at the same time, you will never get more than a six footer Beagle out of it.  You will get a DRF/ETF demonstrator with dummy LANTIRN pods.

 

Get the GWH if you have deep pockets and/or a Hasegawa kit you are willing to raid for parts.  Get the Revell if you can pick it up for under 30 bucks.

 

We could still use a new F-15 kit that did not try to overengineer things like separate engines and got basic executions right while sticking within a <50 dollar price cap and perhaps accounting for a 'one size fits all' approach to the fighter/trainer and Basic-E/OIF/EX options in single boxings rather than dragging them all out as separate, hundred dollar, issuances. 

Edited by YKM
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7 hours ago, YKM said:

 

We could still use a new F-15 kit that did not try to overengineer things like separate engines and got basic executions right while sticking within a <50 dollar price cap and perhaps accounting for a 'one size fits all' approach to the fighter/trainer and Basic-E/OIF/EX options in single boxings rather than dragging them all out as separate, hundred dollar, boxings. 

This would be great, however, remote at best. :whistle:

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