FineMolds 1/72 F-15 at the Tokyo Hobby Show

[GeneK]

On 12/12/2022 at 1:44 AM, Milo said:

What's wrong with their F-4 wing tanks?  Asking for a friend...

Front section is too straight, too pointed, and too short. 

 

Gene K

 

Note for the extra-detailers: The "FINEMOLDS CORRECTED"tank in the graphic above is just OK ... but still not curved enough. However, it's the best that can be done without adding putty. I use the Monogram tanks since I have "a few". 

Edited December 16, 2022 by GeneK
Shape Clarification

[Milo]

Ok, that makes sense.

 

Thanks a bunch, Gene!

[GeneK]

Has anyone seen any clues as to the schemes FM will include in the first release?

 

Gene K

[ya-gabor]

Work is on. Little is shown recently but there is progress! : )  : )

 

Here is a google translation to go with this picture of mould steel. For size comparison a bottle of Mr.Color on top of it.  : )  : )

 

A large mold base (the basic part of the mold) arrived in the morning. See the 4th image for how big it is. When it comes to size comparisons, it used to be cigarettes and coins, but from a modeler's point of view Mr. Color w
The second for the big F-15. How many more big molds do you need? When I asked the factory manager, he said, "I don't know yet."

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

[ya-gabor]

Is it a bird? Is it a . . .

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

[Craig Baldwin]

Seems the frequent updates of their previous projects are not the same as their F-15.

This showed up just a few hours ago on Twitter.....

 

https://twitter.com/finemolds_t/status/1625796032926990337

 

 

[ya-gabor]

In the previous post one of the brass anodes (the negative image of what the tool will have) was visible for the F-15 wing. Here is the actual tool after the anodes have „worked” on it this week in FineMolds workshop. Printscreens taken from a video. 

 

 

And of course here is one of the anodes adding all that lovely detail to the surface.

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

[Milo]

5 hours ago, ya-gabor said:

In the previous post one of the brass anodes (the negative image of what the tool will have) was visible for the F-15 wing. Here is the actual tool after the anodes have „worked” on it this week in FineMolds workshop. Printscreens taken from a video. 

 

 

And of course here is one of the anodes adding all that lovely detail to the surface.

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

Do you have a link to that video?  Thanks.

[ya-gabor]

6 hours ago, Milo said:

Do you have a link to that video?  Thanks.

It is on FineMolds twitter page. It is just few seconds showing the tool and how work ended on it late Friday 

 

here:

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

[Craig Baldwin]

Perhaps a better view of the wing sprue moulds.

 

 

[ya-gabor]

FineMolds F-15J in progress. I think that this is the interior of the airbrake.

 

 

There should be two versions released later, in September 2023.

 

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

Edited April 11, 2023 by ya-gabor

[ya-gabor]

These are the shemes proposed for the kits

 

FP50 version

 

 

FP51 vesrion

 

 

I am sure a lots of other boxings will come with time including some of the colourful ones.  : )  : )

 

Best regards

Gabor 

[GeneK]

4 hours ago, ya-gabor said:

These are the shemes proposed for the kits ... I am sure a lots of other boxings will come with time including some of the colourful ones.  : )  : )

Thanks. I'm looking forward to special schemes.

 

Gene K

[joeltc]

Great to see this eventuating and probably being the definitive 1/72 scale Eagle. For now I'm more than happy to wait for the USAF versions to come along.

[Quixote74]

2 hours ago, joeltc said:

Great to see this eventuating and probably being the definitive 1/72 scale Eagle. For now I'm more than happy to wait for the USAF versions to come along.

Will be interesting to see how far they take the options on this round. The changes between JASDF and USAF A/C airframes are so minmal it would be silly *not* to tool up the additional parts. Haven't seen the molds for any two-seaters yet, but once you've done that it's not much farther for the Strike family parts (as Revell clearly started with, engineering their new E for the air-to-air versions in the future).

[ya-gabor]

Remember the perforation on the intake splitter plate of the FineMolds F-4 Phantoms? Well here is what can be expected from the brand new F-15 kit in making.

 

This is what the company had to say about it:

 

[ New product F-15 ]
From electrical discharge machining to molding
1- EDM master machining
  (The photo is the master after electrical discharge machining.)

 

2- Die after electrical discharge machining

 

3-Molded product (Trial product)
Both the dot pattern and the wheel were beautifully molded❗️

 

 

Just to feel the size of it all:

First on the anode, the EDM tool

 

And here is what it looks like on the final plastic:

 

 

 

Looks nice!!!

 

Best regards

Gabor

[Dutch]

This has been quite an education.  Thank you all.

[hemspilot]

Still no indications for alternative intake positioning other than full up at shutdown for a static aircraft.

[ya-gabor]

The canopy for the new FineMolds F-15J kit is taking shape.

Here it is before polishing 

 

 

 

and after polishing

 

 

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

[joeltc]

8 hours ago, ya-gabor said:

The canopy for the new FineMolds F-15J kit is taking shape.

Here it is before polishing 

 

 

 

and after polishing

 

 

 

 

Best regards

Gabor

 

I can't fully tell from this angle. But it looks like they got the omega profile correct.

[ya-gabor]

On 4/22/2023 at 1:18 AM, joeltc said:

 

I can't fully tell from this angle. But it looks like they got the omega profile correct.

 

The only clue is the fact that based on this photo this should be a slide mould, that is what we see there is the inner surface of the canopy and from left and right "half canopy" tools will slide it. Well it will mean that obvioulsly there will be a slight ridge line on top of the canopy as with any slide mould part, but yes the Omega shape should be there.

 

Best regards

Gabor

[GeneK]

Basically - how does the J model differ from the A and C models ...that is, what needs to be done to model other single seat variants?

 

Gene K

Edited April 23, 2023 by GeneK

[ya-gabor]

My knowledge of the F-15 is limited, but as far as I could see from photos I would expect a different instrument panel, some antennas and could it be the "turkey feathers" on the exhaust.  Fairly simple "conversion" to make from a 15J version. But it is possible that someone will post a several page long list of visible big differences. 

 

Best regards

Gabor

[Jabba29]

As far as I know the F-15A/C of the USAF have one big ECM bullet on one of the fins, whilst all original export ones 9not transferred ones) have 2 small bullets on the top of the fins.

[Craig Baldwin]

3 hours ago, GeneK said:

Basically - how does the J model differ from the A and C models ...that is, what needs to be done to model other single seat variants?

 

2 hours ago, ya-gabor said:

My knowledge of the F-15 is limited, but as far as I could see from photos I would expect a different instrument panel, some antennas and could it be the "turkey feathers" on the exhaust.  Fairly simple "conversion" to make from a 15J version. But it is possible that someone will post a several page long list of visible big differences.

 

 

I can't give a "several page long list", but @ya-gabor you have covered it well. The turkey feathers were present at the beginning but soon disappeared early in use, and Finemolds promo art shows one aircraft with the feathers in place so hopefully both will be on one sprue. From my research of my build of a J,  just a few antenna type/placement may be different. The fairings extending rear of the exhaust, you will find different combinations depending on airframe, either both pointed, left side pointed only or both rounded as in this picture. And both fairings on top of the vertical tail were the smaller size, ballasts I recall someone saying.