Eagle!Eagle!Eagle!

[M.F.Lunder]

Hi guys,

 

In 2021 I build a 1/72 F-15C 85-102 "Gulf Sprit", as a tribute tto 30th anniversary of the Gulf War.

 

It was, at the time, a "shelf-minus-one" project. However, after the built, I've learnt much more about the Eagkes durng this puriod, the more I found out the less I felt well about it. So I decide to build another one, this time, a more accurate 85-102 in the Gulf war. I choose the GWH F-15J to start, it has the parts for a early F-15C.

 

 

The build is quite straight foward, I used some Eduard echted parts (for Hasegawa) in the cockpit such as pedal and other small bits. I wanted to use the etched IP but it was way smaller so I used the kit part in the end.

 

Fuselages halves came together. I removed the GPS dot on the upper fuselage, and used the roiund antenna part at the right tail boom. 

 

The bootom, I opened up the JFS exhause, and inserted a small plastic tube as the exhause pipe, and tail hook faring was installed, the hook itself and sabre drain would be installed after painting.

 

This is the 85-102 so far

With the about said knowledge, I pulled out a half-buit F-15I from the shelf, the Hase kit is not bad but the parts are not "update" as modern Strike Eagle. If built out of the box it can't even carry a AIM-120 on the shulder pylon as the kit provide a old launcher! So I decided to build it as a Strike Eagle also in Gulf war, for that I bought a decal from Hi-decal, which had markings of one of Strike Eagles of the time.

 

I found a picture in my iphone when I started the kit, it was in 2013 - already 10 years ago! I think the picture was taken by old IP4S then, haha!

 

I painted the cockpit black as a IDF Strike Eagle ten years ago, now I have to mask it and re-painted wth US interior color.

 

The intake trunk ...was non existent...I painted the surrouding of the fan face black then paint it with white, but not totally covering the black, to give an illusion of depth...I hope...I gave them a light dust wash then considered it done...you don't see much of trunk at the end luckily.

 

Moving on to the wing, I carved out the plasic where the lights should be - wing root and tip, and painted with chrone color.

 

Then using a clear UV curing putty, I rebuilt the clear part. Since this is the first time I was doing it, I added excessive putty just in case. After curing, the clear part was sanded and polished, they look OK!

 

Then the parts were painted with clear paint,

 

The wing were done.I glued it to the upper fuselage, and did some filling and sanding to remove the join seam.

 

So much for first several days of work.

But I have some questions about Strike Eagles during Gulf War, much similar to those of the Cs:

1, Was the grill of JFS removed?

2,Was the tail hook faring reimoved?

3, Were the sabre drains removed?

 

Any commments will be very much appreciated!

 

Thanks for watching

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr.Happy]

Wow!

 

Awesome build.

 

Mr. Happy

[M.F.Lunder]

Thank you Mr. Happy!!

 

Some updateds today:

Same treatment was done to the GWH kit

...and the nose landing gear, which was molded solid by GWH

 

OIn the strike eagle, I used the GWH parts for the CFT racks and the intake at the end, and added some magnet for different munition, a little (bad) habit of mine:P

 

Thanks for watching, 

Chris

[M.F.Lunder]

Hi guys,

 

Some updates, thanks to the information from the good men of jet forum.

Modeifications to the Hasegawa Strike Eagle:

1. Scribed the chaff/flare dispenser - uh - cover in front of the main wheel well;

2. Opened up the JFS exhause;

3, Removed the saber drain, drilled a small hole in its place;

4, The way Hasegawa deals with the removal of tail hook faring is not only wrong but lazy, the GWH kit has a spare Strike Eagle hook, to use it, i first removed the plastic of the Hasegawa part.

 

Then I glued the GWH part in place. It was a bit shorter so I filled the panel lines where the  Hasegawa hook had been, Some tidy up is needed but I am happy with the result.

 

Thanks for watching, 

Chris

Edited April 27, 2023 by M.F.Lunder

[Thadeus]

Nice pair. Its interesting to see an ODS era Mudhen being built.

[M.F.Lunder]

Thank you, Thadeus.

 

Some updates:

The antenna arrangement of the Hase strike eagle is , I think, for B/D model, but not for E.

 

After condulting the jet forum, looking at photos, and my other E models, I find the Academy new tool E has the correct antennas layout. The GWH kit, sharing with a C model wheel well and front lower panel, should be corrected, a note to me when building the GWH kit. So I rescribed the panels using the Academy kit as reference. Sadly the two small square (radio altimeter) were not scribed the same size, I think painting them afterwards instead of scribing is easier. And the front antenna was cut and moved a bit to the rear, according to the Academy part.

 

 

C eagles are using old type of grip in that time, I found a control column in the old Academy E box.

 

But I was not sure of the Academy thing, in the end, I decided to just use the grip part, glued to the GWH column, and painted it. Ten minutes of fun. In the picture, from left to right is Academy stick, GWH, and modified one,

 

Then the stick was put back to the cockpit. Sorry for the picture quality,  I couldn;t find a way to take a clearer picture,

 

Next, the reinforcement plates on the vetical stabilizer, the GWH part has it, but not the Hase part.

 

Plastic card is too thick, so I took a piece of kitchen foil, folded and wrapped it both sides of the GWH part, and rubbed it and rubbed it with a cotten stick util the outline is clear.

 

Then cut the foil and glue to the Hase part. They look rough now I hope they look better after painting...

 

That's so far today, thanks for watching,

Chris

 

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by M.F.Lunder

[M.F.Lunder]

Hi guys, 

 

I spent most of the second half of the past year in hispital with my father, so this project was put on a hold. Besides, I am not satified with some of the features of the GWH kit. 

With the arrival of the new Finemolds F-15 is available, so I am going tobuild the Gulf Spirit again with this kit, and the GWH kit will be built as another a/c.

 

In the box there is a lot of plastic! The kit is designed using the intake-exhause part as the core structure, parts for other variants are built around it,

As you can see, I have painted difference parts, I will wait overnight and start building,

 

Chris

 

 

 

[M.F.Lunder]

Hi guys,

 

Here is some updates on the FM model.

 

The front wheel well is made up of four parts, easy to paint and weather.

 

The back of the whell well also the back of Bay 5, I might have overdone the weathering, but it was war time any way...

 

The insturment panel and side consoles are both provided with and without detail for decal. I used the part with detail and put the decal on, they fit perfectly. As you can see, the decal went into the gauge, easy and time saving,

 

The kit has a control stick (left) for J bird seperatly, it looks like a early stick, compaing with the stick on the common sprue, whick is obviously a E stick, I used the J one. I am no expert but I guess JSDAF didn't change the stcik as USAF did, They don't have strike eagles anyway!

 

With everything of the cockpit in place, I closed the front fuselage. I added details such as rudder padel and some small bits, using the Eduard etche part. At the beginning I wanted to use the instument panel, but it didn't fit the FM part.

 

A little surprise! The DEF Super Hornet seat arrived (PS: seats from other brand are too tall for the ACA kit), came long a German ball tank or whatever it was...a free gift from the shop! Very nice gesture.

 

I've seen the actual thing in Patriot park im Kubinka, never unerstand how the thing works, and the inside is basicaaly empty...

 

 

Thanks for watching, 

Chris

 

 

Edited January 13 by M.F.Lunder

[Mr.Happy]

Very nice Eagle Eagle Eagle update.

 

Keep Building Building Building 

[M.F.Lunder]

Hi guys,

 

It's Jan 17 agaon! I took a detour yesterday to finish the Juguar "Sandman". It is a Hasegawa kit I built in the 90s I think, In '21 I decided to rrbuild it as a Gulf War plane, using the Tamiya decals. I actually got most things done in '21, except gluing all the parts together, which I did yesterday.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for watching,

Chris