ChrisL

I was going to add a reply to the same thread, seeing as I started it. :-) However, I think that the USAF museum pictures are the best ones posted to that thread. I have some pictures offline in a book I got about the Eagle in the 80s but they're not as good as the museum pictures. If you're wanting pictures of the camo scheme from multiple directions, though, I have the painting guide from the original 1/48 Hasegawa F-15"E" kit which includes a sheet with side profiles and top and bottom elevations of a finished kit, in colour. I could scan that in if it's of interest.

Thanks for all the comments and pictures everyone. The USAF National Museum link in particular has some very nice pictures of the demonstrator in its Charcoal Lizard paint scheme.

This thread has images of F-15A/B and F-15C/D wheels. Digging out my ancient Salamander Aviation Fact File on the F-15, I think I can make out a D-style main wheel (8 holes around the circumference rather than 12) in an image of #291 in its grey dual role demonstrator paint scheme. The Tony Hudon kit tables that Julien state that the Hasegawa Strike Eagle "has the large production speed brake of the F-15D, and some other differences" so I presume that #291 has a small airbrake. I've definitely seen pictures of #290 with the small air brake but I've never seen any pictures of #291 with its brake extended or where the panels behind the cockpit are clear enough to tell what size it is. I've not got any pictures of the Strike Eagle demonstrator with the outer pylons fitted so they're something else that's in the Hasegawa kit and not needed.

Another odd new thing at the back of the catalogue is "Clear", a 125ml bottle of "thin clear varnish that goes on clear and stays clear. Humbrol Clear dry's [sic] to a low gloss finish, a higher gloss finish can be achieve [sic] by applying further thin coats". Has Humbrol bought the formula for Klear now it's no longer available in the UK (the original formulation at least)? Their regular matt/satin/gloss cote varnishes and their spray varnishes are still in the catalogue too.

#291 was originally a prototype TF-15A (later redesignated as F-15B) and had the small air brake that was only seen on the prototypes. I've managed to find a few pictures online of the small air brake but I haven't worked out how practical shrinking the full-size one on the Hasegawa kit will be. #291 was definitely not a full Strike Eagle, that seems to be the main problem with the Hasegawa Strike Eagle kits, as they were based off of it and not the substantially different production models. Later boxings have extra sprues for featherless exhausts, LANTIRN pods and bigger wheels (but not the bulged doors for them) but the main kit is still a F-15D with Strike Eagle demonstrator CFTs, hardpoints and weapons. For #291 none of the new bits are necessary. :-) I suppose I could also word my question as how many significant visual differences there are between an F-15D and a prototype F-15A...

That's a nice build, Julien and thanks for your comments. You mention in your build review that you filled in the cannon vents, did you do anything to reduce the size of the airbrake? I imagine it's not particularly obvious either way if it's closed, anyway. I have the same Hasegawa weapons set as you used for your build and fitting the 30mm cannon pod is tempting but in general I think the "bomb truck" look of it stacked to the gills with Snakeyes is what appeals to me most.

I am aware that Hasegawa's Strike Eagles are much closer to F-15Ds than actual F-15Es, but what are the differences between the 1/48 kit and the Strike Eagle demonstrator? I have always been rather taken by the "Charcoal Lizard" paint scheme and the huge load of cluster bombs that the demonstrator carried. I am aware that various ports and vents for the Vulcan cannon need to be filled and that the air brake is too large. Are there other significant differences and how much bother is involved in shrinking the air brake? This is my first post so please accept my apologies if this has been covered in depth many times before and it's just that my search skills are not up to the task of finding the relevant posts...