1/48 GWH McDonnell Douglas F-15B

[Janremco]

The first new build for 2016.

It's the McDonnell Douglas F-15B "Eagle" from Great Wall Hobbies.
The kit I bought was supplied with the correction sets. So I have to take a close watch on the parts I use.
I decided to do an early F-15B Isreali one , due to the fact that the other decal sheets are for later F-15 models, and no AIM-120's were supplied with the kit. For the first time I will leave the radar and some avionic bays open, just need to buy a couple of Israeli RBF tags. I hope it will turn out great.

The first impression is that the box is filled up with parts.

The box art:

The build starts with the cockpit:

The parts need some cleaning up:

Looks like ejector marks.l

And small pins.

The seats are provided with seatbelts, but thas about everything.

Beside the ejector marks, there is more to clean up:

In the circle an example how the parts are attached to the sprues. And results in:

Jan Remco

[HOUSTON]

Jan,

I look forward to this build of yours .you have started nicely and look forward to this 'EAGLE'

good luck finding the tags.

I will enjoy this build so keep us posted.and its in 1:48 scale ..Yayyyy !!

thank you

[Marlin]

WOW, an early F-15 Baz.

This I'll have to follow.

/Bosse

[Janremco]

Made some progress with the F-15.

Spending the most of the available time with cleaning up the parts, pre fitting and sorting out the color for some parts.

The air intake tunnels, together with a nicely detailed engine.

For example here are the instructions of GWH incomplete no information for the colors and this is not the only one.

The main parts for the cockpit tub are glued, painted and drybrushed.

As well for the front wheelbay. These 2 come together in the first stages of the build, before closing this section of the hull.

Some flash on the air intakes has to be removed.

Coming to the part where I have done something wrong.

I didn't line up the outer parts correctly, with the side walls of the air intakes and it ended with a gap when trying to prefit.

As always at this moment the glue, worked very well. Change of plans, instead of the air inlet up I'll do them down.

Jan Remco

[Janremco]

Today I had some time to spend on the F-15.

As mentioned before I wanted the radar and electronics bay open. The radar disc was painted with Vallejo Model Color Brass (70801).

The exhaust I drybrushed Vallejo Model Color Smoke (70939) . I like the effect better than doing it with the airbrush, but I still have to get my way around with drybrushing.

The air intake tunnels were airbrushed white, but next time I'll glue the intakes in place first and than airbrush the tunnels. In that way the small area in front will be painted together with the tunnel. I discovered it while dryfitting.

The instrument panels took me most of the time. All the meters were decals. One decal, for one meter, it was a slow proces,I had to let the decals settle before putting another one on.

And the cockpit tub placed on the front wheel bay and in the front section of the plane. There is little space left to put some weight in the nose, but some nuts in.

Now I have to find some pictures (in color) from the radar and open electronic bays. For this section GWH didn't provide any colorschemes.

Jan Remco

[Janremco]

Some small progress made on the F-15B Baz.

While searching for some good photos, how to paint the avionics and radar bay, I paid some attention to the weapons.

The weapons sets are seperately packed in blisters.

The AIM-7 Sparrow

The Python 3

The Python 4

Below: the AIM-7 compared with a Kinetic AIM-120.

The color scheme for the AIM-7 provided by GWH is looking more for the AIM-120 a grey body. That's not what the Eagles were carrying. So it will be a white body with grey colored fins. As shown below.

The armament for my F-15B Baz, will be 4 AIM-7 Sparrows and 4 Pythons 3, as the Python 3 was used by the IAF during the early 80's.

The exhaust nozzles were painted with Vallejo Model Air (71072) Gun Metal. The upper was treated with Tamiya Weathering Master D Set, to give it a blue tint.

Jan Remco

[mirageiv]

looking very good Jan, will be nice to see a heavily armed Baz! Hope you got that intake sorted, something is a little off there.

David.

[Marlin]

Looking good Jan.

If you what something real different for ordnance you can stick a MER with 6 x Mk82 on the centreline.

That's what I did on my Baz B.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234951525-baz-n-raam-three-idfaf-f-15s-in-148/page-2

The IDF/AF have used them as bombers.

/Bosse

[Janremco]

The progress of the last weeks.

Not much of progress because the F-16C needed some attention as well and I lost some time in sorting out how to do the wiring of the avionics bay.

The rear fuselage section was completed. and test fitting the speed brake.

In closed position there is a gap vissible.

Below in open position and the hinge side is looking much better.

I'll probably choose for the speed brake in open position.

As mentioned earlier I decided to get the avionics bays open, as a starter I drilled out the openings for the hatches.

And created some handles, while looking at the pictures I realize they are should be on the bottom and look a little to big. Some extra work.

In the avionics bay I wanted the do some wires. A horrible task, I wanted to do some more but I ran out of good drills. The best thing is to drill the holes through and glue the wire from the back side.

After 2 days trying to get the wires in I left it as in the picture (and some wiring on the other side as well). May be it is easier with an electric drill device, as you have one hand free (I only have a pin fise).

The Python 3 are masked (no photo) and the painted Sparrows, with the biggest decal sheet, with decals for the missiles.

Jan Remco

[Janremco]

The small progress of the last days.

As written in my update from january 31nd, the Python 3 where painted and the Sparrow got the decals on.
Beside the weapons I had to redo the handles and still wasn't happy with the air inlets.

The rear fuselage section was joint with the cockpitt section, despite testfitting and grinding I still got a gap. To close this small gap I used some Evergreen and the Tamiya extra thin glue.

After closing the gap with Evergreen and some Vallejo Putty. The small gap is also closed (after taking the picture).

As written above I wasn''t happy with the air inlets. I managed to seperate the wrong glued parts, from the air inlet up and started all over. This time I test fitted the parts as seen below, but now with the cockpitt section in place. I think that this is the best way instead of following the instructions (sub assembling the air intakes first and than joining them with the airframe). The down side is that there isn't plenty of room for fitting the air inlets, but the result is better.

Starting over with the first choice for the air inlets I found a mistake in the instructions.

The parts were I did start with were for the left side of the aircraft.

This is H8 for the righthand side of the aircraft,
But the best fit (after trying both of the parts) is changing left for right and right for left.

Next updat will be with the painted and decaled weapons.

A fun shot of a F-16 on top of the F-15, it is a massive beast compaired to the F-16.

Thank you for reading.
Jan Remco

[mirageiv]

The intake looks a lot better now, worthwhile time spent I think. Also the strip plastic is definitely the best way to sort out the fuselage gap, crikey for a modern kit one wouldn't expect one like that! Nice Viper too, RFI thread soon I hope! Cheers,

David.

[Janremco]

The intake looks a lot better now, worthwhile time spent I think. Also the strip plastic is definitely the best way to sort out the fuselage gap, crikey for a modern kit one wouldn't expect one like that! Nice Viper too, RFI thread soon I hope! Cheers,

David.

Thanks David, yes I'm pleased with the intakes now. Yes about the seam it's strange, but I'm satisfied with the sollution. Prefitting the engines there is a gap at the underside as well, photos will follow.

Jan Remco.

[rudolf24]

This F-16 is academy or tamiya kit ? I think you should paint again AIM-7 (mostly those grey fins).

Edited February 8, 2016 by rudolf24

[Janremco]

This F-16 is academy or tamiya kit ? I think you should paint again AIM-7 (mostly those grey fins).

The F-16 is Tamiya.

[Janremco]

The progress of the last week.

I've done less since the last update than I wanted, instead I was reading Encyclopedia of Aircraft Modeling #1 "Cockpits" and #2 "Interiors" great books with a lot of photos and good detailed explanations.

Masked the area around the engines before getting the gungrey color.

Another fit issue, this time around the engine, the engine doesn't get far enough in the bay. I'll deal with this later.

The Python 3 missile.

Above the hydraulic cylinder for the airbrake and below together with the hydraulic piping, made from stretched sprue

The hydraulic piping attached to the cilinder.

Thank you for reading.
Jan Remco

[Janremco]

An update of the progress of the last weeks.

The front landing gear, as it comes out of the box.

And after struggling with stretched sprue, copper wire and aluminium foil this is the result. Took me nearly 10 days, getting the strechted sprue onto the right places took a while.

Masking the tail section.

And masking the other side (outside) of the tail. Done with the piece I cut out.

And the result.

The colors are from Vallejo :USAF Colors Gray Schemes from 70s to Present Model Air Paint Set, 70.615 - USN Light Ghost Primer and 71.120 - FS 36320 - Dark Ghost Gray.

And the fuselage was done, for masking I used Tamiya Masking Tape for Curve 3mm, great product, but not suitable for very tight curves.

Thank you for reading.
Jan Remco

[Janremco]

It's time for the decals.

Placing the decals on the Baz will be a long stint. It seems that all panels are numbered, the blue numbers.

Below the sheet with the panel numbers.

Just make things worse the positions are not correctly placed on the model.

This will take some time and motivation

Thank you for reading.
Jan Remco

[mirageiv]

Lovely work Jan, really like the detail you added to the gear legs too, probably the most difficult thing I find to do is add wires for whatever reason so know your pain. Panel number stencils? Good luck with them

David.

[mcdonnell]

Hello,Jan - I've just got your build on my radar now and you're doing a fine job on a fine aircraft!! I love the soft-edge camouflage that you've achieved as well.I'll enjoy watching this Eagle spread her wings!! All the very best,Paul.

[bar side]

Nice paint work Jan. Been watching your build while building my F15A - no where near the attention to detail that you have and the paint is a combination of rattle cans and blu-tac masking. Its a 1/48 Monogram kit

[Janremco]

Hello,Jan - I've just got your build on my radar now and you're doing a fine job on a fine aircraft!! I love the soft-edge camouflage that you've achieved as well.I'll enjoy watching this Eagle spread her wings!! All the very best,Paul.

Hello Paul,

Thanks for the nice comments. now doing the decals, lots of them hope get those finished in the next week.

Jan Remco

[Janremco]

Nice paint work Jan. Been watching your build while building my F15A - no where near the attention to detail that you have and the paint is a combination of rattle cans and blu-tac masking. Its a 1/48 Monogram kit

Hi Bar Side,

Nice work on your F-15 as well. I have done the camouflage by masking, done some masking in the past with blue-tac, but I get stuck with some small pieces of blue-tac on my model.

Jan Remco

[bar side]

Cheers Jan

I was going to go with kit suggested white Aim 7s & 9s, but I am going to use the picture in post #6 as the basis now - grey fins on them. Mine is a USAF bird, and now has its CR tail code on. Lots of stencils though.....

[Janremco]

Cheers Jan

I was going to go with kit suggested white Aim 7s & 9s, but I am going to use the picture in post #6 as the basis now - grey fins on them. Mine is a USAF bird, and now has its CR tail code on. Lots of stencils though.....

Hi Bar Side,

Looking forward to see your Soesterberg Bird. Got the one of Eduard (2x) in my stash. Still missing the sights of the Eagles @ Soesterberg.

Jan Remco

[bar side]

This is her in her CR markings - nowhere near finished yet but she has an identity now. I'm lucky to still have Eagles nearby at Lakenheath, even if I don't see them very often (hear them more often though!)

I also posed her in her home before the decals went on:

Sorry if I am hijacking your thread here - just been getting ideas & inspiration from your build as its come along.