PaulR Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 (edited) Evening all, Well, now that I have finished my Sparkvark, time to crack on with my next project, a 36TFW F-15C. This is my fave all time jet plane; the highlight of Mildenhall airshow was finding where the Eagle was! I have assembled the following for this project.... Hasegawa F-15C Eduard photoetch, although I will probably just use the HUD frame Montex masks (really surprised to find that Eduard don't do masks for this kit, or at least if they do, Hannants don't stock them!) Aires resin exhausts Two Bobs Eifel Eagles sheet. Osprey Superbase Bitburg as reference I want to build an airframe from around the late 80s to fit in with my EF-111A, and with the A10 and F111F that I want to add to my 80s USAFE shelf. The plane I want to do is this one - 79-025, the 525th TFS CO's plane. Pics are taken from the Osprey book printed in 1989, and captioning the picture as having been taken in 1988. By luck, this is the self-same plane on the Bitburg decal sheet, and although the decal sheet references it as 1991, the markings clearly hadn't changed since they were applied in 1988. So; that'll do nicely! Tonight I shall be doing some priming, and having a look at the cockpit and easy to do bits like the pylons and tanks. Edited August 13, 2016 by PaulR 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Watching with interest, great kit, I have a few in my stash, word of warning though keep and eye on the intakes, I didn't notice till it was too late on one was notably higher than the other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teeradej Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 Great choice Paul. I plan on doing something very similar in 1/48 before too long so I look forward to seeing what you can do with this one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirageiv Posted July 3, 2016 Share Posted July 3, 2016 I too plan on doing a BT jet eventually. Lots of interest for this! That book looks great too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 Nice choice This one will look rather cool and in great company with your Electric Aardvark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted July 25, 2016 Author Share Posted July 25, 2016 Right - better get a move on. This project has been put on ice pending the end of term; now that's all over for another few weeks at least, time to hit the hit the important things in life. Have tackled the cockpit and offs and ends so far. I've since moved on to the main fuselage, and been trying a new way to avoid the awkward seams you get with F-15 models between the forward fuselage and the main fuselage. More later! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Glad to see you working on this one Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted July 30, 2016 Author Share Posted July 30, 2016 Latest update - fuselage all buttoned up, and seams sanded. Generally a well fitting kit, there are nevertheless some awkward areas to watch that I've hit with every F15 I've built. I'll get the canopy on next, then it will be time to prime and get painting! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirageiv Posted July 31, 2016 Share Posted July 31, 2016 Nice work Paul, look forward to the camo colours going on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 This is coming on very nicely Paul. Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 6, 2016 Author Share Posted August 6, 2016 (edited) Right - bit of an update! Am aware of the clock ticking on this GB, but think I am now in pretty good shape to finish. Anyway... Some complicated masking to get that copper coloured canopy framing sorted... ... a general coat of Xtracrylix FS36375. The trick here was the contrasting coat of FS36320. Xtracrylix's version of this is very close to the 36375, as it is in real life, but just too close to be able to see the difference. I needed something that would just have enough of a difference to be noticeable , but not overwhelming. As it happens, I had some Vallejo FS36375. I like the way Vallejo sprays, and remembering that they tend toward the 'dark' I tried this - and to my eyes at least it really works. You can see the results on the fins. Next was to apply this to the rest of the airframe. I then masked off all the vents and grills that are a characteristic feature of the real thing. Masks off! The small circular vent under the rear of the canopy I masked using a small disc from an Eduard masking set. If you look at these, there are often some very useful shapes formed by the reference numbers for each set - just the job for little jobs like this! Next up was to mask the fin stripes. Although decals are supplied to do this, I find this is quicker and gives a far better result. Finally, I gave the whole thing a very subtle mist of Tamiya XF19 sky grey to blend it all in. Actually, you could probably use this as FS36375 - the difference between this and the Xtracrylix is virtually negligible. I have to say I am feeling really pleased with this so far. The F-15C is probably my favourite jet plane, and yet I have none in my cabinet. I made four or five, and attempted a couple of 1/48 models twenty years ago, and could never capture it to match my 'mind's eye' of the real thing. Now I can airbrush reasonably well, it finally means I can get the result I want. It also doesn't help that the eagle is something of an awkward airframe from an assembly point of view.Compared to the same company's F111 of about the same vintage, it is a lot more work to get all the nooks and crannies sorted out, particularly around the intakes. Not Hasegawa's fault; just a function of the way the real thing is assembled. You can see a small amount of filler at the base of the fins just to tidy up the inevitable join here. Anyway, I have got the undercarriage all done, and the pylon adapters/pitot tubes painted; the plan is to get these attached today, and a coat of gloss on to dry over night so that I can get decaling. The last bit will be the Aires exhausts; tweezers, bright lights and a quiet couple of hours will be needed there! Edited August 6, 2016 by PaulR 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted August 6, 2016 Share Posted August 6, 2016 This one is coming on beautifully Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabba Posted August 6, 2016 Share Posted August 6, 2016 Looking good, especially the differences between the grey colours. I know what you are on about as I had the same promblem in that the colours that I used were so alike I could even see a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirageiv Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 Lovely work Paul, you certainly have a knack for getting the correct colours and shades looking spot on! Will be another cracking adding to the gallery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 7, 2016 Author Share Posted August 7, 2016 Lovely work Paul, you certainly have a knack for getting the correct colours and shades looking spot on! Will be another cracking adding to the gallery.Cheers for the kind comments chaps! Am currently decalling at the moment...f15 stencils are very tedious indeed! Paul 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Looking super, know what you mean about the contrast between the xtracrylix paints did a f-18 in those colours over Xmas and in the dark winter light really was a struggle at times judging what shade of grey was actually painted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 8, 2016 Author Share Posted August 8, 2016 Well, on the home straight! Have spent a therapeutic hour on the Aires exhausts, which I shall prime and paint tomorrow. The main airframe has had a light oil wash, and a coat of Matt varnish, so hopefully all done in the next two days! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skids Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Coming along nicely, look forward to seeing more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blitz23 Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Looks spot on, great build so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 12, 2016 Author Share Posted August 12, 2016 Yay! Finished! Boo... need camera to charge up! Pics tomorrow am in time for the deadline and light for pics... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted August 13, 2016 Author Share Posted August 13, 2016 Right - done and done! A couple of shots - more in the gallery! Have thoroughly enjoyed the GB - some superb models to be seen. Thanks to all! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Lovey finish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Lovely work. This one will look great next to your EF-111 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirageiv Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Another lovely entry to the gallery Paul, it looks fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now