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Need help with F-15A conversion to C, Tamiya


Stalker6Recon

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Hello mountain top masters and conversion guru's!

 

 

I have a unique and likely simple problem. Last year I bought a very aged F-15A from Manila, Ph. I live in Cebu, Philippines. Anyway, when I opened the kit, all was there and seemingly on perfect order, save for one thing, the decals are the color of some smokers teeth, a very nasty yellow!

 

Anyway, I tried the "leave it in the window, sun bleeching" technique. To my surprise, this actually worked pretty good, but fell short of where it needs to be, and still are unsuited for use with the kit. Next, I contacted the seller, who told me to contact Tamiya about the problem. For the longest time, I was unable to find a distributor to help me with the problem, but recently I finally found the right people to help out.

 

So here is where we are at. Apparently the kit is no longer in production, and I realized that the C is a more interesting kit for me anyway.

 

So, is a conversion possible, or should I just look for aftermarket A decals, and save me the trouble?

 

On a side note, I also have the F-15E demonstrator, that is really a D aircraft dressed up as an E. This was not known to me when I bought that kit from the same store. Anyway, I would prefer to make a proper D out of that kit, anyone know what needs to be done to accomplish this conversion? I would prefer to buy a new E kit that is accurate, than make the demonstrator version.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Anthony

 

Convert to C or buy A decals?

114076-10911-pristine.jpg

Here is the Hasegawa fake F-15E demonstrator. Can it be built as is, as a D, or do I have to change part to convert it properly, besides the decals?

 

533636-39551-48-1080.jpg

 

 

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As far as the A goes, buy a set of Caracal decals for it and build that. Then pick up a C. For the D grab a set of early Israeli decals for it as that was the first 2 seat variant they acquired. Makes for a different scheme for sure.

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Hi Stalker6Recon,

I also had a problem similar to yours with a KP kit, very old, the decals were brownish not yellow!!! I solved this: put a saucepan with water on the stove until it started to boil, turned off and inserted the decal in the hot water for a moment, when it moved from the detached support placed on a plane and with the help of a brush , with the water from the pan removed all the old yellowed glue, taking the vinyl glue and applying the old decals. Sorry for my mistake english, I hope you can understand.

P.S. first make a test if the decals keep the temperature with one that you don't need for the model.

Good lucky

Linus

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The Hasegawa F-15E kit that you have is actually the F-15B/D kit with the parts/decals for the F-15 demonstrator . If you leave off the conformal fuel tanks / pylons it's an F-15B or an early D model although I would defer to more knowledgeable people than me as to accuracy of cockpit instrumentation  for a D. To build a later D you would have to change the exhausts for featherless ones. Aftermarket exhausts are available from Aires or Mk1 (I think). If you were building an Israeli F-15B/D the kit is OK out of the box as the IDF/AF left the turkey feathers on whereas other Air Forces had them removed. 

 

HTH

 

Stephen

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3 hours ago, whiskey said:

early Israeli decals

That is an interesting idea, I prefer to make operational aircraft, so the Israeli version of the D might be good choice. I can say how disappointed I was to learn of the demonstration model, wish I knew more before I bought the kit. Now I research everything ten times over. Same sort of goes for the A, I bought them together if I remember correctly. It was the first true model shop I had found in more than 6 years living in the Philippines, so they were very much impulse buys. Today I have this site and scalemates, should help me steer clear of those mistakes in the future. Thanks for the ideas!

 

1 hour ago, Linus said:

Sorry for my mistake english

No problem, I will just confirm from what you said. If I understand you correctly, it is not the decal that is yellow/brown, but the glue. So, if I use near boiling water, I can rid the decals of all their glue and use setting solution to attach the decals to the kit? Or do I need to get a decal glue as well? Thanks for the tip, more people need to know that gem. Anthony

 

1 hour ago, Stephen said:

Israeli F-15B/D

I think I will likely go with the Israeli bird, as I stated above, I want operational aircraft. While I love trainers, they are just not my favorites. Some Y aircraft are very interesting, one that caught my eye during my marathon F-15 research, is the F-16XL, the primary competitor of the fighter/bomber program that gave us the F-15E. Some believe the F-16XL would have made a better platform for the mission, but politics played a role in the decision. I think it was about the single engine that doomed the bird from being chosen, but it is a really interesting aircraft with a nice kit out there as well, forgot who makes it off the top of my head.

 

If I ever start building Y aircraft, the F-16XL and the YF-23 will be at the top of my list, along with the AH-66 Comanche.

 

Thanks to you all for the tips!

 

Anthony

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On ARC Forums a user was asking to backdating a C to an A in any case I do have posted a list of visual differences and I'm not an Eagle guru so take this with a grain of salt as things before Desert Storm and also shortly after may differ

 

You either need Detail & Scale 14 Verlinden Lock On cause both have a 1/72 scaled drawing and some pictures taken on critical areas, and also I don't know what you get inside Tamiya 1/48 box so my explanation is going to be messy:

 

Cockpit was a little different, after MSIP mods and later upgrades it also changed

Later MSIP had a newer instrument panel cover, maybe HUD and a rifle scope for visual identification

Ejection seat may be different

Trunk behind cockpit due ECM equipment had a different layout and more added stuff

Trunk cover on MSIP airframes sometimes seems to be different but I can't find clear shots around the web and I'm too lazy to buy a book just for that

Canopy should be ok

Nose area in the middle between radome and wind screen on MSIP airframe comes with ALQ 135 bumps and possibly a newer squarish panel, there are two bumps one in the upper and one at the bottom

Forward bottom fuselage blade aerials and bumps are different

Forward fuselage sides I think C version has two extra aerials there

Nose wheel, both rim and tire may differ

Main landing gear rims and tires are different between A and C, not sure if they beefed up the struts or changed layout of whatever is contained inside the wells

Middle bottom fuselage on MSIP airframe you have some extra chaff and flare dispensers

ECS (?) exhaust no grid cover on MSIP airframe

Rear bottom fuselage saber drains installed under engines were at one point removed due security hazards

For the tailhook area somewhere I read that A version had a different fairing and possibly shape than C version, then on the MSIP airframe the fairing is no longer there and tailhook was changed once again?

Fuselage sides MSIP airframe has a different formation light layout, not sure if they also changed something around Sparrow mountings

Something something about a vent on the right fuselage side where the canopy ends, most airframes have it so ignore this, but if Tamiya kit doesn't come with it you will have to scribe it

Upper fuselage at the intakes MSIP airframe does have a missing or blanked off panel, it's kinda next to the in flight fuel receptacle on both sides

GPS antenna at the right side of the airbrake

Where the airbrake ends and where fuselage skin starts the reinforcement plates are different between A and C models, also later MSIP airframes got the E style airbrake ditto for horizontal stabs

Feathers removed from engine nozzles

Chisel shaped antenna at the base of the right vertical stab, then after MSIP upgrades its shape was changed, should be missing on A models

Left vertical stab ofc comes with the ECM fairing

 

More or less those are all the differences I caught raiding the web for high resolution pictures and the leftovers from my (now sold) reference books, I know that pictures speak more than mere words but I kinda suck with photo editing and my picture archive is kinda messy :P

 

Luigi

 

 

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4 hours ago, Stalker6Recon said:

Here is the Hasegawa fake F-15E demonstrator. 

533636-39551-48-1080.jpg

 

 

It's not a fake, a TF-15B to show the potential - then the F-15E came out as a different beast.

 

I saw that 291 aircraft at Farnborough in 1980. All bombed up in the static park during the morning,

they unloaded it to fly during the afternoon.

Real Viking launch with lots of fire and noise - it suffered a birdstrike on liftoff.

A very tame circuit, it landed immediately, and that was the end of that display.

 

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 C  Fake is probably the wrong word for it, the aircraft depicted is not an E, but more likely a B/D dressed up as an E for the sales. To me, that is a bit shady and looks like you can build D with the kit, using minimal headaches, via the Israeli version.

 

As stated before, operational equipment is much more interesting to me, maybe I can find the one that flew with only one wing.

 

Anyway, thanks for the input, I am having trouble with my browser, so unable to comment/reply properly at the moment, I will try again later/tomorrow.

 

Anthony

 

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To be pedantic: I think it’s either TF-15A (original designation) or F-15B but not TF-15B.

As for seats, the development batch used the Escapac, and possibly also very early production machines, but the vast majority including all Cs had the ACES II. The original Aerofax stated the Heyl Ha‘avir retained the Escapac, but that may have pertained to the first delivery of development batch airframes only.

A and B originally had „spoked“ wheel hubs that usually were dark, C and D had hubs with eight holes that were usually white, but those hubs were also retrofitted to As and Bs.

Similarly, the exhaust petals aka turkey feathers were removed from As and Bs in USAF service, so an A in its later career would look very much like a C.

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On ‎5‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 1:09 AM, tempestfan said:

To be pedantic: I think it’s either TF-15A (original designation) or F-15B but not TF-15B.

As for seats, the development batch used the Escapac, and possibly also very early production machines, but the vast majority including all Cs had the ACES II. The original Aerofax stated the Heyl Ha‘avir retained the Escapac, but that may have pertained to the first delivery of development batch airframes only.

A and B originally had „spoked“ wheel hubs that usually were dark, C and D had hubs with eight holes that were usually white, but those hubs were also retrofitted to As and Bs.

Similarly, the exhaust petals aka turkey feathers were removed from As and Bs in USAF service, so an A in its later career would look very much like a C.

Early production A/B models used the Escapac seat before they were replaced by the ACES II seat.  BTW, the same thing was true of the A-10.  Early C/D models also had the "turkey feathers" fitted to the engine nozzles.  They were removed from the fleet in the late 70s/early 80s when the USAF got tired of filing "Dropped Object" reports, because they kept falling off inflight.

 

Regards,

Murph

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13 hours ago, Murph said:

Dropped Objec

Thats funny, I wonder how many broken windows they replaced as well. If my.house/car got hit by a piece off a fighter plane, I think I would just be happy to keep the part and call the insurance company instead.

 

OK, now my true ignorance shows up. I thought I knew what "turkey feathers" were, but now my confidence is gone. All the pictures/videos of modern fighters shows nozzles that open/ose based on thrust/throttle inputs. I thought those overlapping metal plates were the feathers. Is that incorrect?

 

Thanks,

 

Anthony

 

PS. Tamiya just replied to me and told me how much the decals will be to replace, even though they should be free, especially since they want to send me the wrong set. The kit is an A, their replacement decals are for a C, which is why I asked about the conversion. But that is life in the Philippines, no replacement, no returns and definitely NO SUPPORT. My next adventure is the E kit, which now I am leaning towards an OOB build, unless I find the Israeli decals easy. Trainers are not my thing, the demonstration bird has historical interest as well, and all those ordinance makes for a fun build as well.

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13 hours ago, Stalker6Recon said:

 

OK, now my true ignorance shows up. I thought I knew what "turkey feathers" were, but now my confidence is gone. All the pictures/videos of modern fighters shows nozzles that open/ose based on thrust/throttle inputs. I thought those overlapping metal plates were the feathers. Is that incorrect?

 

Your description of the nozzle operation is accurate, the difference is that in some engines there are an internal and external set of "feathers" that operate together.  The outer set serves to smooth out the airflow (reduce drag) between the nozzle and the adjacent airframe, but technically isn't a required part of the exhaust operation for the F-15.

 

From the very late 70s- early 80s, the outer set of "turkey feathers" was removed because of ongoing issues with their maintenance. As noted above there were reports of some "feathers" being lost in flight, however I suspect the primary issue was that they have to be removed anytime the internal nozzle mechanisms require maintenance.  Testing confirmed that the reduced weight from removing the covers made up for any improved performance from the drag reduction they provided, so they were removed fleetwide.  As others have noted above, the "feathered" exhausts were retained by the Israelis after all other users (USAF, Japan, and Saudi Arabia) had removed them.

 

Also note that other than Israel all true F-15Es and derivatives with F100 engines never had the feathers installed.  The export strikes that use GE F110 engines (Saudi, Singapore, Korea) have differently shaped external "feathers" installed that apparently had no such issues.

 

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To illustrate, the exhausts in both your kits are the "feathered" version with the external covers installed.

 

This is what the "featherless" exhausts seen more commonly since the mid 80s look like:spacer.png

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I don't believe that you can verifiably state that all of the Eagles had Stencil at this time based off of a picture of one aircraft. That actually is one of the joys that I find in this hobby and as a major history enthusiast, is the research that goes into it. Anytime I want to build an aircraft I try to gather as much information and photographic evidence of that specific aircraft in that specific time frame so that I know I got it right. 

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4 hours ago, Jordi said:

 

I have seen a photo taken during the first Gulf War of Dick Cheney standing on the boarding ladder talking to an F-15 pilot who is strapped into his seat.  It’s taken inside an alert hangar someplace in the Middle East.  When you downloaded the high res version of it, not only could you see that the checklist sitting on the glare shield was written in Hebrew, but you could see that the seat is a Stencil seat as found only on the very earliest F-15As.  Israel had (at the time) some of the oldest F-15s, including some FY72 airplanes.  So the seats, at least as of 1991, hadn’t been replaced with the ESCAPAC seat.

I am aware/seem to recall early F-16s had Stencel seats, but think have only read references to the Escapac in the F-15 context for early machines. Which would seem fairly logical as it was an MDD product, just like the ACES that replaced it.

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12 hours ago, Jordi said:

 

I have seen a photo taken during the first Gulf War of Dick Cheney standing on the boarding ladder talking to an F-15 pilot who is strapped into his seat.  It’s taken inside an alert hangar someplace in the Middle East.  When you downloaded the high res version of it, not only could you see that the checklist sitting on the glare shield was written in Hebrew, but you could see that the seat is a Stencil seat as found only on the very earliest F-15As.  Israel had (at the time) some of the oldest F-15s, including some FY72 airplanes.  So the seats, at least as of 1991, hadn’t been replaced with the ESCAPAC seat.

The F-15 never carried the Stencel ejection seat.  From the prototype through block 16, the seat was the ESCAPAC IC-7.  Starting with Block 17 airframes (76-0084) this was replaced in US production with the ACES II.  The ACES II was later retrofit to Block 16 and earlier  A/B airframes in US service, so by the early-mid 80s "most" US Eagles would have the ACES II installed.

 

The Israeli F-15A/B aircraft delivered under Peace Fox I ranged from Block 5 through Block 18, but by all reports all of these were initially fitted with ESCAPAC seats.  Israel's second batch of Eagles (Peace Fox II) were C/D models and from the references I have available seem to have had ACES II installed from delivery.  There were also a number of former US F-15As transferred to Israel immediately after the 1991 Iraq War which would have had ACES II fitted. It's unclear how long the original Israeli A/B models retained the ESCAPAC seat, but they were still in use on some airframes at least up the mid-90s.

 

The other export customers (Japan, Saudi Arabia, and all Strike derivatives) were only ever fitted wirh ACES II per the production standard as these airframes were delivered.

 

For those who might not be familiar with the differences, the most recognizable distinguishing feature of the ACES II seat is the pair of "horns" (barostat probes) angled out horizontally from either side of the headrest.

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On 5/15/2019 at 11:44 PM, CT7567 said:

retained by the Israelis after all other users (USAF, Japan, and Saudi Arabia) had removed them. 

You just cleared up one of the mysteries that has bothered me for some time now. I had grown accustomed to seeing pictures of kits, or aircraft with that nasty looking, maybe gnarly looking exhaust cans, with all the piping and other unfriendly looking parts. Then I would see one with the smooth overlapping feathers, and wondered how it converted mid-flight from that appearance, to the gnarly version.

 

So, the gnarly version was always there, just concealed in early birds, or those flown by Israel.

 

Having shown me the light as it were, I now must build a version with the exposed afterburner system in all its glory!

 

Thanks for shedding light on a subject I never understood!

 

Anthony

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On 5/15/2019 at 11:48 PM, CT7567 said:

seen more commonly since the mid 80s look like

That is the version I am accustomed to seeing, in my reply above, I was unsure how one transformed into the other. I sincerely thought that the feathered version was the same, and manipulation of the throttles converted it to this. Now I understand why I kept seeing both types, but this one is probably the most common configuration I have seen.

 

Thanks, and aren't those a special kind of "gnarly beautiful"?

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15 hours ago, Jordi said:

the very earliest F-15As.

I remember watching a program about the F-15, and the way that the export model was described, is a flying gas can, with much of the gear the US used, stripped out to make the aircraft "affordable" to our allies.

 

Does that sound like an accurate description of what we sold the Israeli and other countries when the 15 first entered service?

 

Anthony

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3 hours ago, CT7567 said:

ACES II 

You seem to be pretty much a guru with regards to the ejection seats (and probably in general for other things, including the F-15). Tell me this if you can. What is the difference between the ACES II and the NACES II, other than being for naval aircraft?

 

Now forgive my ignorance, as I am only now discovering the depths to which these models are detailed, and then you guys add more details, it's crazy. My next question is much more broad. When searching for replacement ejection seats, I see lots of seats listed on ebay (one of the only options I have since I live in the Philippines, it sucks) NACES II for F-18, but isn't the NACE II the same, no matter which aircraft it is installed into? Ie, shouldn't the NACES II for the 18 D, still fit the E or F, or even the F-14? The same applies across USAF aircraft. Wouldn't the ACES II from the F-15 fit in the F-22?

 

I ask this with the obvious questions out of the way, they are all the same scale. So shouldn't a nice AIRES seat fit all the aircraft that use it?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Anthony

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57 minutes ago, Stalker6Recon said:

I remember watching a program about the F-15, and the way that the export model was described, is a flying gas can, with much of the gear the US used, stripped out to make the aircraft "affordable" to our allies.

 

Does that sound like an accurate description of what we sold the Israeli and other countries when the 15 first entered service?

 

Anthony

The export Eagles certainly downgraded some of the most advanced features of the electronics (radar features, ECM, etc) but it would almost certainly be an exaggeration to say they were totally "stripped down."  The most notable difference between the US and export Eagles is the ALQ-128 ECM antenna on top of the port vertical stabilizer.  On US birds this is a bullet-shaped fairing that is notably larger in diameter than the mass balance on the starboard fin.  Israeli, Japanese, and Saudi birds have matching mass balances on both fins.

 

Part of the reason Israel, Japan, and Saudi Arabia wanted the F-15 - and were willing to commit such a large portion of their budgets to acquiring them - was the demand for the advanced features needed to counter then-current or anticipated threats (export MiG-25s, MiG-29s , and Iran's F-14s). 

 

It's worth noting that the Israelis have a very robust local aviation industry, particularly for electronics. I'm not sure how much they may have added of their own equipment when the F-15 was first adopted (and details would probably still be sensitive if not classified), but they have definitely developed indigenous upgrades more recently - as evidenced by integration of new weapons and various antennae unique to the Israeli birds. 

 

Japan's situation is similar. Their aircraft were actually locally manufactured (hence the F-15CJ/DJ designation) and local industry has developed various upgrades unique to the JASDF.

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2 hours ago, Stalker6Recon said:

You seem to be pretty much a guru with regards to the ejection seats (and probably in general for other things, including the F-15). Tell me this if you can. What is the difference between the ACES II and the NACES II, other than being for naval aircraft?

 

Now forgive my ignorance, as I am only now discovering the depths to which these models are detailed, and then you guys add more details, it's crazy. My next question is much more broad. When searching for replacement ejection seats, I see lots of seats listed on ebay (one of the only options I have since I live in the Philippines, it sucks) NACES II for F-18, but isn't the NACE II the same, no matter which aircraft it is installed into? Ie, shouldn't the NACES II for the 18 D, still fit the E or F, or even the F-14? The same applies across USAF aircraft. Wouldn't the ACES II from the F-15 fit in the F-22?

 

I ask this with the obvious questions out of the way, they are all the same scale. So shouldn't a nice AIRES seat fit all the aircraft that use it?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Anthony

By no means a guru, I've just accumulated a good reference library over 30 or so years of being a "serious" aviation hobbyist (and learned some good resources online, such as this very forum).

 

Another great resource is the Ejection Site, particularly the seat gallery section:

 

http://www.ejectionsite.com

 

To your question about ejection seats, there's really a "real world" answer and a "modeling answer."

 

First, the ACES II is a completely different seat from the NACES.  The NACES (aka Martin Baker Mk 14) is only used on the F-14D, T-45, and F-18 family starting during C/D production - all naval aircraft, hence the "N" in NACES.

 

The ACES II was, as noted earlier in this thread, originally developed by McDonnell Douglas and first installed in Block 17 F-15A/Bs.  The same basic seat is used in a large number of USAF types, including the F-16, F-117A, late A-10, and B-1B.  I say "basic" seat as there are usually detail differences in each installation, such as armrests unique to the B-1 version. 

 

For modeling purposes the seats in the F-15, F-16, and F-22 are essentially identical, but this brings up the hobbyist side of your question.  When aftermarket manufacturers design seats they are usually working to a particular kit cockpit.  Rather than precisely scaling down the "real world" 1:1 seat, more often they will design the seat to fit the intended cockpit tub and look proportionally correct (more or less).  If you can't find an aftermarket seat or cockpit set specifically for your kit, you'll have to take some degree of gamble that whichever seat you can find will fit (or can be modified easily to do so).

 

An alternative you might consider is using an incorrect kit seat as a basis for modeling the correct version.  Most modern ejection seats have similar setup so you would just need to revise the shapes and details where necessary. Ultimately it's a question of whether you prefer spending the money on an aftermarket part or the time on a kitbashed version.

 

 

Edited by CT7567
Clarification of ACES types
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1 hour ago, CT7567 said:

between the US and export Eagles is

Looking at what has happened to the F-22 and more recently, the F-35, I would actually say that the biggest difference is the fact that these other countries are not saddled with all the developmental costs associated with turning a aircraft on paper into an operational front line fighter. Don't know why that just popped in my head, but I have a feeling that they benefit greatly from our willingness to take the chances and sink or swim. The Comanche program comes to mind, with a few billion thrown down a hole, never to be recovered. Even losing bids in a contract war (JSF) recoup some of their expenses, but not nearly as much as the winner ultimately.

 

Then people get hung up on the unit costs, and the government is their own worst enemy. When you commit to buying 2k fighters, then reneg to less than half, the unit cost doubles, or more. Hence the Common Affordable Fighter Program suddenly becomes the most expensive per unit fighter in history. At least the Brits have taken some of the burden with regards to the F-35, but the US taxpayers are on the hook for the lions share of the costs associated with the program.

 

That said, it would make sense that many are upgraded in their host country, probably another way to cut costs and reward their local economy with millions in contracts as well.

 

As for the seats, I certainly get what you mean with regards to "making the seat fit the tub", that makes a lot of sense. I actually found the site you mentioned when researching the NACES II, but my interests is more curiosity than anything else, but that is changing.

 

Not sure if I mentioned this here, but back when I was building models in my younger days, there was no internet and building models was a local only endeavor. That is, for poor kids like me, I had no access to groups or information beyond my library card and what info I could get out of the hobby shop I frequented most. I always thought that markings were part fact, mostly fiction. I didn't realize that the kits were based on actual serial numbered aircraft with accurate details of the flight crew. I only recently learned of this from forums like this one. As a former military man, I now see this in a new light, more about replication of history and honoring those who fought and sometimes died in the subjects we build. So accuracy has become important to me, hence this question regarding building an accurate aircraft from the imperfect kit. Even the seat is now a focus of getting it right as best I am able.

 

With that said, one item I have found for a small amount of money, are PE ejection seats, and if you buy them for a B, D or E kit, they come in pairs. This is a pretty inexpensive way to correct kit seats that are not accurate, and if by chance they don't fit perfectly for a specific model, as you said, we can always try to correct the kit seat by hand, or go with a more specific aftermarket upgrade, if our scratch skills are not up to par just yet. Since I have yet to build my first kit in thirty plus years, I would say my skills amount to none at all, everything has changed since that last kit in the 80's, even the glue is new. Back then, the only glue option I had, was a nasty, stringy testors tube, and I made the mistake of gluing a canopy once, before learning about Elmer's white glue for clear parts. But I also know that I have only scratched the surface of what I will learn over the coming years. It should be fun!

 

Anthony

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5 hours ago, Jordi said:

brought them up to essentially F-15C standards. 

Thanks for the history! Good stuff....

 

5 hours ago, Jordi said:

To the

This was not a decision I made, Tamiya made it for me. When I ordered the kit, I did not know the decals inside were a nasty yellow-brown. Being in the Philippines, there is no returns, especially when you order online via bank transfer, nobody has PayPal here. Anyway, when I contacted the seller, he pushed me off to Tamiya. Tamiya had no contact in the Philippines to request replacement decals from for a long time. Only recently has there been a new distributor responsible for the Philippines. After contacting them, I found out that they only had decals available for the C, as the A is no longer in production. This is why I asked the question.

 

If you read the entire post, you would know that I bought a Hasegawa kit as well, only to find out that it was based on a D variant demonstrator of the E, not yet in production. So I ended up with two kits that would not build up properly as intended by the manufacturer. One had bad decals, the other was sold as something it wasn't.

 

That should clear things up for you,

 

Anthony

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