Lightningboy2000 Posted August 28, 2022 Share Posted August 28, 2022 Had this kit since it came out, just needed a good excuse to get it started & here it is. The only D-Day special that I didn't manage to get a photo of with these markings, got the other two so building this will make up for it. I've been told that 91-0603 with the D-Day stripes & yellow tail was slightly more elusive of the three which only makes me feel slightly better! So - Academy kit - 1/72 F-15E 494th 91-0603 of the 48th FW. Initially I would have liked to build it out of the box, but the engine nozzles look ok but not as refined as I'd like so if anyone could recommend some decent resin nozzles for it would be appreciated. I might even buy some 3d printed cockpit details, not sure yet. Just a small start to it. Removing the seam line on the canopy then a dip to help give it some clarity after a fine buffing. That's it for now. Will be minimum time available this week to go any further with it as I hopefully will try & get some pics at LN on my day off. Also does anybody know if the blue tail F-15C of the 493rd "D-Day Special" has been done in decal form? Would be great if this is out there somewhere. Martin 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightningboy2000 Posted September 30, 2022 Author Share Posted September 30, 2022 Not much done on this over the past few weeks, but once the main sections are together it should speed ahead once some color's on it. Adjusting the engine openings for the Aires resin exhausts. These are supposed to be specific to this new tool Academy kit. Cockpit is together & primed with grey primer. I might actually just go with this grey colour as a start before building up the dry brushing & picking out. Resin engines being put together with loads of tiny resin actuators. Primed.. They fit perfectly now. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 Some lovely detail there between the Aires exhausts and the kit’s cockpit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 I have the same burner cans with the fiddely resin bits, too bad my eagle crash and burned. Maybe my next one will be an Academy or GWH. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightningboy2000 Posted October 2, 2022 Author Share Posted October 2, 2022 On 10/1/2022 at 1:04 AM, Wings unlevel said: Some lovely detail there between the Aires exhausts and the kit’s cockpit. The raised detail in the kit cockpit is pretty good I think. Been looking at the Eduard replacement colour etch just for rough reference but I don't think this kit needs it really its that good, with a bit of carefull paint application. These resin exhausts are very finely detailed as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightningboy2000 Posted October 2, 2022 Author Share Posted October 2, 2022 Today has bein detail painting day. Giving paint to the main focal points of this kit being the cockpit & these Aires resin exhausts, now I can get on with a quick build of the rest of the kit. Most of it has big positive click together pylons, so everything is finely engineered & looks like I will barely need any filler on this kit. Luvverly jubberly, that's what I like! Here's wot ive been doin today... Just in case anyone wants to get their magnifying glass & light pen out, i've painted & detailed the engine exhaust face. Painted & dry brushed the ejection seats. This is quite literally the best quality I can get out of my mobile phone camera so this is all your getting & I really can't be bothered to get my SLR out! Some Vallejo metal color shades & tamiya metal powders to colour it up. The ceramic insides have been painted & also used some AK grease streak effects. Painted & dry brushed the kit cockpit. A lot of this has been applied with the tip of a cocktail stick. Now I can press on, quite literally due to the kits' push together nature. Thanks for looking I have been Martin 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightningboy2000 Posted October 2, 2022 Author Share Posted October 2, 2022 That's it for today. Got the main bits together, no filler just little bits of sanding. Might add just a small amount of nose weight into the nose cone, then start on the next stage of adding the paint. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightningboy2000 Posted October 5, 2022 Author Share Posted October 5, 2022 Todays progress - step by step with a major annoyance. First off, I would have liked to pose this with the canopy open in a similar fashion to my Su-24 with a ladder, pilots etc but in hindsight I should have built the GWH kit instead, so that will be a project for another day. So, this Academy kit has the canopy central brace moulded as part of (in front of) the rear instrument panel, so you have to build it canopy down. Well I could have cut it out & mounted it to the clear canopy but that would have also meant cutting off the front windscreen & the rear deck. That was a bit too much work to deal with so canopy down it is. Here's the cockpit prior to setting the canopy in place. I've added a sandy wash to the black cockpit areas as it's noted that they brought a fair bit of desert sand back with them during exchanges to the sand pit. The one piece canopy glued in place with white glue. Very slight gaps around the bottom have been sealed with PPP so as to stop any paint spray from entering. I've had problems with fumes & spray ruining the inside of the canopy of my F-2B so I'm taking no chances this time. Looks appropriately menacing in black. Going with black primer then will add white panel highlighting afterwards in the vain hope that some variation will come out of my final grey coat. Apart from the canopy issue, this is a very finely detailed kit. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 Looks rather sinister in black doesn't it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightningboy2000 Posted October 6, 2022 Author Share Posted October 6, 2022 41 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: Looks rather sinister in black doesn't it ? Oh yes! Lends itself to a stealth anti radar what if I think. But I'll let someone else do that! 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightningboy2000 Posted October 9, 2022 Author Share Posted October 9, 2022 Done some more things today... Did some pre-shade white mottling & the white areas for the D-Day stripes & the yellow tail fins. After about three hours drying time on the white I cracked open the medium gunship grey. None of the white peeled off with the masking = a good afternoon's airbrushing. Here's a few pics. I actually remembered to take some piccys before I got completely carried away with spraying the whole thing grey. I've left the nose cone as I've seen pics of this one in a slightly lighter grey. I'll mask that & the engine panels in the week for further action. Just enough of the pre shading is showing through which I'm happy with. That will go with a good panel wash & some surface scuff marks. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted October 28, 2022 Share Posted October 28, 2022 Just saw your pics in the gallery Martin, a stunning result - a quality of build that I aspire to… one day! Gerard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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