1/72 F-15e questions

[phat trev]

Skimming though the resourses found on the net as well as the excellent F-15e.com site i am still a little confused about the differences between the Academy weapons pylons and airfix pylons.

What should I be adding to my 1/72 Academy Strike Eagle to bring it upto a more realistic E config?

[4scourge7]

Hi Trev

The Academy `E` does not include the middle pylon of three fitted on both conformal fuel tanks as seen here on this RoG F-15.

The join lines on the forward section are a pain and the forward undercart needs re-inforcing. You will also need to add RWR sensors at the base of the tail booms.

That being said, none of this is too difficult and you can get a nice mudmover out of the Academy kit, here`s one I made earlier.

HTH

Cheers, Ian

Edited July 17, 2010 by ian buick

[phat trev]

Thanks Ian, Your F-15 looks very good.

I am sure I can scratch build some of the missing parts (A sniper pod is a must i feel). Now about the poor fit up front... this is my first jet build so to me having seams on the side of a fuselage is a little daunting.

So... a question to all you jet builders " Just how do you get rid of lateral seams to create a nice smooth surface?" I have a sanding stick and am not afraid to use it

[4scourge7]

Thanks Trev,

I see you might be contemplating the Hase/RoG kit in a seperate thread and I`d say this is the way to go. The parts fit and detailing is far superior to Academy.

The Academy kit comes with a seperate nose section running back to the base of the intakes so you will have access to the HUGE join line which takes a lot of sanding, then filler, then a lot more sanding, to straighten out. In the procces you loose all the nearby surface detail.

The Hase/Rog kit is in a more conventional horizontal fit of two-halves, fits snuggly, and requires minimal clean-up work, defineatly the way to go.

Here`s my RoG version which was an utter joy after building the Academy kit.

Defineatly RoG/Hase is the better kit right now.

Cheers, Ian

[phat trev]

I have purchased and recieved the Academy one now so and contemplation of the Revell version will have to wait...until I screw up this version or get annoyed with the fit issues... and I have never seen the latest Revell version for sale?

Got the Aries resin cockpit set for the Academy F-15E today and its an awsome addition, the detail in 1/72 is really fine.

Thanks Trev,

I see you might be contemplating the Hase/RoG kit in a seperate thread and I`d say this is the way to go. The parts fit and detailing is far superior to Academy.

The Academy kit comes with a seperate nose section running back to the base of the intakes so you will have access to the HUGE join line which takes a lot of sanding, then filler, then a lot more sanding, to straighten out. In the procces you loose all the nearby surface detail.

The Hase/Rog kit is in a more conventional horizontal fit of two-halves, fits snuggly, and requires minimal clean-up work, defineatly the way to go.

Defineatly RoG/Hase is the better kit right now.

Cheers, Ian

[4scourge7]

The forward fuselage, cockpit, and the FAST packs on the Academy version need a lot of TLC. But beyond that, it`s not a bad kit.

Defineatly re-inforce the arching strut over the nosewheel. It is very thin and will buckle, and needs a little back-up with plasticard.

The RoG version is out of production right now. Hase currently has their kit out and probably doesn`t want two identicaly moulded kits competing, particularly as the Hase version is so much more expensive than the identical RoG version (different decals is all).

Best of luck with yours Trev, look forward to seeing it.

Cheers, Ian

Edited July 21, 2010 by ian buick

[Master Zen]

RoG F-15s sometimes pop up on eBay. I think they are worth the price because they have much better decals. However, Hase F-15Es also pop up quite often and are quite decently priced as well. But you do need to get some aftermarket decals since usually the kits are quite dated and the decals are probably yellowed.

I should also mention that the Academy F-15E is quite good too although it has sparse cockpit detail (decals for panels). But it definitely looks good when built, surface detail is excellent and it has a decent weapons load (Hase kits only have basic bombs, you have you source any AAMs or other air-ground stores elsewhere)