Lithuanian F-15A

[anthonyp]

Seriously, I went Eagle nuts over the last month like I went Hornet crazy last year.  Starting with the Philippino F-15B, I've built eight of these things, with two more in the stash.  There will only be two threads about this batch, though, as the next six are all themed.

This is a Heller 1/72 F-15A/B that I got cheap.  It was a quick build, not too detailed.  I never intended this one to fit in with the others, so I went nuts with it.  I had these Lithuanian decals from an L-39 sheet, and thought giving the Baltic republic some hardware to protect itself would turn itself into a pretty cool looking plane.  I was almost right.  I'm a little "eh" on the paint scheme as I thought it would look more blue than bluish green.

Overall, I like this one.

Backstory:

Lithuania was the first Baltic nation to receive ex-US hardware meant to defend itself.  The first of 18 F-15A and 9 F-15B Eagles arrived in May of 1996, equipping the 3rd Interceptor Regiment outside of Vilnius.  The planes wore a distinct blue and greenish blue scheme, similar to the colors worn by Russian Flankers.

Lithuanian F-15's patrol not only Lithuanian airspace, but also the airspace above it's neighboring ex-Soviet republics, Latvia and Estonia.  Regular intercepts of Russian planes occur.

As always, click this link for more pics.