F-15CSE - Finished

DogfighterZen · July 04, 2015, 08:10:39 PM

Silent Eagle for one...

Hey guys, another one of my recoveries from the earlier builds pile, i was very unhappy with the result but, as i've learned a little bit since i first built it, i brought it back out so i can practice using my airbrush and try to give it a more decent finish.
The idea i had for this is simple, as i'd like to have a C variant with the Silent Eagle layout and i had assembled this Italeri F-15C with the CFTs it brought, to get what i wanted was very easy, not much to do but remove the weapon pylons and center line tank it had, sand the glue away, take the canopy out and dip in clear varnish to remove CA fogging.
I also scratch-build new fairings for the fins cause i didn't like the way it looked with the normal fins and thought the fairings could be beefed up. For that, i found some sprue bits that had just the shape i needed so with a little cutting and sanding, the front ends were shaped, cut to size in the back and glued in place.

The fins were next and i think i got the angle close to the the 15º angle of the real ones but who cares? They're also sitting a bit fore of their original position...

Still some fine tuned PSR after it's all dry to really blend things in.
This is how it looks at the moment...

Next will be scratching up small bits and antennas and it's almost ready for some paint! Once more i'm divided about the nationality and camo scheme. I've had two options for which i have decals suitable to use, the first being the Israeli Defense Forces and second, the U.S.A.F.. This brings about two possibilities, one being the IDF normal desert camo and the other, the F-15E's Gunship gray. But it just occurred to me that those would be the most obvious choices for such an aircraft, right? I could always create an alternative future and say that Portugal will sell half of their F-16 fleet and buy a squadron of these babies around 2018...

Anyway, i'll think about it a bit longer but i wanna try to keep the flow going with this one now that i've picked it back up.

kerick · July 04, 2015, 08:24:02 PM

This sounds good! I like what you have done so far. Paint schemes are always a difficult choice for me too. Check some of the art work on this site and you may find something to adapt for your build.

Dizzyfugu · July 05, 2015, 01:17:44 AM

If it's Portugal, why not simple use a wrap-around SEA-scheme, or just tan and green? Will certainly look odd on an F-15, and it's rather typical and effective for the country (check the Portuguese A-7s).

DogfighterZen · July 05, 2015, 04:03:24 AM

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

The SEA scheme is an interesting choice but i will have to look around, i was also thinking of something like US CAS F-16s, various green tones? Don't know the name of the scheme but i believe it would look good...

Dizzyfugu · July 05, 2015, 06:56:57 AM

Those F-16s in the "Lizard/Europe One" scheme?

DogfighterZen · July 05, 2015, 08:06:55 AM

Exactly!!

I really like that scheme and i believe the Eagle would look really good with those colors even with Portuguese hi-viz markings... Although i would prefer in Low-viz but nobody makes them!

I'm seriously considering the idea of buying a laser printer to get what i need and it actually seems like the best thing to do.

Captain Canada · July 06, 2015, 04:51:09 AM

Nice one. I'd like to see it in Lizard as well so that gets my vote !

DogfighterZen · July 06, 2015, 03:41:17 PM

Quote from: Captain Canada on July 06, 2015, 04:51:09 AM
Nice one. I'd like to see it in Lizard as well so that gets my vote !

Yes, i believe Lizard will be the choice...

I've been googlin'it out and could only find the F-15E Strike Eagle demonstrator aircraft in this scheme, couldn't find anything of other countries using it so, although it's a rare scheme for the Eagle, it's been used and it's easy to find good references for painting the scheme as there are a few kits that had the markings to depict the demonstrator bird, i believe they are the Monogram and Hasegawa F-15E kits.
Portugal's forests have been burnt up over the years so i guess the SEA scheme makes more sense with each year that passes, i guess it's really what Portuguese aircraft should use... unless they are only tasked with surveillance of Portuguese/International waters.
But i'm really not a big fan of that scheme unless it's wraparound, i like the white underbelly mostly on WWII types, but it depends of the aircraft itself... I do want to build an F-4E/F in Portuguese service and i really don't see what other scheme would be used, if it was chosen back in 1973 or again in 75...

No advances on the model itself, need to buy putty to blend in the fin fairings and for my F-16W which is now approaching the final sanding session!!

DogfighterZen · August 22, 2015, 06:59:14 PM

Some updates on this one... I thought about changing the intakes for quite a while and took me even longer to decide cause i was very scared of bringing a blade into the matter, if i messed it up, it would probably put it back on the stalled builds pile.
But by very carefully measuring the cuts with the fuselage's panel lines, i've managed to get the shape i was looking for, top panels now have the 45º angle of the wings. I was really glad with how it came out, just some light sanding to go and they're done.

For now i've left the lower panel as it was but i think i'll cut it to match the top, makes sense, right?
After this, the fin roots are still to be sanded and some minor rescribing of panel lines to be done. After that it's another one on the bench in line for some paint.

kerick · August 22, 2015, 11:59:19 PM

Looking good! I like what you did with the intakes. Angling the bottom edge would be a good idea.

DogfighterZen · August 23, 2015, 05:01:32 AM

Quote from: kerick on August 22, 2015, 11:59:19 PM
Looking good! I like what you did with the intakes. Angling the bottom edge would be a good idea.

Thanks, will do!

trickyrich · August 23, 2015, 06:13:38 AM

I love this idea, almost enough to want to go grab an F-15 and start cutting it up!!

I really like what you are doing, well done!!

I will be following this one with interest!

DogfighterZen · August 23, 2015, 11:22:34 AM

Quote from: trickyrich on August 23, 2015, 06:13:38 AM
I love this idea, almost enough to want to go grab an F-15 and start cutting it up!!

I really like what you are doing, well done!!

I will be following this one with interest!

Thank you! It's always good to know that what i'm doing is motivating someone!

Here are the lower plates, cut to the 45º angle but with a bit of a bigger wedge to it, i overdid one side so i had to match the other for it to be exactly the same size... well, maybe not exactly the same but they look ok to me. What do you guys think?

Ok, just a bit of sanding on the fin roots, probably will be done tonight, after dinner.

Hasta la Pasta

Diamondback · August 23, 2015, 01:23:45 PM

Nice! I may lift that intake idea if I ever dust off my own F-15 WHIF build I had in progress (two copies, one set of kits still wrapped in storage, other stolen in break-in

) - back half Silent Eagle, front half F-15 ACTIVE, stuff a pair of F120-derived engines up its backside and outfit with the best pieces from I, K, SA and SG models.

If you can find something suitable for Stations 1/9, I think an F-18 would give you suitable dual-rail adapters to load the bird like this SA:

Ya gotta add the Tiger Eyes IRST, though...

(built into left intake pylon, K, SA and SG models) On mine, I'm tempted to say that what looks like a LANTIRN Nav pod is actually a LIDAR for target-tracking in stealth attacks.

DogfighterZen · August 23, 2015, 06:15:49 PM

Thanks! Please get yours on the go again, i've recently found more love in me for the Eagle so i'm in need of whiffed up F-15s!

Sad bit about the break in though, hope it wasn't to much of a set back.
I do have to say, looking at that SA and the load out is indeed the largest i've seen on any A2A mission loaded jet but i think i will follow a stealthier/sleeker approach. But you did get me thinking of the type of load out it will carry!

I'm wondering why the F-15C's normal fuselage missile mounts have to disappear when using the CFTs...
If the CFTs were redesigned to carry missiles inside, why not get rid of the four CFT mounted pylons and create semi-recessed, Phantom-like missile mounts on the same spots were they normally go when carried with no CFTs?
I've found the original kit pylons for stations 1/9, so i'm thinking of something like this:

Stations 1/9 - Double Lau-128A = 4 aim-9x
Stations 2/8 - ?/Single Lau-128A = 2 aim-9x/2 aim-120C/D
Stations 3/4 & 6/7 - Fuselage semi-recessed ejector hard points = 4 aim-120C/D or Meteor
Stations 8/9 & 10/11 - CFT weapons bay-door launchers = 4 aim-120C/D
Station 5 - Centerline drop tank/Tiger Eye IRST

The question mark on stations 2/8 is because i'm not sure if i'm going to use anything there, if i do put the pylon there, it will have only the outer missile rail because of the operating space for the weapons bay door. I believe that it would work like that, i think the rail is launcher instead of ejector so the missile just goes straight ahead. But i'm not really having weapons bays open on this build...

well, maybe just the door's panel lines scribed.
As this is a C variant, i'm keeping it an A2A dedicated variant. The Tiger Eye? Don't know, maybe one on a pod on the centerline pylon?
But the IRST on the nose and the Forward Looking sensors on the sides of the cockpit will be an addition for sure...

And just now looking back at it, i believe the double aim-120 bottom pylon on stations 2/8 could be fitted and the weapons bay door would function freely... that way it wouldn't loose 4 missiles... makes it 18 Boom Brooms...