Tamiya F-15 1/32th Part I

Because I like the F-15 so much, so decide to make one myself. Compare Revell and TAMIYA, TAMIYA’s kits not only have more details, and the depth of reticle is very good, and more comfortable to put together than Revell, the process of crafting this kits is pure pleasure. To match the kits I choose Edurad’s PE, but I only able to find the cockpit parts and weapon parts. And for the small red weapon tapes I have to use my painter to print some as the same size as the real PE.

Building
1.Cockpit
Almost for all Strike Eagle series planes you have to build from the cockpit, of course there is no exception for this big guy. And this model makes me very excited to craft it, because the details are very rich. First cut off all the pieces, shave off all the parting line, use Mr. Color 1000# Surfacer for base, after it dry use 1500# sandpaper to polish. Check for any mistakes or flaw, if there is no problems spray Mr. Color 317#. For the black parts, use the XF1 pen from TAMIYA, then put on the decals which TAMIYA provided. For the clear parts, spray a very thin clear orange to simulate lights, and then point on color buttons.

TAMIYA’s canopy cuts are very accurate, but there is a clear parting line need to be shaved. Use 2000# sandpaper to rubdown, then use TAMIYA 1000# polishing compound and 2000# polishing compound to polish. At the end use Mr. Color’s clear parts protector on the polished parts, because right now they are very easy to damage. At same time use masking tape to cover them from any chance scratch them. The PEs from Eduard has some small parts such as canopy locks and rearview mirrors, now it’s the time to put them on. But notice that when you glue them use clear parts cement, put it on the glass paper, and wait till the volatilization to prevent any white fog.

2 The undercarriages for this F-15 need to be finished beforehand. Moreover the front undercarriage is all metal, that’s why we need to put some metal surface primer, although the guide and in the pictures the undercarriages are all white, but for model, it will be too glare if I put paint them all white, add a little gray into it will show much better outcomes. After painting the undercarriages, wash it then the head can put them together. Although it’s from TAMIYA, the parts are very well fit, but still need to put some putty for coloring and parting lines

3 The air intake is made by 2 pieces, upper and lower. Inside of them have lots of pin marks and holes, need to get rid of them all. If not when you paint they will damage the effects. The 2 intakes are also white, mix with a bit brown and dust yellow to create some chromatic aberrations, then use brown to wash, it’s better than just use black color to wash.

4 Fuselage
The fuselage of the plane is also made by 2 pieces, upper and lower. When I first put them together to see how it looks it feels alright, but when I start making the plane I found out there are 2 places I have a few trouble with. First is where radar cone links with the fuselage, there is a large gap between the 2, further more the radar cone needs to hole pressure from the rear, so need to use glue to make the radar cone and the fuselage stay together. Then put putty into the gaps and fill the lines. Second it’s where the upper and lower fuselage meets with the fuel tank. The joint spot also have large gaps, need putty to fill them. There are a few other places need to keep a eye one, 1, the machine gun have to painted first before put it into the main body. 2 the wings are large and thick, but inside are empty, need to fill them to increase their intensity. 3, maybe because this is a very old kit, the rear part has a bit curve. After the gluing, need to use clippers to hold them, and watch the balance of 2 sides. When I put on the wings, the 2 sides need to be level, and use putty to fill any gaps between them.

Continue in Part II