ROG 1/48 F15E WIP.....FINISHED!!

Let me check my spares box.  I have a feeling that I may have one for you.  Won't be home until Sunday.  Will let you know then.

Caveman

Let me check my spares box.  I have a feeling that I may have one for you.  Won't be home until Sunday.  Will let you know then.

 

 

I would appreciate that! Thank you! And no rush, its the Holidays!! Enjoy!

So Revell dogged me hard on the parts. Since the ROG kit is OOP, they said no replacement parts for me. So I sent another request using the in production US Revell F15E (the ordnance sparce one). Both kitsch are 100% identical, down to the instructions and parts trees and parts numbers, albeit minus the ordnance and different decals. Thier reply? Parts replacement service is currently unavailable until a future date. I said F that, I want to finish my kit, went to my LHS and picked up the US version kit #85-5511. The shop owner hooked me up for $19. So i got my canopy, plus a whole kit that i dont need as of yet, but spares are good. So without further ado, my current progress, albeit in a progressed stage. Pre shade is next followed by finishing the ordnance up. I decided to forgo the decals denoting HE rounds and hand paint the yellow stripes. The variance in size and placement lends more to realism if you look up ordnance pics. Stay tuned.

$19 isn't too bad of a solution. Ordinance looks awesome!

The jet is looking real good . Some times just getting another kit saves you time $$ and  grief 

The kit actually builds extremely nice. Very nice panel detail including rivets. Fitment is spectacular and most seam lines actually fall in line with actual panel lines so if you take your time and dry fit, there is little to no sanding or filling needed. This is actually my third F15E. I tried two Academy kits, the F15K, and the USAF F15E with Weapon kit. Both were garbage and I scraped them due to atrocious fitment of parts. But I did save some elements from both for this kit. So it's a kit bash. I have high hopes this time.  3rd time is a charm. On a side note, this is my first attempt at a modern fighter instead of WWII stuff, so dont expect too great of a final product. I'm still learning.

Got some bench time in today and laid down some pre shade. Yes I know, it's very sloppy and ugly, I have yet to master it despite the numerous amount of times I have done it. So I decided against the dark grey finish that is typical of strike eagles and go for the lighter grey. What color would that be, light ghost grey? Or the two tone, that has the light grey with the darker grey camo insets like seen on the F22. What greys would i be looking to use for that scheme?

Looks good so far. Don’t worry about the pre-shading, it gets mostly covered up anyway. As far as colors, your only option for a strike Eagle is gunship Gray. 

I was afraid of that. The lighter gray was on the C's. Ah well. I'm using model master so they have a grey labeled Dark Grey (F-15). I also have Tamiya, so what's their equivalent? 

Not sure you might have to mix it

Put in a little work tonight, played down the top coat color over the pre shade, I'm happy with the results. I dont usually go over panel lines with a wash, so I try to leave a bit more of the pre shade showing. Also I picked up these freaking awesome GE engines from KA models. The detail is AMAZING! Very pricey though, they actually cost more than the kit itself. And yes I do know the US F15E does NOT have the GE engines like the F15K, but I have never liked the look of the Pratt and Whitney's, so I decided mine was going to have GE cans. More coming soon!

Got some time in finally, so I finished up the cans. I have to say that i am happy with how they came out. The detail in the casting is phenomenal. More updates to come.

Got some more bench time in, (and also a new cutting mat that is larger as you can see!). So I laid down decals albeit difficult to see with the dark grey of the F15E, clear gloss, then panel lining followed by flat clear. I know, I know, my panel lining isn't the best, but honestly guys, this is my first time EVER doing panel lining and to be honest, for a first attempt, I am VERY happy with the result. It could have gone sideways faster than Ken Block ( YouTube him if you dont get the reference). At any rate here are some pics, more work to do, but the finish line is in sight. Stay Tuned!

No comments? Plenty of views but nothing? I'm not phishing for compliments guys, but I am phishing for feedback, as long as its constructive. This is my first attempt at trying new techniques AND on modern war birds. I want to know what you guys think! You all have more experience than I do and I value the wisdom you drop on me! It makes me a better modeler! So please, tell me your thoughts! What did I do a good job on? Where did I mess up? What did I do good and what could I have done better? Drop it on me!

looks pretty sharp to me. I don't like to do jet thingys - too many ways to screw it up. Looks like you got this well in hand.

Reaper420, So I'm just reading your post for the 1st time and I understand your request for feedback - I love it and feel the same way, it makes me a better modeler. Sometimes it can be pretty quiet on here from what I've experienced.

In terms of feedback it's somewhat hard to give for 2 reason, I can't open the pictures to make them larger and be able to see some detail as it goes to another site saying I have to log in to see them and the more general reason is that pre-shading is one of those things that everyone feels differently about. That said, for me, the preshading would be too dark, i.e. I would put another top coat on it. Now I'm a guy who thinks real planes don't look like that too often so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. What I can say is that you don't want those preshading lines to be neat and tidy. I don't think making them straight as an arrow is the way to go. so I think what you did looks good. The ceramic inside the exhaust looks the part for sure. Agree with your comment on the ordnance too, the lines aren't always uniform.

So I think when alot of people read a post and don't comment, it's that they think it's looking good and there isn't much more to offer. To me it looks like your build is going great and it's gonna be a real eye pleaser when it's done. Hope this all helps and is taken in the best possible light  

Chris

TheMongoose

Reaper420, So I'm just reading your post for the 1st time and I understand your request for feedback - I love it and feel the same way, it makes me a better modeler. Sometimes it can be pretty quiet on here from what I've experienced.

In terms of feedback it's somewhat hard to give for 2 reason, I can't open the pictures to make them larger and be able to see some detail as it goes to another site saying I have to log in to see them and the more general reason is that pre-shading is one of those things that everyone feels differently about. That said, for me, the preshading would be too dark, i.e. I would put another top coat on it. Now I'm a guy who thinks real planes don't look like that too often so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. What I can say is that you don't want those preshading lines to be neat and tidy. I don't think making them straight as an arrow is the way to go. so I think what you did looks good. The ceramic inside the exhaust looks the part for sure. Agree with your comment on the ordnance too, the lines aren't always uniform.

So I think when alot of people read a post and don't comment, it's that they think it's looking good and there isn't much more to offer. To me it looks like your build is going great and it's gonna be a real eye pleaser when it's done. Hope this all helps and is taken in the best possible light  

Chris

 

Thanks a bunch Chris! I appreciate the feedback! I feel the same about panel lines and what not. I've seem Many a fighter up close and personal in real life and the representation of panel lines as seen on our models is virtually non existent. So I TRY to keep it very light, I just may have gotten a bit heavy with it on this one, but the panel lining and coats of clear seem to have helped to dial it back. Next go though, I WILL add another spray of topcoat to dial it down. And that strange about the pics, I use directupload.net and didnt know it makes you log in to view them. I use it because because it's free and functions just like PB used too before they got money hungry.

I have zero experience pre shading.  Been dabbling in black basing and post shading for some time.  I thought it was too dark too, but after the clearcoat and panel lining I like it a lot.  

Yeah, could be I’m inept, you never know lol here’s what i see when i double click on a pic...tried on my ipad and work computer and got the same page. Maybe you can see what I’m doing wrong?

TheMongoose

Yeah, could be I’m inept, you never know lol here’s what i see when i double click on a pic...tried on my ipad and work computer and got the same page. Maybe you can see what I’m doing wrong?

 

Honestly Chris I'm afraid I have no clue!! Believe it or not, I do ALL of my posting from my Samsung Note 8, and I use the directupload.net app from the Google Play store. I've never been on their actual website, not once. So unfortunately I am afraid I wouldn't be any help to you! Maybe if you download the app and set up an account, it may work for you then (on your iPad)?

So I got my base all finished that I am going to be mounting this build on. In flight of course. The base I got from hobby lobby for $2, which I then sanded and hit with some min wax stain. The Emblem was retrieved from the interwebs, then pasted into word and sized accordingly. I then printed it out, cut it out, used some spray adhesive and attached it to a thin sheet of styrene, cut it out again, then CA'd it to the wooden base. Let it dry, then hit the whole thing with a few coats of Krylon Gloss clear to seal it all in. Oh and the F15E plaque is from the Eduard set for the revell interior. Stay tuned! Final photos of the finished build are next!

Finished, finally!! I know there are some mistakes and areas I could do a bit better, but please bear in mind, this is my FIRST attempt at modern fighters instead of WWII era. So for a first attempt, I am very pleased. You will notice I modeled this loaded for bear, while improbable, not impossible. Granted it would be about as maneuverable as a school bus driving across a frozen lake on just its rims, but hey, it's what I wanted to do. As always, criticism is welcome as long as its constructive. Stay alert for my next build, I got alot in the stash!

Thank you much for the responses everyone. I know it was a long time in the making, since December of last year, but what can I say, I get busy, sidetracked and well just plain lazy sometimes!

I think it looks fantastic! All that ordanance makes it look mean.

Too bad the US version lacks those.

Really nice job.  The finish is spectacular.  And as others have said the load-out is impressive!  Well done