Air craft help

Which Monogram kit is this? Is it the 2-seat 1/48 F-15E Strike Eagle, or the one seat F-15A/C? Or is it one of their older 1/72 kits?

If it's a kit that I'm familiar with, I could possibly better help you with the problem.


Fade to Black...

I think I built that kit a long, long time ago... anyway, I have had similar problems with some F-14 kits. I would say that you strategy depends on the severity of the gap. I usually use a gap filling super glue like Zap-a-Gap with an accelorator to fill gaps. If it is a gap on the order of a 1/16th of an inch or more, I would first try some putty. Putty seems to fill large gaps better. Use a toothpic or something to apply it in the tight spots between the intakes and the fuselage. I would still recommend using superglue to seal in the putty after it has been sanded to shape. The trick with using glue in your situation is not getting it all over the other parts in the area. Again, a toothpick or other applicator will help.

You can buy some sanding tools that will aid in the sanding process. There are some tools that use thin strips of sandpaper on a handle (similar to the way a coping saw looks, but with sandpaper instead of a saw blade). Some small files can get into the tight spots too. And if all else fails, I just roll up some larger sheets of sand paper into the shape I need and just hope it conforms to the surface without doing too much damage to the surrounding areas.

I would say just give anything a shot and if it ends up really bad... there is one more reason to go out and buy a new kit to improve on.

the plane is almost done. man it's hard doing planes do to things this hard. Is it a cheap molding they use ? or bad config?

Don't worry, it isn't just you!! I have the 1/48 Monogram F-15C too and that area is a pain! Fortunately I figured out how to get the two to fit together reasonably well. I stacked slightly oversized rectangles of 10 thou. sheet styrene together four high. Then I glued these shims to the aft end of the airplane, and after allowing them to dry I trimmed them to the contour of the rear fuselage (I should note that you will need them on the top and the bottom). When you go to put the nose/cockpit section on the fit should be much improved. It's not too hard and worked very well for me so I thought it might help. This is the only real big problem I had with this kit, other than that I enjoyed it immensley. Good luck!

Accelorator ?like what kind do i get?, how does it work, i think ive seen a spray wouln't it get all over the model?

Accelerator instantly cures superglue, allowing you to sand right there without having to wait for it to dry on its own. I use Flash-Tac superglue and acceleraor. They work nicely and you get a lot for your money. Yes, those spritz-like nozzles would spray all over the model which is why I almost never use it. I unscrew the top nozzle/carrier tube deal and use the bottom of the carrier tube to place small drops where I need it. I suppose a medicine dropper would work as well. All you need to do to use it is to place a small drop on the superglue and you're good to go. Although if you fill that with superglue I think you would be sanding and blending it for ages- superglue is tough to sand!