Jim: Um, why go with the Hasegawa F-15E? I've read reviews that it's actually a F-15D that they slapped a set of conformal tanks on to get it on the market first. I picked up a copy years ago when I didn't know this. It builds into an excellent F-15D though, which I'm going to do with mine, Japan operates a number of F-15C and Ds as aggressors painted to resemble Red Chinese Su-27s. I have a cool set of decals to build one of these.
If you want a F-15E pick up the Monogram kit, excellent kit with great detailing and fine recessed panel lines. Plus it's way cheaper! I have one of these too, just need to the time to build them.
Don't even get me started on the Soviets. Read a book recently on their space program. Valentin Glushko, one of the pioneers was jealous of the father of the Soviet program, Sergei Korolev, so he lied about Korolev's loyalty and had him sent off to the death camps under Stalin. When Khrushchev took over Korolev was released and took over the Soviet rocket program but as you can figure him and Glushko never got along. Plus you had a Vladimer Chelomi who made all sorts of crazy promises about orbital battlestations and delivered nothing only sucking off funding from the real program . As big a mess as NASA was at times it's amazing that it was a well run organization compared to what the Soviets had...
And gee guys, I do hope 2013 will be a happier and maybe even more boring year than 2012...