Jump to content

F-15E --- 1/32 --- Tamiya


Recommended Posts

...May I suggest introducing a piece of plastic within the rubber to keep it at the correct height?

 

Hi. Yep, definitely i will keep that in mind. I should see what will happen when the model is in its full weight. Yet the total weight will be spread almost equally over 3 spots. Thanks for the hints on gluing the metal parts!

 

Btw, is this a real plane in that photo, or a model?! Wow, i`m 70% sure it is a real plane...  :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, geedubelyer, i checked out in the search engine and found your article from the last decade :) Man, this is an awesome model you have done! And i strolled through all the pages and honestly i`m kinda puzzled about what i have to go through. Then i saw another article of the E version... In all cases - awesome suggestions and i will try to apply them in my model too. 

 

Thanks and cheerz again!

:bow:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Gary for the hint, i think i suppose the right thing. The intake duct is smaller, which is visible as a gap, perhaps this is the 1.5mm, only when the intake (with the two ramps) is down. Otherwise the intake (with the ramps) when is in up position, covers the gap and matches perfectly with the fuselage.

 

PS: i searched for "F-15 intake" and can not find something precise... I would be glad to see some refrncs.

 

PS2: these C eagles in your signature are good. Verry very :)

 

 

 

Back a the main computer now, so things are much easier to work with.  Here is the link to the the thread I referred to:  

 

 http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=59483

 

Here are some pics as well:

 

First the kit fit, and as I mentioned the old CE set has the same problem:

 

IMG_0325_zpstfquzno6.jpg

You can see from the front how the intake is to small for the fuselage.   Tamiya missed a flare that is present in the actual intake.

 

 

Next is our resin intake that has been made to fit properly.    The kit parts can be widened as I described to fit like our resin parts do.

 

IMG_0321_zpsjcc1nwyq.jpg

 

See the much improved fit?   IF you widen your intake as I mentioned this is the fit you will get.......Much better!   And for the record I don't know who came up with the fix, but it was not me and I am not taking any credit for it, although I have used it several times on builds before making the with to resin intakes.  IF anyone out there can ID the guilty party who cam cup tight the solution,  please let me know to give credit where credit is due!

Yes, these are on a “C†lower, and not the “Eâ€,  but the same problem exists on both kits.

 

Nose Gear leg info:

I would also ad that you can just cut off the bottom of the leg, and re-drill the hole for the screw or insert a wire rod instead of a screw and glue the wheel onto the shaft.   You can also rework the curve of the front lower leg with some care.   There is also much casting detail that Tamiya committed form the leg that can be added if you are into grinding metal with jewelers tools and your Rotary tool....  This does though leave the jet in a nose down /Braking attitude.    We are about 60 days away from having corrected metal nose gear legs for the Tamiya kit to replace the wrong ones for both the C and the E kits,  which are the subject of discussion.    Might be another option for you if it fits  your schedule.

 

 

Also,  really neat picture of the “E†with the bad leg.  Fortunately this pilot was good and Lucky as the bird stayed straight and did not flip.    Back in the late 90's,    a brand new 229â€E†  had a gear rotation failure at Lakenheath and the bird left the runway and flipped several time, nearly killing the crew and leaving the WSO with his arm nearly cut off.   The bird was later used for parts at WR to rebuild another accident jet into a complete aircraft.   Steve Davies has pictures of this and the whole story in his “Boeing F-15 Strike Eagle Book.â€

Edited by ghatherly
Link to comment
Share on other sites

O yes, o yes, one is in the can. A couple of photos:

 

- with the intake in upper position - the ramps are lowered...

 

photo_1.jpg

 

 

 

- and with the intake down - the ramps are open...

 

photo_2.jpg

 

I was thinking about using magnets, but the innermost ramps will be quite difficult to reach. So this this is the complicated way. I made a short video. In motion is way more surreal :)

 

 

Now the difficult part - to make the exact same thing with the second intake...  :rolleyes:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks a lot.

I was thinking, how is the situation with the bleed air valves/ramps in F-15. I know that in F-14 the air is visible when the ramps are open and at a certain angle... 

 

Doc1-014.jpg

 

but how is this situation with F-15? I couldn`t find photos. The intake ramps are similar in both planes, but i`m not sure whether to make the ramps on the top fuselage open and thus  the air will be visible through the intake, pretty much like in F-14. If anyone can help me with a reference photo :)  :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And another question - what`s the difference between the main greenish and brownish colors of the suites? I come across numerous photos where the crew is in green suites and i recently found this one, where the suites are brown/reddish... 

 

F-15E-cockpit-view-tanker.jpg

 

Is this due to different time periods, or is it just the will of the pilots, or?? 

 

Thanks.

Edited by F`s are my favs
Link to comment
Share on other sites

F's, the flight suits are theatre related - green ones are used in Northern latitudes, and brown in the Middle East, although it's not uncommon to see returned squadron personnel wandering around northerly bases still in their ME suits.

 

Regarding the intakes - firstly super job on creating your working mechanism, something I've not yet seen attempted in this scale.

Although I have reservations on the aft ramp's protruding square leading edge, and that both the intake outer cowls and inner ramps can also both be in the raised position. I'm not sure how a single simple mechanism could handle all those configurations.

 

Secondly, my Eduard set arrived and the two forward perforated ramps are indeed light years ahead of Tamiya's depiction. They're thin enough to apply to the Tamiya ramps without overly affecting their thickness, and a matching plain brass plate with more representative curved leading edge lip (not supplied in the set) could be applied to the rear most diffuser ramp. The fixed first ramp may need its angle adapting to match, or the hinge point of the second ramp altered.

 

Thirdly, the diffuser (rearmost ramp) has an arched rear edge, to fair into the intake tunnel, as in the photo below:

F-15C%20intake%20ramp%20frontal_zpsrw9qe

 

It's not ideal, but until I can get a copy of Jake's updated Eagle guide it's the best I have. I also suspect it'd be next to impossible to get your head in a position to see between the third and diffuser ramps, but again I'd wait for Jake's book to give a definite yea or nay on that.

 

Ken Middleton has an interesting photo of an F-15A (same ramp geometry as on all F-15s) showing the structure under the first diagonally braced vent on the upper intake surface. Not sure why the third ramp is in the position shown, unless the linkage with the second ramp is disconnected.

 

f-15A_760080_KJAX_5December2005_GateGuar

Edited by Chek
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you very much for the info  :bow: Of course the suites are part of the camouflage, how can i forget that... So i`ll definitely make the pilots in brownish suites (ODS).

 

I`m sure that the photo etch set of the perforated ramps is way better than the oob one (just by reviewing photos), but i`ll try to make a super strange combination of weathering and sanding the plastic ones to make them flat and yet with the right pattern. Then according to my happiness, i may look for the photo etched ramps. Btw, i found out that all three ramps (excluding the first one that is stationary to the intake) can move individually, from three different hydraulics. The goal is to optimize the airflow to the engine - so the combinations are countless, yet different heights, different speeds... I choose these two combinations because of the final display of the plane (some day :)) - one as "on the runway", and one up in the air at supersonic speed. 

 

Well, the visibility "through" the intake will stay a huge dilemma  :unsure:. According to me - it`s actually possible - the sight stretches perfectly - from right next to the bottom lip of the intake, through the gap between the third ramp and the innermost ramp, and through the bleed air ramp if open. In F-14 is possible (according to a photo). The issue is that the bleed air ramp opens at very high speed and maybe nobody photographed this specific area at such a specific angle... i don`t know... 

 

While for the arch at the end of the innermost ramp - i kept that in mind - check it out - btw when viewed from a bit greater distance the arch looks even more pronounced:

 

photo.jpg

 

photo_1.jpg

 

 

Damn i`m very curious :) Another question: what is the function of the perforated pattern of the ramps - I suppose for boundary air, but the air exits from the countless tiny holes, or the air enters through the holes and then is vented through the small "diagonal" vent on top of the intake?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Damn i`m very curious :) Another question: what is the function of the perforated pattern of the ramps - I suppose for boundary air, but the air exits from the countless tiny holes, or the air enters through the holes and then is vented through the small "diagonal" vent on top of the intake?

Almost. The venting area continues aft of that bulkhead below the diagonal vent, exiting through the variable door aft of it and the larger grille aft of that, all governed by the air inlet controller.

 

I'd guess at speed, the doors' position also governs the amount of suction pulling through the perforations.

inlet_system.jpg

Edited by Chek
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Strangely quick, the seat is done. I plan to make the plane after a lot of tear and wear so i did not spend from the dusts, the washes, the polishing, etc. The upholstery should be brownish as the suits of the pilots also (ODS). Here it is after the main colors and nearly a dozen decals grouped on top of each other:

 

edf.jpg
 
image.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...