Whitey

Nice start mate.

Thanks Markus, genius.

I've been struck down with a head-cold since Model Expo last weekend and along with getting on with my F-15E (Multi-Engine Group Build) have started the Hobby Boss kit while keeping warm at home. It is a beast of an aircraft. Really nice detail and seems to fit together well. Some filling and sanding then a couple of coats of Mr Surfacer 500 straight from the can have eliminated the rivet details for an area that on this version of the aircraft was wood. Cockpit detailing is coming along nicely with some Eduard photoetch adding interest. I used oils for some dirtying up the cockpit - most will come off after it dries a bit. The Eduard instrument panel is impressive, just needed some oils to accentuate its panels. I plan to add some fuel lines around the black tank - just got to find some pics of where they go. I've got some showing fuel lines in there but not the terminations or routing yet. Just need to wait a few days for some external etch to arrive with the paint and it will keep me busy during F-15E drying times.

Great looking Camel Markus. How did you get the "bullet" fitting so nicely placed in the middle?

I've been a bit tardy with my posts for this build but rest assured it is still coming along nicely. The main airframe components are completed and just sitting and drying from a thorough wash prior to the first full coat of primer. I was a bit surprised with the amount of work required just to get to this stage but once I get the primer down and the airframe painted, the fiddly jobs of the undercart, weapons and canopy details will begin. Its a big beasty.

Wow, great start to a great subject. I built a model of this aircraft back in 2012. Really looking forward to watching your work progress. It makes an impressive model. There are some quirks with the instructions and suggested build sequence but they are easily overcome and it certainly builds into a great looking model. Have fun. The pilot's name is different between our builds. I have forgotten the order but whatever name he gave when he was captured was not his real name. It wasn't until after the war that his real name was revealed through record searches. The pilot actually led the breakout from Cowra by blowing his bugle and then committed suicide inside the camp. Amazing stuff.

Great work Marc. Most impressed.

I would love to see a Jungmeister in this scale.

That looks like it might even come back.

Hi Nick, thanks for the info.My wings seem to be ok and after lots of dry fitting and trimming are on ok with some filler happening near the leading edge at the wing root. No go on the nose strut yet, still working up the guts to do it. The size is certainly impressive when the wings are on. Happy modelling.

It is amazing what you find after a primer coat goes down. It takes a lot of filler and sanding and polishing and filler and sanding and polishing .....if you get my drift to get the top sides of the intakes looking like F-15E intakes and other bits and pieces of the fuselage trimmed up. After a light coat of Tamiya Grey primer to check for lumps and bumps, before putting the wings on, a mold line became visible along the bottom curve of the conformal fuel tanks. I have only lightly sanded them to enable the line to show up. ELIMINATE - is going to happen next. More progress pics in the next day or so.

Thanks Nick, but the fuselage is all done up and I am working away at getting the wing fit right before putting them to the fuselage permanently. Dry fitting so far only reveals a few spots to get right but you never know what pops up when it comes to the crunch in putting the things on for real. Thanks again for the suggestion. Hit me with lots more if you have some please. Peter

Really nicely done Peter. I hope mine comes out nearly as well.

I am a little bit surprised by the amount of beating needed on a Tamiya kit. The nose section fit is not straight forward either mate. More on that next posting.

Slowly but surely progress is being made. Sorted the intakes and have joined the fuselage halves. Photoetch grills and some plastic card to smooth it all out. Undercoat with intake trunk white and then rolled up some tape onto a brush handle and rolled it out across the intake. Blocked the hole with some foam cut to fit. Then onto making the fuselage fit the intakes. You can see the area to be filled (in white Filler) on the starboard intake trunk. Enhancing the panel lines and lots of sanding to get it level and then Tamiya White putty to fill the cavern. I masked off each side before liberally applying the putty straight from the tube. It sands pretty easily once dry and then Mr Surfacer should do finish the job. Now time to sit back and wait for it to dry. Oops can't just sit back, more bits to do. CYA next time.