VintageEagle

Hello, What are you using to glue 3D printed parts? Superglue or epoxy? Superglue is a bit brittle in my experience. Is epoxy slightly more flexible? Thanks, Roger

Thanks. I hope you can finetune the shape. The panel lines are a bit wide in the current design. Would be great if you at some point also work on a F-8C conversion like the Fisher set.

Will you offer both early and late nose?

I’ll definitely buy one or two 😃

Thank you, that’s a great alternative.

Sad news indeed. Does anyone have a spare Zacto F-100 nose?

Hello, Is the Combat Models vacuform model the only option in 1/32? Or is anything known about a future release? I can't believe that there is no LSP kit of this iconic aircraft. Roger

Have you seen these seamless intakes from Phase Hangar Resin that were recently released? https://phasehangarresin.com/collections/32001-1-32/products/32065-f-a-18e-f-g-super-hornet-seamless-intakes-trumpeter

Reskit has just announced that they are working on various drop tanks incl. those for the Skyhawk.

Thank you. Do you mean with "entire exhausts" the nozzles incl. the afterburner? That would be great. I ordered the nozzles yesterday, but hope I can cancel my order to wait for the complete exhausts (items have not yet been shipped).

Thank you for the side-by-side comparison. That confirms that KA Models have a 229 afterburner and Reskit a 100/220 afterburner. Thank you, I have completely missed these great looking nozzles. I couldn't find the feathered exhaust in 1/32 scale at their website, only in 1/48. Is that a future release or out of stock? I will hav a go. Has anyone experience with their nozzles and also seamless intakes (for the F/A-18)?

A ZM 1/32 F-4 would be fantastic news. Not sure how long the Red Pills F-4 under development will still take.

OK, I checked again: KA Models: definitely 229 afterburner Reskit: 100/220 afterburner I assume the 229 and earlier variants all had the same nozzle. I’m still not sure which brand got the nozzle length right. Roger

OK, here are the measurements (in metric scale, sorry). The Tamiya one is an estimate as I haven’t assembled the nozzle yet. KA Models: length (measured from the annular cover, i.e. only the “feathers”) 25mm, diameter 31.5 mm Reskit: 23mm, 30.5mm Tamiya: ca. 26mm, diameter ? There is also a 1/32 nozzle from the brand Galaxy. I ordered one and will add measurements later when I receive them. Does anyone know the 1:1 dimensions? Roger

Hi, I bought both ResKit and KA Models nozzles for the F-15 Eagle. The KA Models nozzles are about twice as expensive than the ResKit ones. Only real difference of details are the small actuator rods which in the ResKit nozzle are attached to the main body (I guess either stability or due to the manufacturing process) while in the KA Models they have a distance to the main body like in the real nozzle. T But what strikes me more than the difference in details is the different length of both nozzles (measured from the annular section that attaches to the fuselage). And also the annular section of the ResKit nozzle is deeper than on the KA Models (comparing it with photos of the real deal the KA Models nozzle looks to be more accurate to me). Has anyone compared them with the real nozzle length (divided by 32 of course ;-) Which one is more accurate in terms of length? Thanks, Roger

Hi, I read in the 1986 flight manual that the MSIP was only done on F-15C 84-0001 and later, but I am not sure if later also F-15C serials before 84-0001 were updated to MSIP standard. Does anyone know? I believe the early F-15C still had the same control stick like the F-15A and that the new stick was installed only with the MSIP upgrade. Thanks, Roger

Thank you. OK, that would be an option. I contacted Daco in the meantime and they replied that an extended version of the stencils decal sheet is almost ready for printing and should become available soon. So, I’ll wait for the new set then. Thanks, Roger

Thanks Thierry. I checked the Davo website but it says the decals are sold out unfortunately. Maybe I can find them at ebay with some patience. Thank you. That’s a good idea! I found these: would they be right for a Block 1 F-16A as well? https://www.super-hobby.co.uk/products/Lockheed-Martin-F-16-Viper-Stencils-Data.html Thanks, Roger

Thank you all! I could only find a Microscale sheet for 1/72. I found, however, stencils for early F-16: https://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/decals/syhart/decal_syhart_32905.shtml Tony, I agree that using other sheets from 1980s F-16 is probably the easiest way. I’ll check what is available. Thanks! Roger

Hi, I have been trying to find 1/32 decals for a USAF Block 1 F-16A. The only ones I could find are the kit decals if the old Revell or Ertl kits. Are there any modem decals available? Thanks! Roger

Thank you. Indeed, that’s the leg for the F-15E on the picture. I just ordered the one for the F-15C.

Thank you for your analysis. I have the Kopecky fuel tanks which are quite heavy, but I’ll get a set and can still measure the weight of all parts before installation. I noticed that the resing gear shown above has a horizontal cylinder attached near the bottom. I only found that on F-15E gears but not the F-15C. Is this correct?

Great to have the option for an accurate landing gear for the F-15. They write: The E type nose landing gear will not deform when weighing less than 500 grams(C type less then 350 grams), and will deform slightly when weighing 1,000 grams. The rear landing gear will not deform even if it weighs over 2000 grams. Does anyone know the weight of a Tamiya 1/32 F-15C with some resin parts (roughly)? I’m a bit concerned that the front gear leg will bend over time. Thanks, Roger

Thank you all for your kind comments! That motivates me to continue with this build! Next will be riveting. I know that putty was used on the original, at least in certain areas, but in wartime close-up photos you can still see the rivets. So, I'll add them, but try to be subtle.

Finally, I found time to take photos (sorry for the low quality, I only had an iPhone 13Pro available). The cockpit is basically complete except for the wiring/tubes on the backside of the main instrument panel. The first few photos show the cockpit from all angles without the cockpit sill installed, the second last photo shows the cockpit with the sill loosely placed on top of it and the last photo shows the other side of the cockpit tube. I added a hand-written marking that was applied by the sub-supplier (presumably an internal serial number) as well as an instruction decal. the former can be seen on e.g. the NASM Me 262 or German Museum Me 262, the latter on wartime photos of Me 262 W.Nr. 111711 taken in the US shortly after the war. Note that the small crack near the firewall will be completely hidden once the cockpit tube is installed inside the fuselage and therefore I didn't bother to fill it. Changes I made since I showed the last pictures include: OXYGEN HOSE: Added the oxygen hose to the left console KG 13B BUTTON & WIRING: Installed a new accurate-to-scale button on the left side of the control grip for charging the MK 108s (made using a punch & die tool) as well as yellow wiring from the terminal box and side button to the base of the control column. RUDDER ASSEMBLY: I shortened the rudder assembly as it was too wide straight out of the box and added the straps that were made out of fabric and a metal clip to fix the length. I also had to move it slightly more to the firewall to have the assembly in the right relative position to the rest of the cockpit. This involved some surgery and a lot of dry fitting. Dry fitting was generally a must during the assembly so that all parts fit together well (in particular for the fit of the firewall to the cockpit tube). I am glad that this fiddly part is now successfully completed and that I can move on to the next part: riveting. In parallel, I have already started with the nose gear assembly. I am a slow builder and regularly switch from building models to writing on my next book, so it could take a while again before my next update.