Well it is finally done thank goodness. [:D]
This is my Revell 1/48 F-15E with Hasegawa GBU-12’s, SOL corporation’s AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles and the kit’s AIM-9L Sidewinders.
It was done in Model Master Acryl Gunship Gray and is wearing TwoBobs “Anaconda Eagles” decals.
The aircraft depicted was part of a pair of F-15E pilots and WSO’s that received the Air Force Silver Star, and this aircraft in particular saved countless lives as it took out an Afghanistan troop implacement with 100 rounds of 20mm from the Vulcan cannon. The Afghan troops had a group of SEALS tied down and one was KIA and two were wounded. The short story with the decals is pretty awesome but that is the gist of it.
The pilot of this aircraft was an A-10 pilot for 3 years prior to flying the Strike Eagle so he had plenty of practice with guns only. [;)]
This kit didn’t come out as well as I had hoped but this is the first kit I have built in about 10 years so I guess I can’t complain.
I also need to get a better setup for photos so that my pictures look as good as Pix, SaltyDog and a few others.
Nice lQQkin’ Eagle,Mike… with an interesting story to boot.I hope that my Hornet turns out 1/2 that nice looking.[:D][:D] Seeing other people’s work on here is really motivating for me… back to the workbench[:P]
very, very impressive mikey!!! it was definetly worth the wait friend!! is the pit OOB? you did a nice job on it!! excellent looking ordinance packet as well!! how about the panel lines, wash or what? nice job, no doubt!! now, i’ll be expecting that shyraider in a few days!!![;)] later.[tup][tup][tup]
The pit is OOB as Revell has some good detail in this one and it doesn’t need an aftermarket resin pit.
For the panel lines I used Createx airbrush paint and it worked real well.
I mixed 4 drops of Gray with 1 drop of Tinting Black and then put about 5-6 drops of water and a drop or two of Dawn dishwashing liquid into it to keep it from sticking. The Createx wipes off real easy and you can leave it on all night if you want as it doesn’t adhere that well to plastic.
The Skyraider is getting real close to being done also and I am waiting also for the ordnance that Randie is sending me to complete the underwing stores.
In the meantime I think I will finish the Monogram 1/48 Tomcat that I built years ago and never finished. At least that is what the wife suggested I do next. [(-D]
i here ya mike, i’m waiting on the hobby lobby 1/2 off sale as i got my eye on a tomcat, hornet , huey hog gunship, and cobra gunship!! all are 1/48 and all are from Academy. i’m just keeping my eye on the papers. again, you did a great job on the F-15!! later.
BTW, not to draw any attention off the wonderful build, but did you drink all the beers that came with those caps that i see in the backgroud!!!..no wonder it took so long!!![;)][:D]
Thanks Thad, Blackwolf, and Rick.
If it weren’t for the helpful people on this forum I probably would not be building models. You guys give inspiration to get out and build and you tease when we don’t build fast enough and that is always appreciated. [:D]
Mike,
that’s an excellent looking eagle!!! good job. One question…is that the number of GBU-12s carried for that particular mission? Just wondering 'cause i don’t know myself.
During the beginning of the Operation Anaconda campaign the normal load that the 335th carried was 9 GBU-12’s as my kit depicts.
That is one the nice things about TwoBobs decals, they tell you the weapon load for the markings. [;)]
Nice job, Mike. Can’t tell you were away for ten years.
For photos, one of the best investments you can make is to get some poster board for a buck a sheet. Lay it down, with the back curved up. This will prevent a seam in your background, and focus attention on the model rather than the stuff in the background. As an alternative, if you wish to have texture, you can get some cloth. I would stay away from red, as it is the first color to pixellate ( [:D] ) when a digital image is compressed.
Also, learn as much as you can about the manual controls on your camera. I never use any auto settings, and I prefer the control that manual settings give you.
So . . . what’s next, and when will it be done? (welcome back to the world of building !) [(-D]
Thanks Pix, coming from you I am honored my friend.
I am going to try those suggestions you mentioned about photos as good quality pictures make a model look much nicer. [tup]
SaltyDog (Chris) sent me a photo of your poster board trick and how it looks.
That should be no problem to get setup after buying a few more lights.
The next model I will be finishing will probably be the Monogram A-1H Skyraider wearing VNAF markings. It is about 95% done so I am hoping to finish it this week.
My son went to camp for a week and took the digital camera so if I do finish it I will have to wait to post pictures until he returns next Saturday.
