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Wayne Landis
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Desert Storm F 15C , Hasegawa 1/48th

November 12, 2019 · in Aviation · · 12 · 2.9K

This is one of my longest builds (years) from start to end. I got the model from my now departed friend Mike Franklin in the mid-1990s and I finished it in 2016. The kit is the classic 1/48th but before the electronic warning antennae was added to the tail boom. I made the antennae from plastic rod and it looks comparable to references. The cockpit is a black box version from the 1990s and required a lot of modification to the kit and the resin to fit. I could not figure out how to get the instrument panel to fit so I used the original panel. The Aces ejection seat is from the Revell F-15E, a very nice version that I consider better than the older Black Box version. The sans Turkey Feathers exhausts were from another kit that included the plastic afterburners and photoetched actuating rods. The paints are Model Master acrylics using the classic F-15 colors of Ghost Gray and Dark Ghost Gray.

In August 2015 I published the 1/72 scale version of this same plane. The decals are an old 1/48th scale Replica Scale printed by Microsoft from the early 1990s and just after . As in 2015 this is the F-15C 85-0104 58TH TFS.33RD TFW based at Tabuck AB, Saudi Arabia in January 1991. While flying this aircraft, Capt. Tony Schiavi shot down a Mig 23 on January 26, 1991. The missile decals are from the Two Bobs set and worked great.

These older kits are a great value and were certainly a lot of fun back in the day. On the other hand, I have two GWH F-15C and F-15B/D kits and the decals from Afterburner, Bullseye and Caracal for the markings. The included missiles are beautiful and have appropriate markings.

Hard to think that the F-15 is still flying combat missions and serving across the world. As iconic as the P-51D, F-86, F-4, F-4U and F-14 have been, the F-15 is still in production, and seems another updated fighter version is about to be ordered by the USAF.

Reader reactions:
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12 responses

  1. Nicely done Wayne, you've certainly made that old kit shine. More important is if you had fun building her even if it took years. Well done.

  2. Excellent work on the Hase F-15C, our unit was based at the Tabuk Air Base in Desert Storm, among the A-10's from Louisiana, RAF Tornadoes, Saudi F-5's. seeing those F-15's take off on their taskings was a sight. The Hase F-15 was a good one, not as labor intensive as their F-14 cousin. Got one in the stash just waiting to get put together. Thanks for sharing.

    • You are welcome. My favorite F-15 event is watching the F-15s of the Oregon Air National Guard depart from Portland International at night. Once I counted six leaving in the evening with afterburners lighting the field and the noise coming into the terminal. It looks like the climb essentially straight up and over the city.

      I tried their F-14 and just said no. A lot of work considering the fit. I have two Tamiya kits waiting in the closet.

  3. Lovely clean build, Wayne.

  4. Excellent Eagle! Nicely done.

  5. I seen real F-15's and I seen model kits of them. This kit looks outstanding and made correct. I wish you always the very best. Keep up the fine work.

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