Thread started by DesertMarlin
Desert Marlinadded a new photoalbum.
114 17 March, 03:26
Desert Marlin AuthorI suppose it will be a week or two before all the parts are here...
2 18 March, 16:56
Desert Marlin AuthorI'm still waiting on the correct seats and cockpit details... Looks like I have to scratch build details for the wheel wells!
1 23 March, 21:17
Desert Marlin AuthorJust got the IAF F-15I Ra'am decals from Cartograph!!! Things are coming together!!!
1 24 March, 00:16
Desert Marlin AuthorМне пришлось купить декали, катапультные кресла и антенные конвертеры F-15I. Детали F-15I были куплены в IsraDecal.
26 March, 20:18
Desert Marlin AuthorWell... It's time to begin. I believe I have all the parts now!!!
1 2 April, 00:04
Desert Marlin AuthorOkay, I have to wait as it's time for my wedding anniversary with my wife this weekend! But in a few days, I will actually be able to start!
1 2 April, 23:36
Davide VitaliGuys, save me a seat. Popcorns are on me!
Oh, and happy anniversary! 🙂
2 4 April, 11:09
Desert Marlin AuthorI'm kinda bummed about the ResKit wheels. ResKit tires are Good Year which is a fine guess but the F-15I uses Michelin tires. Oddly, the Tamiya kit (from Japan) uses rubber tires for the kit that are in fact Michelin. Sooo... It looks like I am relegated to using the kit wheels instead of the ResKit. This does simplify mounting of course. But the flattened surface of the ResKit tires gets left out. Man, I never thought this was going to be a complicated addition to the build. Sadly, here we are!
16 April, 17:28
KyMustangYou can achieve flattening on the rubber tyres, particularly in this scale. Just carefully drill a hole and then use a flat-crowned screw straight into the tire tread and into the hub until you get the desired flat spot. The flat crown of the screw hides it.
1 17 April, 10:59
Desert Marlin AuthorThanks! may give that a try! The kit is going to be pretty heavy when it's done so sounds like something I can try at the end!
17 April, 15:13
Desert Marlin AuthorI used the Eduard Zoom panels for the Control Panels. However, they start out in the normal FS36320 base color which conflicts with the F-15I cockpits which are in a dark or black gray color. So, I need to adjust the paint on the panels before assembly. The rear panel is nearly done. (needs weathering).
28 April, 03:42
Desert Marlin AuthorThe humpback is almost complete. I need to finish the opening of the dorsal vent. Still trying to decide if I should grind it a little with a barrel sander...
10 May, 00:37
Desert Marlin Authorthanks mates! @Chris: It does look like an early R2D2! There are about 10 or eleven vents to open and replace with the detail sets. This is causing the whole process to move pretty slowly. I expect this one will take much of the Summer to complete... Fun though!!!
2 10 May, 15:18
Desert Marlin AuthorWell, the most difficult vents are in. Still have one on the belly to finish...
12 May, 23:35
Desert Marlin AuthorThanks Rui! The fit of the inlets and the fuselage is a bit difficult compared to more recent Tamiya kits. Some of the mold has not really filled out correctly so there are a few repairs and reworks needed. I think the inlet ducts needed to be thought through a little more and I could probably done a better job on them. For now, I am going to focus on the landing gear adding the hydraulic lines and the details. The "shimmy detector" needs to be added to the nose wheel strut.
18 May, 15:02
Desert Marlin AuthorAnd the "Messy Mode" which I also consider the "deep in thought" portion of the build. I seem to ponder how much filling, grinding, sanding and polishing will be required to get past some of the mods and fit issues...
20 May, 03:49
RandoThis was my bench with the Fine Molds Phantom for months. I so wanted to clean and organize but I had to finish the farm of fiddly stuff first. That F-15 is indeed looking giant!
1 20 May, 13:03
Desert Marlin AuthorThanks guys!!! We all fight that urge to "clean up" which I think is one of the best parts of the build! I exercise as much patience as I can muster! Cheers!!!
20 May, 16:57
Anthony lfki haven't seen your work yet but already impressed with your workstation, looks very busy !
1 23 May, 13:16
Desert Marlin AuthorSeveral more details added to this one. The fuselage details are almost complete.
1 25 May, 22:25
Desert Marlin AuthorIt's amazing how much the effort changes when just one part gets done!
30 May, 04:42
Desert Marlin AuthorWell, I had to turn the head of one of the backseater. In doing so, I changed the way the O2 hose fits. Tried to soften the hose with a lighter and melted it. Sooo, I had to make a new one from 32 gage brass wire twisted around a steel rod. Then mounted it with CA glue. See if it looks okay...
1 23 June, 17:14
bughunterHa, as I just uploaded an album with that type of ejection seat I had a Déjà vu 🙂 Looks nice with pilots seated 👍
1 3 July, 10:02
Desert Marlin AuthorThanks! I noticed this version of the seats are significantly different from the older version they had in the F-15C…
3 July, 13:07
Desert Marlin AuthorThanks! This kit and the detail sets are truly at odds with each other. Some details are left out since this is a closed canopy kit. Lots of choices an tradeoffs to be had! Thanks again for the kind comments! Cheers!!!
2 7 July, 16:20
Desert Marlin AuthorOkay, mating the fuselage halves represents a bunch of work completed on this kit. The NLG (nose landing gear) was much more work than I thought. With the plumbing and electrical installed, the NLG is complete! The MLG are also done but have not been installed waiting for the forward fuselage to be installed, which is waiting for the priming of the inlets on the inboard sides since they will not be accessible when the fuselage is installed... So, build a little, paint a little...
1 10 July, 04:36
Desert Marlin AuthorI've been very excited to get to this point and dreading it at the same time!
11 July, 21:03
Nick DragoneWow, that's a big boy ! I built a 1/32 Tamiya Phantom years ago and I thought that was big. It's coming along nicely!
1 11 July, 21:16
Desert Marlin AuthorTake a look, when the nose is closed, nobody but us crazy people will know it's there! 🤣👍
2 18 July, 04:50
Desert Marlin AuthorThe canopy fit for closed is pretty poor. Large gaps at front and rear. I'm having to build up the rails to make it close. It will obviously not be perfect...
1 27 July, 23:34
Desert Marlin AuthorMessy correction phase... fingerprints, dust, uneven edges. Just the usual.
1 28 July, 01:09
Desert Marlin AuthorAll cleaned up and drying. Then paint the black, primer and the see where we are on wing lights and making!
1 31 July, 20:03
Nick DragoneOnce it's primed and painted it will all blend in. Sometimes you just have to know when to stop and forge ahead. Looking good
2 2 August, 00:30
Desert Marlin AuthorToday, I am forging ahead!!! Thanks!!! The canopy is now fully merged!
2 August, 15:26
Ludvík KružíkSo it's going to be a really big "bird". The 1/32 scale allows you to handle very small details, but is not forgiving of errors. I wish you steady nerves, sharp eyes and a steady hand. 😉
So far your work looks very good. I look forward to the next continuation of the model building.
2 10 August, 22:29
Desert Marlin AuthorYep, more pieces ready to install! Should have the AIM-9's and pylons ready today!!!
12 August, 21:29
Villiers de VosI agree with Ludvík. You captured the colours and effects perfectly.
1 13 August, 01:13
Desert Marlin AuthorSome of these paints are getting really old. I made a 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk I and painted the spinner with this bottle of "Sky Type S"... in 1993. So, yep, some of the paint is pretty old and has miraculously survived to this day! As for the Vallejo Sand, well, I hate airbrushing Vallejo paints...
16 August, 03:24
Villiers de VosI recently had a bad experience (first ever) with Humbrol. Still unexplained, and chalked down in the end as perhaps not left long enough to dry. I also have Humbrol paints from the 1990's that still behaves well.
1 16 August, 06:17
Desert Marlin AuthorIt's all about the thinners. These affect the curing process pretty significantly!
1 16 August, 14:38
Desert Marlin AuthorMM is a victim of the paint company mergers and the different regulations in places like California. It would be great if the old formula could be resurrected!
1 16 August, 16:58
Desert Marlin AuthorThe top half is nearly painted. There is some touch-up of the camo before I start the bottom. Needs to dry for a while before masking...
1 16 August, 22:00
Desert Marlin AuthorSpraying the last of the gray on the bottom surface today. Then weathering! Love this part of the build!!!
1 17 August, 19:03
AlexanderThe overall paintjob looks very nice and clean so far, really like the camo! 👍
1 18 August, 19:10
Desert Marlin AuthorThanks! Once all the antenna are painted, I will start to dirty it up a bit!
1 18 August, 21:51
Desert Marlin AuthorThe markings are going on! The Cartograph markings have much to be desired where the formation lights are concerned...
1 23 August, 19:15
Desert Marlin AuthorCartography decals. Some of the decals cannot be used because of scaling and proportions. But I'm using what I can! Thanks for the kind comments! Cheers!!!
1 24 August, 16:54
Desert Marlin Author36 "NO STEP" decals to add to the wings and then the markings are done! I am also changing the decals on the formation lights that did not fit correctly. I think the decal sheet I got was a "knock off" of the 1:72 scale sheet scaled up to 1:32 but it is hard to know. This scaling would account for some of the poor fit issues I experienced with this set of decals...
1 26 August, 06:15
bughunterAs there is no perfect model there are no no perfect kits and decal sheets. That seems due to complexity to get _ALL_ things right and human tends to overlook things or do not have enough reference information.
1 26 August, 09:40
Desert Marlin AuthorPretty much done, but it appears I will need to crack the canopy open and clean the inside of the glass. Something didn't agree with it. Also, the pilot seat came loos with all the banging around in my normal building space. Just too small for this one. So, a little work left, but I think I can pull it off!
1 29 August, 23:42
Ludvík KružíkExcellent result! The F-15 looks impressive at this scale. I like it very much. 👍
2 30 August, 17:16
RandoGood god, that 1/32 scale makes it look like a real plane in a hanger. Thank you Marlin for sharing all the hard work that results in an amazing model, it's real inspiration
2 30 August, 17:31
Desert Marlin AuthorREsKit makes the finest detailed ordinance I have ever seen!
1 5 September, 20:13
Desert Marlin AuthorI was successful in removing the canopy so I could clean the inside of the glass and also secure the pilot seat for the long term. Now to re-install the glass tomorrow!
9 September, 03:35
Kesa TihoEvery time I see this model it makes my day better, masterfully painted ordinance
2 9 September, 05:49
Desert Marlin AuthorThanks! Once I get the canopy back on, I can get some more weathering on the bombs. They tend to be stored carefully and then the guidance package is strapped on just prior to loading on the aircraft. So, most of the weathering should reflect conditions of storage rather than "flight time". In this case, the load is somewhat extreme, even for the F-15E/I…
1 9 September, 15:44
Desert Marlin AuthorCanopy is back on and cleaned up on the inside. I suppose more can be done to clean up the frame on the outside. Overall, this whole canopy issue has been very difficult due to the fact that the design was for the canopy to be open. I closed it so I could have done better. Such a large kit. Love the overall look and the mission so I'll have to settle for that!
9 September, 18:18
Desert Marlin AuthorAdded photo #2 for today. There is a Lott of shaking going on!!!
9 September, 23:57
Stevejust realized it's 1:32...wow
is it ok to say BBE? Big Beautiful Eagle!
nicely done
2 10 September, 00:57
Desert Marlin AuthorYep! Thanks! I think the size was the biggest challenge! Then the design of the canopy system...
2 10 September, 01:57
CaptGPFAgree with others - top drawer build - and a well deserved recognition!
You should have entered this in Modelzona! 😀. You would have wiped the floor with it!
1 9 November, 21:52
Desert Marlin AuthorWould have loved to make it down there! I used to live in Tucson!
9 November, 23:17