Hasegawa 1/72 F-15C Eagle Build Review

By Richard 'RJ' Tucker

Build Review

On January 26th 1991, four F-15C Eagles of the 58th TFS/33rd TFW intercepted three Iraqi MiG-23s south of Bagdad. Operating with an E-3 AWACS, the F-15s were vectored to intercept the MiGs for a frontal aspect AIM-7 shot as the MiGs approached the capitol. At 30 miles from the MiGs, the F-15s divided up the targets with the 4th Eagle watching for MiGs in trail as they dove to increase speed and locked onto the targets. Almost immediately, the three Eagles were at optimum range and ripple fired two AIM-7s at each MiG. The lead MiG never knew what hit him until he was on fire; the other two started evasive action soon enough to take the missiles in the gut instead of blowing up in their faces. In 7 seconds, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Three smoking holes in the dunes! (1p104)

The manufacturer of the kit(s) used:

Hasegawa 1/72 scale F-15 kit

• Hasegawa Weapons set V
• True Details ACE II ejection seat
• Aries F-15C/D Exhaust Nozzles
• Eduard F-15 Zoom set for the cockpit
• Repli-scale decal sheet 72-1033 (out of print)
• Wolfpak Decal sheets 72-068 & 72-069 (weapons decals)

The weapons decals from Wolfpak worked well & look great! They really make the missiles stand out. All the stencil decals are from the kit decal sheet, Hasegawa decals have come a long way from the "open & discard" decals of my first Hasegawa kits. The Aries resin exhaust nozzles really capture the intricate details of the complex afterburner and actuator rods.

Just about every seem on the plane required filling & sanding. Not a problem just a time killer. The forward fuselage with the cockpit is split vertical while the aft fuselage is split horizontal. The seam between the two assemblies needs a little filler and cleanup & is right between the two intakes. The instruction sequence calls for the intake pieces to be glued in place before gluing on the forward fuselage. Save yourself some aggravation, and leave the intakes off until you're happy with the fuselage seam. I thought I could save a little time & build the cockpit closed and avoid detailing the electronics pit behind the seat.

The canopy fit closed is poor and like all clear parts required especially careful filling and sanding. I'll position the canopy open on future builds. I achieved the darken base of the afterburners cans with a #2 pencil. I primed the parts with a light coat of Mr. Surfacer; when dry, I colored the ring with the pencil yielding a shiny, dark tempered metal look. The Hasegawa F-15 model is not a shake'n'bake kit, but, overall, I'm pleased with the results. The kit captures the graceful look and brute force intimidation of the Eagle.

References:

1. …AND KILL MIGS Air-to-air Combat from Vietnam to Gulf War (3rd Edition) by Lou Drendel, Squadron / Signal publications, Carrollton, Texas, USA, 1997
2. THE MODERN EAGLE GUIDE, the F-15 Eagle/ Strike Eagle Exposed by Jake Melampy, REID AIR PUBILCATIONS, Lebanon, Ohio USA, 2008
3. 3) Detail & Scale Vol. 14 F-15 Eagle by Bert Kinzey, Aero Publications, Inc., Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, USA, 1984