F-15EX FINISHED

Donald Dickson II
OK, so ever since this became public, I have wanted to do it. Well, BAM models has come out with a conversion kit to add all the bumps and exhausts and the like. And Caracal just announced the release of a decal set which I promptly ordered. The base kit will be the GWH. From what I see in the directions on the BAM site, you can manage with the Revell or Academy as well.

So I am waffling here. I really want to do the first one. Thats the first USAF EX. The next has orange which is always cool. Both are in the decal set. But the primer one is really cool. BUT, it has no markings. Makes the decal set a waste. And another conversion kit is quite expensive. I got mine in a package deal for the GWH kit and pretty much got it free. AND, I have no earthly clue what those effing colors are.

Martin Oostrom
Those damn choices in life! Go for the first one, that's the one you really want to do. And treat yourself with another conversion kit around x-mas 😉

Slavo Hazucha
Yeah! Go for the first one, truly unique, the orange-tipped one looks a bit like a target drone 😉 The first one is truly unique!

GO GO GO, can´t wait for the roll out! 😉

Konrad -
Yessssss?!
Watching too!

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Watching. 🙂
If you want to do the first one you should go for it.👍

Daniel
Hot stuff, in!

Pierre
Cool project, something I'd like to do in 1/72 at some point. I for one think the orange prototype looks really badass, especially with the full amraam load, and there's loads of pictures from that test flight. The livery is a also nod to one of the original F-15 prototypes I think.

Donald Dickson II
Yeah, I think I am gonna go with the gray scheme. First one and all. And kind of different doing an E(X) in the C pattern. And Martin, good idea! Then I can come back and do one of the others with one of my Revel kits.

So, as soon as I am able to sit at the bench (still recovering from knee replacement) I believe I will shush the B-58 to the side and do this baby. So hopefully within a couple weeks.

Mirko Römer
EXtremely cool, following!

Donald Dickson II
OK, so I have been able to sit at the bench the last couple days. I can manage between one and two hours before my knee and back start yelling at me.

So, I figured I would get the chopping shit up part out of the way immediately. I taped the fesulage together and cut off the lower tail booms. Failed to take pics. I also cut out the panel on the top of the body to accommodate the part with the round antennae. Working on getting that to look decent.

Now, the control panels are the main difference in the cockpit. As you can see, they each have one huge screen. Now, the resin for those parts is black. So no easy way for me to color the screens. Im just gonna have to leave them like that I guess. BUT, there is this blue film in the kit. The instructions on line dont mention it all. I cant for the life of me figure out what its for. Any ideas????

Martin Oostrom
Based on the curved lower side, a hud display?

Maciej Bellos
Joining late.

Good looking pit!

Daniel
Weird, maybe some reinforcement plate? Or just a mask? With that curve something in front or aft of the canopy would be my guess...
Some nice 4K flatscreens in that office 👍

Pierre
That blue part looks like the rim of the square plate in front of the cockpit, see [img1]

Martin Oostrom
That could fit nicely. But what is the film for?

Pierre
Ah, found it, it's for proper application and engraving, see bam-models.com/bam48..or-gwh-instructions/ at the bottom of the page.

Donald Dickson II
Pierre, thank you sir! I absolutely could not find that. The directions I brought up had everything but that.

Augie
Looking good don, i'll take my usual seat please with a chilled beer.

Donald Dickson II
*hands Augie a brew* Welcome! 🙂

Donald Dickson II
So, on the baggie this was the addy for the instructions. bam-models.com/instructions/ Note there is nothing there about the EX. I was winging it with the SG instructions because the components were the same. I hadnt looked at the drop down menu because I figured they had all the links there on the left. Silly me.

Donald Dickson II
OK, intakes done and installed in the lower half. Cockpit done and nose done. That was a total pain, but I think I got it fairly good. Gave it a quick shot of white primer to check it.

Slavo Hazucha
Tesla-spec cockpits sure looking good! 👍

Donald Dickson II
Well now it looks like an F15. I am not at all in any way shape or form impressed with this kit. The intakes are just just horrible. They are on in the picture but not glued in. they are going to require some work. And you can probably see the gap where where the nose joins in to the fuselage. I'm definitely sticking with my Revell kits for future E builds except for maybe the Academy kit

Jos Jansen
Definitely in...very...very interesting!

Andrew Horton
Looks amazing! Great work.

Donald Dickson II
Welcome Jos and Flight Line. Have a beer and enjoy! 🙂

Donald Dickson II
I am trying to figure out just what that red rectangle on the left of center by the air brake is. Not sure if there is something for that in the conversion or not. Hmmmmm...

Martin Oostrom
That is the 'Let's annoy the $**t out of all future modelers'-painted square

Donald Dickson II
LMAO Martin, I do believe you are correct!!!

Donald Dickson II
Martin, I found a panel in that spot on the model. I may just make a raised rectangle for it and be done with it. LOL

Tail booms on, intakes and cans finished. I WAS going to mask the canopy and maybe get some paint on it. But I couldn't. Want to know why? Because the clear parts have a FU*&^% seam down the middle of them. If you are gonna claim to be a high end freaking kit maker, then there should NOT be seams in clear parts. I am REALLY not a fan of this kit for what it goes for. No better at all than the Revell. So the clears are drying after me sanding and dipping in Pledge.

Martin Oostrom
I sense some frustration 😄
Don, sing your mantras, drink your herbal tea and repeat after me; 'I will fix this, I will get it done'

Donald Dickson II
LOL Martin. Herbal tea??? Ummm, NO. LMAO

Oh, its not that there is anything insurmountable or the like. Its just that this is supposed to be a high end kit, yet the Revell 15E is just as good. I would wager the same can be said for the Academy kit. Which I should build soon.

Maciej Bellos
I think the Academy kit is just as challenging in the intake area.

Donald Dickson II
Maciej, I think the only kit I didnt have issues with intakes was the Tamiya F-14 and the KH SU-35. All the others give me issues

Donald Dickson II
OK so I got to the point of painting. Now I had picked up some aggressor gray a couple months ago. So I had that correct color in Model Master. But I did not have the darker gray which according to Caracal is FS36176. So I ordered that from MCW. Well as you can tell from the picture that is not the right gray. Way too dark. So either Caracal got the FS number wrong or MCW made the color way too dark. Either way, now I need to strip it down and figure out a gray that's close enough

Donald Dickson II
OK, some dollar store makeup removal pads, lacquer thinner and poof! Offending color gone. Grabbed the Drak Gull Gary and its perfect. Which I figured it would be. I did look at the intermediate blue, but also too dark. So now to go back and fix little shit then gloss coat time.

Martin Oostrom
Drak Gull Gary? 😄
Plane looks good Donald!

Donald Dickson II
LOL Gary, gray, close enough. 🤣

I had a thought (dangerous, I know) last night. If I mixed some Dark gull gary (now the official name) with the intermediate blue, would it be a closer match? I shall have to try it on one of the stabs.

Maciej Bellos
I don't know if you have access to any Model Master paints, but there is MM2036 Dark Gray F-15 (not Drak Gary 😉 ).

Nice to see the man behind the bench! Cheers Donald!

Donald Dickson II
Maciej, I have stock piled a bunch of MM paints. I may have some drak gary. 😉

Maciej Bellos
MM2036 is the one I used on my Saudi F-15S, and it was mentioned on the Two Bobs decal set instructions. I think it turned out great:

Royal Saudi Air Force F-15S | Album by m2000-5 (1:72)

Donald Dickson II
That does look great. But, to my eye, thats darker than what I am seeing on the actual plane here. I mixed the drak gull gary and the intermediate blue and came up with a color that is closer I think. Maybe a tad too dark, but better than the two previous attempts.

Donald Dickson II
And the decaling has begun. Only plane specific stuff is the tail marking. Everything else is stencils.

Donald Dickson II
Took a break from the no step stencils and working on the rails and pylons.

Donald Dickson II
And just about done

Augie
Looking good Don 🙂

Treehugger
Paintwork looks nice. I've learned that the trick is to keep an eye on the smoothness of the primer + paint at all the layers, and then knock down any unevenness, or better, go over the paint with fine sand paper to make a new smooth surface to put more paint on top of.

Rui S
Very well weathered. Looking good👍

Arif Saeed
Looking good Donald 👍

Donald Dickson II
Well, mostly finished. The ront windscreen isnt attached because I managed to destroy the HUD. So I am waiting for a replacement for that. But otherwise done. Woohoo!

I have decided I am going to do the orange version with that full load with the Revell kit. But not for a while.

Augie
Nice looking bird Don 🙂

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Very nice result, Donald! 👍

Maciej Bellos
The new gal in town is gorgeous. Well done Donald!

Donald Dickson II
Thank you, thank you. 😊

Daniel
Nice EX👍 the trial-and-error-gary came out great 🙂

Donald Dickson II
Thank you sirs.

Daniel, at least now I know what to mix for my garys in the future. Until I run out of those colors. *sigh *