1/72 "Classic" F15 Eagle USAF

1/72 "Classic" F15 Eagle USAF

 You may be saying to yourself, "I have never heard of this model manufacture called 'Classic' before." Well that is because the model is not by a company called classic, rather it is a classic kit that I don't remember what the company was. It wasn't one of the regular companies I usually build from (revell, air fix, etc) so I am not sure on the name.

 But here it is, the F15 Eagle, America's former most advanced and top-of-the-line air-to-air fighter. I say former because the F22 is newer and much more capable.

Anywho, this kit was easy to assemble, and thanks to being from the 80's, it didn't have an excruciating amount of decals to apply. The only thing I had trouble with was when I realized the 2 seater version was a training only variant.

What did I do to overcome? I simply cut away the panel and pulled the seat out. I then took the piece that is normally applied behind the pilot and covered where the former back seater used to sit. I can't tell if something used to be there to it turned out good.

The over all colour is the darker IJN Grey, while the canopy is painted Neutral Grey (I hadn't figured out that Neutral Grey matched the lighter IJN Grey when building this guy). The missiles are White with the engines being Gun Metal. All in all, it turned out great.

It was almost as hard finding this aircraft as it was trying to find the A10 from earlier, but I found it for a very reasonable price and am glad it is in my inventory now. The F15 is probably my favorite aircraft after the 80's as the F104 is my favorite preceding it.

The F15 Eagle was the USAF's top of the line fighter aircraft. It was nearly unmatched by anything produced by the Soviets and was the first true modern air superiority fighter. It proved itself during the Gulf War when they took on Saddam Husein's Air Force to help liberate Kuwait. It still serves today to protect American airspace from harm much like the F16. A new variant of the Eagle is currently in testing known as the 'Silent Eagle' due to its stealth capabilities. Low operating costs and a reliable airframe means this vehicle will serve well into the 21st century.

General characteristics

• Crew: 1: pilot
• Length: 63 ft 9 in (19.43 m)
• Wingspan: 42 ft 10 in (13.05 m)
• Height: 18 ft 6 in (5.63 m)
• Wing area: 608 ft² (56.5 m²)
• Airfoil: NACA 64A006.6 root, NACA 64A203 tip
• Empty weight: 28,000 lb (12,700 kg)
• Loaded weight: 44,500 lb (20,200 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 68,000 lb (30,845 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney F100-100 or −220 afterburning turbofans
  • Dry thrust: 17,450 lbf (77.62 kN) each
  • Thrust with afterburner: 25,000 lbf for −220 (111.2 kN for −220) each
• Fuel capacity: 13,455 lb (6,100 kg) internal

Performance

• Maximum speed:
  
  • High altitude: Mach 2.5+ (1,650+ mph, 2,665+ km/h)
  • Low altitude: Mach 1.2 (900 mph, 1,450 km/h)
• Combat radius: 1,061 nmi (1,222 mi, 1,967 km) for interdiction mission
• Ferry range: 3,450 mi (3,000 nmi, 5,550 km) with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks
• Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (20,000 m)
• Rate of climb: >50,000 ft/min (254 m/s)
• Wing loading: 73.1 lb/ft² (358 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 1.12 (−220)

Armament

• Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan 6-barreled gatling cannon, 940 rounds
• Hardpoints: Total 11 (not including CFTs): two under-wing (each with additional two missile launch rails), four under-fuselage (for semi-recessed carriage of AIM-7 Sparrows) and a single centerline pylon station, optional fuselage pylons (which may include conformal fuel tanks, known initially as Fuel And Sensor Tactical (FAST) pack for use on the C model) with a capacity of 16,000 lb (7,300 kg) and provisions to carry combinations of:
  • Missiles:
    
    • 4× AIM-7 Sparrow
    • 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder
    • 8× AIM-120 AMRAAM
  • Bombs:
    
    • Mark 82
    • Mark 84
    • GBU-8
    • GBU-10
    • GBU-31
  • Other:
    
    • up to 3× 600 US gallons (2,300 L) external drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time.
    • MXU-648 Cargo/Travel Pod – to carry personal belongings, and small pieces of maintenance equipment^. 

 
 Avionics

• Radar:
  • Raytheon AN/APG-63 or AN/APG-70 or
  • Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)1 or
  • Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)2 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) or
  • Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)3 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)
  • Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System
• Countermeasures:
  • Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/ALQ-131 electronic countermeasures pod
  • Hazeltine AN/APX-76 or Raytheon AN/APX-119 Identify Friend/Foe (IFF) interrogator
  • Magnavox AN/ALQ-128 Electronic Warfare Warning Set (EWWS) – part of Tactical Electronic Warfare Systems (TEWS)
  • Loral AN/ALR-56 Radar warning receivers (RWR) – part of TEWS
  • Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems ALQ-135 Internal Countermeasures System (ICS) – part of TEWS
  • Marconi AN/ALE-45 Chaff/Flares dispenser system – part of TEWS
  
  All info from wikipedia and the National Museum of the United States Air Force