Mountain Home F-15E Commission build
![Album image #1 Album image #1](/albums/img/9/1/2/1698912-53108-84-720.jpg)
Hollow LH CFT from the kit vs. the RH CFT with the scratch built back side details. I will eventually get the CFT and CFT Dolly scanned for 3D printing, as well as the CFT sitting on the dolly.
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Back side of the RH Conformal Fuel Tank (CFT). Still a few pinholes and scratches to fill and some fine-tuning to do, but I think it looks the part.
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Initial mock-up of the CFT maintenance dolly. still a lot of details to add but it's coming along nicely.
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PW-220 engine trailer. The wheels are from an AeroBonus flightline trailer, but everything else was scratch built. Still a little finishing to do, but I'm very happy with how it turned out! It will look awesome sitting behind the Strike Eagle in the commissioned maintenance diorama.
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The wheels are from an Aero Bonus flight line trailer. Everything else is scratch built.
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Steering linkages and tow bar
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$28 Chinese knock off of the $120 Black Dog “Big Set” for the GWH F-15. #1 engine bay, all forward avionics bays and the gun bay will all be exposed. I found it on Aliexpress.com listed under "1:48 resin cockpit" - A couple of the parts came warped, but a few seconds under the heat gun straightened them right out.
![Album image #9 Album image #9](/albums/img/8/9/3/1698893-53108-22-720.jpg)
Initial fitting of the fwd engine bay bulkhead.
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GWH kit engine vs. resin engine, which has a LOT more detail!!! I'll have to scratch build all the detail for the kit engine that will be sitting on the engine trailer.
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Still have a few more ring segments and other structural pieces to make, but it’s turning out great so far.
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#2 engine bay scratch built. The panels are scratch built copies of the resin kit for the #1 engine bay (mirror images, of course). I will glue in the resin walls and details in the #1 bay, but I won't have to add nearly as much detail because the resin engine will be filling the bay.
![Album image #13 Album image #13](/albums/img/8/9/5/1698895-53108-85-720.jpg)
I'm nearly halfway to my goal of cutting open the engine bay(s) for display.
![Album image #14 Album image #14](/albums/img/8/9/1/1698891-53108-75-720.jpg)
Now to install the resin walls and resin engine in the other bay
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More details of the resin detail kit.
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Avionics bays. SO much surgery up ahead!
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Kit engine vs. resin engine (top).
![Album image #18 Album image #18](/albums/img/9/2/0/1698920-53108-28-720.jpg)
The forward half of the resin engine SOLID RESIN! It's really heavy so I’ll have to drill / dremel out the center to remove most of the weight, and add nose weight to compensate for the rest.
![Album image #19 Album image #19](/albums/img/9/2/8/1698928-53108-22-720.jpg)
Open (scratch built) bay vs. the Black Dog Resin (BDR) side. The engine bay panels for the open bay will have to be scratch built mirror images of the right engine bay panels. The surgery begins…
![Album image #20 Album image #20](/albums/img/9/1/8/1698918-53108-25-720.jpg)
I found that the BDR resin walls were too short in height and width, so I added onto them. Somehow, the Evergreen styrene actually fuses to the "resin" parts with Tamiya cement! I was glad to discover this, as it makes a much stronger bond than just using super glue.
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One down, five more to go!
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Resin replacement panels for the #1 engine bay. I will have to scratch build mirror imaged duplicates for the other side.
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Close enough match to the resin wall detail, I'd say.
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The engine bay wall "blanks" I traced and cut from .020" Evergreen sheet styrene.
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![Album image #28 Album image #28](/albums/img/1/5/6/1705156-53108-15-720.jpg)
I’ve got the walls, wiring and plumbing installed, now I’m using.005” styrene to make the panel attachment flanges.
![Album image #29 Album image #29](/albums/img/1/5/7/1705157-53108-26-720.jpg)
The upper ring segments glued in, waiting to be trimmed.
![Album image #30 Album image #30](/albums/img/1/5/8/1705158-53108-59-720.jpg)
A heat gun helped me form structural ring segments around Dad’s old aluminum cane.
![Album image #31 Album image #31](/albums/img/1/5/9/1705159-53108-91-720.jpg)
The resin kit walls were too small to display the engine bays completely open, so I scratch built extensions for them.
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Center walls installed
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Test fitting the resin engine
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Structure and details are complete and now it’s in primer. Time to move on to opening up the gun bay for display.
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Cutting the massive pour stubs off of the resin parts with my trusty Trumpeter saw.
![Album image #39 Album image #39](/albums/img/8/0/1/1709801-53108-84-720.jpg)
Rotary filing close to the panel lines. Jeweler's files and a really sharp OLFA X-acto knife were used afterwards, to get everything crisp and precise.
![Album image #40 Album image #40](/albums/img/8/0/2/1709802-53108-63-720.jpg)
Resin Avionics bays glued-in with homemade "Sprue Goo". Once it was half-cured, I pushed the bays inward by 1/64" for that proper recessed look.
![Album image #41 Album image #41](/albums/img/3/3/0/1713330-53108-30-720.jpg)
FWD Avionics bay rough cut
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FWD Avionics bay cut / filed / sanded and ready for the resin insert installation
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Initial cuts for the exposed gun bay
![Album image #44 Album image #44](/albums/img/3/2/8/1713328-53108-18-720.jpg)
All three resin replacement Avionics bays are now installed (glued-in from the back with Sprue Goo). Thin .005" and .010" styrene shims were required to get the proper look and fit.
![Album image #45 Album image #45](/albums/img/3/2/5/1713325-53108-38-720.jpg)
Cutting the pour stub from the long, right side Avionics bay insert. The saw blade that came with this new Japanese "OLFA" brand knife is unbelievably sharp and cuts much better and faster than my old Trumpeter saw. The OLFA knife blades are very, very sharp as well.
![Album image #46 Album image #46](/albums/img/3/2/6/1713326-53108-54-720.jpg)
RT Avionics bays being rough cut
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Time to start opening-up the gun bay!
![Album image #48 Album image #48](/albums/img/8/0/3/1709803-53108-41-720.jpg)
Glued-in; waiting to be shimmed and finished-up.
![Album image #49 Album image #49](/albums/img/3/2/3/1713323-53108-62-720.jpg)
Kit + resin gun bay parts ready for fitment
![Album image #50 Album image #50](/albums/img/3/2/2/1713322-53108-12-720.jpg)
Gun bay walls and ribs installed with styrene reinforcements, super glue and Sprue goo.
Kommentarer
22 3 April, 13:24
![](/profiles/img/user-s.jpg)
Hi Sergej! How come everything is empty here with such fine modelling going on? Ok, first row center for me. That will be fun to watch.
11 April, 16:00