Well, well.... it's been 16 years since I've been on the modelling frontline. Now I'm returning to the old and familiar hobby. Right now there's a Revell F-15 on the shelf, just waiting to be put together. But then there's a thing like research that's got to be done before making the first attempts.

Though some considder the model not to be the best choice for re-entering the modeling frontline, I'm feeling quite good about it myself.

A part from the research that is being done at this moment, there's also the confidence-part that has to grow a little. Any of you warriors has some tips 'n tricks left that a re-engager has to be aware of ?

If you show me your's than I show you mine.......In about a couple of weeks I'll let you know how things are advancing.

Danny "Eagle" Wennekes
Lieutenant Royal Dutch Army

Howdy Eagle! Welcome back to modelbuilding, and welcome to the best gosh darn modeling site on the web! :-)
What kind of tips and tricks are you looking for? Painting, assembly, detailing, displaying, photographing? We've got areas for each!
As for the F-15, that was always my favorite plane when I was a kid! I've still got one of those metal ones... I think it's 1/48th. I'll assume you've got reference photos aplenty, but here's a link to more, just for fun. Google pictures of F-15
If you've got any more questions, feel free to ask. Most of us spend to much time here on ArmoramA...... :-)

YodaMan

Howdy Yoda,

You sure put in a fast reply! About the site....you're absolutely right. It's the best I've seen so far. I'm sure I'll be here often.....maybe too often as far as my wife is concerned.

About the requested tips 'n tricks I'm now hunting down some assembly features. About the other parts like weathering, airbrushing etc. it's quite easy: I still have a similar F-15 (so same 1/32 scale and also by Revell) where I can pratice on.

If you can help me out with some absolute "must knows"on assembly then I'll be most grateful.

Eagle

Welcome back Eagle. I've recently shifted focus to armor, but I did aircraft for a couple of decades. Your Revell kit of the F-15 probably isn't a bad one to start with; just don't go too crazy trying to accurize it. The kit has a lot of problems there, the Tamiya kit is much better. As for research, the 'net will have a bunch. Look too for these books:
Squadron F-15 In Action
Detail & Scale F-15 Eagle
Squadron large-format F-15 Eagle book (lots of Desert Storm stuff).

All of these are good sources for building a really good model. The D&S book even has kit reviews and scale drawings!
Greg

Hmmm, the absolute 'must know'? This, I think, is different for every modelbuilder. For me, it is to take my time. Do not rush things!
There are a few articles on weathering in the 'Features/Sections' part of the site. I think one is about weathering aircraft, and the other is a build up review of an F-18. Both are helpful in painting. For the actual assembly, I think that the way most people do it is (with a plane for exapmle) by putting the cockpit together first, then assembling the main fuselage (sp?) around it, and then painting the exterior of the model. That's just a general (as in very basic) overview, but do what works for you. I'm sure the other guys (and a lady) will chime in here in a little bit, so look for what they have to say.

YodaMan

Welcome Danny!

The absolutely best advice I can think to give you is - regardless of what you ultimately decide to do to your F-15 - HAVE FUN with it. Do what you want to do to it, and not what you think will impress someone else. Stick to that and your model will always come out right.

Don't try to do every technique known to Modeling Man the first, second, third, or any time out. It's okay to stretch yourself, but don't kill the joy in modeling by biting off too much at a time.

Gunnie

Hello Eagle: Heres a couple of other good reference sites that might be of some use to you. F-15E Strike Eagle: the site monitor is a german fellow. The site gives both alot of current Photos as well as later. But also has reference material for kits that have been built by individuals and what problems they came across if any. Also some great pic's of thier kits. Not to mention the name of the maker i.e. Revell, Tamiya, as well as Academy.
(2) Large Scale Planes; Also a modeling reference site. BUT I found the F-15E Strike Eagle site much more informative. Oh and by the way, The new boxed F-15E by Revell Monogram is a good kit, Second only to the Tamiya which is a bit more complicated. Either way GOOD LUCK

Later
Dagger-1

Eagle to GunTruck....received you loud and clear,

thx for the best advice around that is so easily forgotten. Thx for putting the feet back on the ground again. The joy is there....I'll keep it there. :-)

Welcome back into modeling, Eagle. It's great to have another aircraft builder in the ranks here. As you may have guessed, I am the only female modeler here at Armorama. One good place to pick up new tricks and other useful info, besides this great place, is http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com You can also try using liquid paper (in the pen) to fill the seems in those hard to reach and fill places. I use it in the wheel wells and tail sections on my planes. My F4U-1 in the gallery here, I used the liquid paper to fill all the seems on the whole thing, and I think it worked great. It sands down alittle easier that Squadron's white putty. I hope that this will help ya some.

Eagle, again...welcome back to the hobby and the best modeling site on the net. While there isn't a huge following of aircraft modelers here on Armorama, the aircraft forum is starting to see a lot more action and it's always great to have another aircraft modeler. The link Penny gave to ARC is a great aircraft site. I hit it everyday to see what's new. The tools'n tips section is very good so be sure to check it out.

My experience with any kit besides Hasegawa and Tamiya is that they provide a good kit to hone skills on because there are generally things that need to be done to them to get a good result like sanding, seam or gap filling, detailing etc. I personally find it more rewarding putting the time into a lesser quality kit than to go out and buy a top of the line model...besides the fact that Revell and Monogram kits are cheaper...lol! Gunny said it best, "Have fun!"

Welcome back to modeling Eagle.First all your kit is not all that bad,I'll mirror
alot of has been said here . When you start start here,if it's not posted or in the
gallery some one will be glad to point you the right way to look.Check the firing
range there is alot of tips there,I use nothing but liquid glue much easier to control
bonds and dries much faster. Keep it simple keep it fun thats what building is
about .Youll find your skills will improve each project you build .

pony soldier

The Horse The Gun The Man

Eagle the next time your on site go to boot camp and read the article by Mike Taylor.
This article is on glues and seeming it will really help you.

ponysoldier

I just picked this up at a place thats going out of business and had it for half price. It is worth the full price, the pictures are great. Just thought I would pass that on.