1:72 F-15E

The real subject

The F-15E is the two-seat strike version of the heavy F-15 fighter. Compared with the single-seat fighter form it received a strengthened airframe reckoned for long flights with a heavy load, a second seat for the weapon systems operator and conformal fuel tanks added along the sides of the fuselage, which allowed more stores to be hung under the wing. On a model it is a machine full of small features: a cockpit for two, sharply cut air intakes, grilles, covers and loops all over the airframe.

What a photo-etched set is

These are parts etched from thin metal sheet. Photo-etch can do what injection-molded plastic cannot: a part a few tenths of a millimeter thick with sharp edges and rendered texture. It is used for grilles, belts, grab handles, stiffeners and fine fittings. Exactly what the set holds and where each part belongs is given in the enclosed instructions from the manufacturer.

Building tips

Separate the parts with a sharp blade on a hard surface and never break them out; bent photo-etch is hard to straighten. Make the bends in a bending tool or over the edge of a blade in one movement. They are bonded with super glue applied with a pin, and with two-part epoxy over larger areas. Before painting, wash the metal, degrease it and use a primer made for metal, otherwise the coat will flake off in time. Fit the parts as the build goes along, because many of them cannot be reached once the fuselage is closed.

• photo-etched parts set in 1:72 scale
• subject: the F-15E aircraft
• thin metal parts for details that plastic cannot render
• bonded with super glue or two-part epoxy
• degrease and prime before painting

Terms of supply

This is an accessory for a plastic kit. The kit itself, paints and glue are not included in the delivery, unless stated otherwise.