Great Wall Hobbies’ release of the F-15B/D was exciting — I am a huge fan of the Eagle! Since we haven’t had a newly molded Eagle in some time, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this kit to see how it stacked up with older molds by Hasegawa and Academy.
Tightly packed in the box are 22 trees of gray styrene parts. A small photoetched-metal fret is included, as is a clear film containing parts for the HUD. The molds are crisp and flash-free, with fine panel-line detail throughout. Clear parts have excellent clarity and are scratch-free, but there is a pesky seam down the centerline of the canopy that needs attention. Instructions are an easy-to-follow 26-page magazine-style booklet with 18 construction steps. A brief history of the F-15 is on the front cover, and a parts-tree breakdown and decal placement guide are included. Pay attention as you move along with your build to make sure you are using the correct parts for your chosen variant (U.S. or Israeli air forces).
You will have many options: Avionics bay doors can be posed open to expose impressive detail, the radome can be canted to show the radar, and full engines can be exposed if you so choose.
The build starts in the cockpit, and detail here is excellent. The instrument panel is great, with individual decals for each dial; tedious, yes, but the outstanding results are well worth the time and effort. The ACES II ejection seat is poor however; shoulder harnesses are molded in place, but there are no lap belts. Also, the pilot seat sits a bit high in the finished cockpit. Wait until the very end to attach the HUD, as it is easy to break off.
The fuselage has a GPS unit molded in the fuselage, making this an updated MSIP jet (something the older Hasegawa and Academy molds didn’t have). However, the GPS looks under scale. Additionally, the kit provides all the communication antennas you need for a modern aircraft.
You can choose to have the intakes in an upward position or tilted down. Same goes for the speed brake. These assemblies fit well and needed little filler to smooth out.
Wheel-well detail is poor, but the landing gear is nicely done, as are the tires. Be careful with the front landing gear, though — I can see this snapping off very easily during transport. (A cast-metal set may be a better idea if it becomes available.)
Weapons are packed separately and are well-executed. The only option for U.S. birds is the AIM-7 Sparrows, an odd choice because the Air Force phased them out of service years ago in favor of the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The wing fuel-tank pylons are not correct for modern U.S. F-15s either, but they do look correct for Israeli Eagles. I left mine off and mounted my missiles to the fuselage pylons.
Using Testors Model Master paints, I pre-shaded panel lines, and then proceeded to airbrush the camouflage scheme freehand according to references. Once it was painted, I hit the entire model with a gloss clear coat to prep for decals.
You can choose from two sets each of U.S. and Israeli markings, but the decals are a letdown. Many of the stencils silvered, as did some of the larger decals. The decals did not react to any solvents I tried (Micro Sol and Solvaset) and would not settle into recessed detail. They have a flat finish, too.
My model took me 40 hours, about what I expected. Much of that time was spent detailing the cockpit. I was impressed with the ease of the build, but the few inaccuracies were disappointing. Additionally, aftermarket decals are a must: There are plenty of them out there.
I would recommend Great Wall’s F-15 to anyone with the experience of a few kits. This one was a pleasure to work on, but, if you want an accurate U.S. Air Force Eagle, you have some work ahead of you.
Note: A version of this review appeared in the May 2014 FineScale Modeler.