Estes F-15 Screaming Eagle build

[aerojacket]

I have a Screaming Eagle kit that I started with one of my sons something like 13 or 14 years ago. For reasons I can't quite explain, components of the kit dispersed to several locations in the house. Some items like parachute and shock cord are still MIA, though easily replaced. However, the important stuff like the nose cone, missiles, and decals all came together as I packed up the house to move a couple of years ago. And now, almost 3 years after that event, I finally turned my attention back to the F-15 while on some long conference calls where I am not such an active participant.

Do I have a bunch of build photos? No, because I wasn't thinking that far ahead.

But I can tell you that due to the missile racks shadowing parts of the under wing, I decided to paint the missiles and launch rails separately and then glue them to the wing.
So you can see in the one photos where I masked off the bare wood for later gluing, though it would have been better if I hadn't masked back to the trailing edge....
I had also masked the contact areas of the racks and the slot in the wing and later filled them in with putty before a final coat of paint.

If I had to do it over again, I'd have built the missiles and racks without the missile nose cones and fins. I'd have masked the ends of the dowels and simply glued the plastic pieces on after painting.
Anyhow, here's the first couple of photos.

 

[Daddyisabar]

Be sure to use all the clay nose weight included in the kit. C6 3 is minimum. Look at a Quest composite D. Good launch conditions for first flight. Airplane rockets rule!

 

[aerojacket]

Be sure to use all the clay nose weight included in the kit. C6 3 is minimum. Look at a Quest composite D. Good launch conditions for first flight. Airplane rockets rule!

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I like the P-61! Is that a kit? Scratch built?

 

[Daddyisabar]

I like the P-61! Is that a kit? Scratch built?

It is scratch built. Thread is here on the forum. Love airplanes and oddrocs!

 

[aerojacket]

Be sure to use all the clay nose weight included in the kit. C6 3 is minimum. Look at a Quest composite D. Good launch conditions for first flight. Airplane rockets rule!

View attachment 532659

After getting the fuselage painted, I thought I was ready to start applying the decals. When I did so, it quickly became apparent that some of the scheme was paint, not included decals.
I decided to go with the white bursts, but not the additional blue part on the top of the wing.
So I masked accordingly to add some white. With the recent election primaries, I was inundated with political flyers in the mail. I had been tossing them and then realized that the glossy card stock made for good disposable build surfaces and for masking. Thus why you see that along with the blue tape.
I then used a brush to touch up the missile fins and nose caps with white. Again, if I had thought far enough ahead, I'd have left them off and glued on the white pieces later.

 

[aerojacket]

After painting on the white bursts, it was back to decal work. For the most part, no issues, but the one on top that extends onto the nose cone bit me in the backside by folding up on itself for the part forward of the cut. Just dang.
The nose cone paint looked fine, but a small nick in the paint turned into a larger chunk peeling off and I ended up pulling it all off, scuff sanding again, and the usual clean and prep. What happened the first time? I dunno. But naturally, my can of grey paint started sputtering and clogging halfway through repainting the nose cone. Since it was very humid, I just let it sputter and glopped it on thick and left it to dry. To my amazement, it did flow out and provided a nice even coat all the way around. (I figured if it didn't work, I had to redo it anyway).
So, 13 years in the making, I present my Screaming Eagle build. I have no idea when I'll get to fly it, but I'll put it in the queue.

 

[Woody's Workshop]

Sweet! I think I have one, maybe two. But I'm getting ready to sell some more kits cuz my account is over drawn and we ain't got no food.