Here is part 3
of a 3-part article on the 102nd FW Legacy Project I recently
completed. This final part focuses on the “First Responder Eagle” display
which represents F-15A 77-0102 on the moment of launch on
11 September 2001
. As with the rest of the
models, this is 1/48th scale, and will be donated to the unit for
display at Otis Air National Guard Base.
I used the
Academy F-15C kit and Two Bobs decals. The Academy kit comes with the option for
dropped intakes, which is exactly what I needed for a launching display. The
landing gear would be in retracting-mode, and I didn’t worry too much about
the look and operation within the gear wells, but how it looked from the side. A
large display base was needed, and it ended up being 1 foot wide by 2 feet long.
I created a blurred runway and printed it, and attached it to sheet plastic.
The load
would consist of 3 fuel tanks, 2
AIM
-9s and 2
AIM
-7s.
Model
Preparation for an In-Flight Display
With the in-flight
display, I needed to have brass tubing within the fuselage, and passed through
the afterburner cans. After careful measuring and fiddling, I got the alignment
and secured them with 5 minute epoxy. I then moved onto the nose and main gear,
and extended the oleo portions with aluminum tubing.
Click on
images below to see larger images
Two of the three
main gears are molded shut, so I had to make them from sheet plastic. I simply
traced along the panel lines onto paper, and transferred that to the plastic. I
was not about to cut out the opening for the gear bay – that was too much
work. The above photo shows the mock-up.
The
Display Base
The display base ended up being not as complicated as I had envisioned.
Strolling through my local Home Depot store looking for a suitable base, I came
across a stair/step used in home stairwells. It was made of hard pine, and
measured one foot wide and four feet long – and cost around $10 USD. I had
them cut it in half at two feet, and I had two bases.
I used Plastruct ˝
inch acrylic rod bent with a heating gun for the clear supports.
I measured where I
needed the brass tubes to hold the acrylic rod by lining up the back of the
model, and drilled the holes with wood-boring bits. To make the blurred runway,
I created it in Photoshop Elements, and printed it. I used spray adhesive and
attached it to sheet plastic cut to size.
I brushed 3 coats of
Future on the wood base, with sanding in between each dried coat.
Once that was
complete, I attached the runway to the wood base with Liquid Nails glue and
placed 2 phone books to hold it down. I also added the 3 patches, and the brass
plaque I had made at the local trophy shop.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The landing gear was
secured with 5 minute epoxy, and the usual final decaling and assembly
proceeded.
Working every single
day for a minimum of an hour, it took
about 5 weeks and around 45 hours. Though one of the most challenging projects I
have ever done, it was the most gratifying.
Ken
Click
here for Part 1 of this article
Click
here for Part 2 of this article
Click on
images below to see larger images
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