F15E USAF Fighter

I'd rank it a 6/10. This kit has some shape errors like all Academy kits but the decals andd weapons are updated making it a better release for Academy. Its not a BAD kit.....

This kit has some shape errors like all Academy kits but the decals andd weapons are updated making it a better release for Academy. I'd rank it at a 6/10. Its not a BAD kit.....

Although this model not as highly rated as the 1/48 Great Wall Hobby F-15E, the Academy kit is slightly better than the Revell F-15E,because the Revell kit is not readily available and it does not include a full set of ordinance to load up the pylons to full capacity. A downside to the 1/48 Academy F-15E kit is the manner in which the nose/cockpit assembly attaches to the main fuselage of the model without guide pins or adequate surface area on the parts to create a strong glue bond. Another annoying issue is in regards to the shallow panel lines, especially on the upper surfaces of the main wings and fuselage. The engine nozzle activator arms are slightly too thick for scale and are finicky to install. If the builder opts to install the provided pilot figures and close the canopy, a lot of filing and fitting are required. I did not like the stock plain Seymour Johnson squadron decals, so I purchased the Print Scale 1/48 F-15E Eagle 9-11-2001 Never Forget decal set (Cat No 48-031). This decal set provides the markings for four different aircraft markings. The builder can choose from one of up to four different nose art decals. I also used the Eduard F-15E 1/48 canopy mask set EX 254 for my build. Unfortunately, this kit required a bit of putty work to fill in the seams along the main wing roots. I also used round lead fishing weights glued inside the nose of the model to prevent it from being a tail sitter. The most tedious part of the build was applying the numerous stencil markings all over the aircraft. Painting and decaling all of the pylons and ordinance is a time consuming task. At the conclusion of the build I was slightly exasperated, but ended up with a satisfactory result.