Revell 1/48 F-15C Eagle

The F-15 was the result of the lessons learned during the Vietnam War as much as anythinig. It was realized that the next generation of air superiority fighter had to have more than missiles. It was also realized that it needed to be able to dog-fight. This meant that it had to have fairly large wings along with powerful engines and a good gun. All of those aspects were incorporated into the then-new fighter and in the early 1970s the F-15 came into being. So successful was the basic design that it has been upgraded several times and the fighter-bomber version is still in production for both the USAF and for foreign buyers.

This is not just a rehash of the old Revell kit, but is a slightly upgraded version of the Monogram kit that was originally released in 1979. Those who have built the older kit, and that includes yours truly, will find that this one is unchanged from that earlier kit. Same raised panel line detailing, same well detailed cockpit, which was a trademark of Monogram 1/48 kits. Same generally unfussy engineering. What IS new with this one, aside from the decals, are two small sprues that contain two parts each. These are meant to represent the later afterburners without the 'turkey feathers'. For those wanting to do an F-15A, the original exhaust are also included.

Of course, you will find that any cockpit upgrades since the F-15A have not been included, nor has there been any change in the antenna arrangement. These will need to be dealt with either by aftermarket or scratch-building. Options are minimal. A canopy that can be open or closed, a speed brake that can be raised or lowered and a tail hook that can be modeled lowered are about it. There is an ALQ-101 jamming pod included that was rarely carried in normal use. You can also model the boarding ladder lowered and the radome open to show a radar array.

For weapons, you have four Sidewinder and four Sparrow. A centerline fuel tank is also provided though the instructions do not show it being used. In addition, you have a pilot figure and a ground crew figure to round things out.

Instructions are well drawn and provide generic color information with only the external shades being provided an FS 595 reference. The single decal option is an Oregon ANG anniversary plane in a striking scheme. The decal sheet for this is huge and almost fills the bottom of the kit box. This plane is painted in the 'Mod Eagle' scheme. Revell decals are usually quite good and I expect this one to be no exception.

Despite the tooling being over 40 years old, the quality of the parts is still very good. Yes, it is raised panel lines so that may well put some people off. However, it is inexpensive, builds well, and is a good choice if you want a nice Eagle for your shelf. It also doesn't hurt that you can do the earlier F-15A with the parts in the kit.

November 2021

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