Great Wall Hobbies 1/48 F-15C MSIP II Eagle ANG Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

The F-15 Eagle was the US Air Force's first purpose-built dogfighter since the F-86 Sabre. First flown in 1972, the aircraft remains in front-line service with the US Air Force today as well as in Israel, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. When it was first introduced, it's radar featured the first look-down/shoot-down capability tracking multiple targets at the same time. The Eagle is armed with up-to-eight missiles - four AIM-7 Sparrow and four AIM-9 Sidewinders. In later years, the F-15 was modified with new launch rails and avionics to support a combination of AIM-9 Sidewinders and AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles in addition to the AIM-7 (still a total of eight missiles).

Great Wall Hobby (GWH) has followed up their F-15B/D Eagle with this F-15C MSIP II Eagle which brings the model up to current standards. This kit is molded in light gray styrene and presented on 28 parts trees plus two trees of clear parts and one fret of photo-etched parts (not all duplicate parts trees shown). This is still one of the nicest Eagle kits I've seen (not counting Revell's 1/48 F-15E) and unlike the F-15B/D release which had some interesting contradictions in the box, this release looks just right.

Among the features and options in this kit:

• Nicely detailed cockpit
• Detailed avionics bay behind cockpit w/differences for radar installation
• Nice ACES II ejection seat
• Photo-etched HUD frame
• Positionable canopy
• Positionable radome
• Choice of APG-70 or APG-63(V)2 AESA radar
• Positionable nose avionics bay doors
• Detailed avionics bays in nose (port and starboard bays)
• Choice of shut-down or running position intake ramps
• Choice of open or closed dorsal boundary layer exit doors
• Full-depth intake ducts
• Nicely detailed featherless afterburner nozzles
• New ALQ-135 antennas
• Positionable dorsal speed brake
• Choice of vertical stab top fairings
• Positionable rudders
• Positionable stabilators
• Positionable ailerons
• Positionable flaps
• Positionable landing gear

External stores include:

• 3 x 600 gallon external tanks
• 2 x AIM-9X Sidewinder
• 2 x AIM-120A AMRAAM
• 2 x AIM-120C AMRAAM

Markings are provided for two examples:

• F-15C, 85-125, 104 FW/MA ANG
• F-15C, 80-043, 131 FW/MO ANG

The kit has the options to build into several F-15C blocks and should be easy enough to backdate to pre-MSIP configuration should you choose. The selection of armament is interesting and you can easily find AIM-7F and AIM-9L/M rounds should you want an older loadout. As far as subject options, check the F-15 Eagle Modeler's Online Reference link below to see the wide range of F-15 decals available out there. This kit should build up as easily as the F-15B/D and will make this kit the best F-15C in 1/48 scale.

My sincere thanks to  Great Wall Hobbies and  DML for this review sample!

References:

• F-15 Eagle Modeler's Online Reference