Eduard 1/32 F-15E Strike Eagle Exterior Detail Set First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

Eduard from the Czech Republic is easily the most prolific producer of aftermarket details. Period. Their series of photo-etched detail sets have brought additional fidelity to otherwise bland subjects, and have taken even the best-produced models and kicked them up a notch or two with details that cannot be produced with injection-molded plastic.

This release tackles the exterior of the Tamiya 1/32 F-15E Strike Eagle kit. The Tamiya kit is really nice straight out of the box of course, but there are still limits of what you can reproduce in styrene. Eduard has picked up where Tamiya left off to add some additional eye-popping detail.

The set starts off with the nose gear strut, providing tie-down rings and plumbing detail. The main gear struts are likewise updated along with brake lines and oleo scissors.

Ever since the USAF eliminated the turkey feathers on the F-15 fleet, the vast number of nozzle actuator mechanisms suddenly became visible and not very well replicated in styrene. In this set, all of the actuator detail as well as details on the inner nozzle petals are getting lots of attention.

The inner surfaces of the gear doors are likewise being revised with newer/better detail. This includes new hinge and latch details as well.

Another area of attention is with the kit's radar plate. The plate is resurfaced, and a paint mask is even included to allow the 'Radiation Hazard' to be airbrushed onto the plate. A new target illuminator feedhorn is also provided in photo-etch. Nice touch.

This set is rounded out with updates to the structural and plumbing details inside the main speed brake well.

As you can see in the instructions, each step is nicely laid out to show where the new parts go and, when applicable, where a little surgery is required..

While this set will really set off the detail in Tamiya's F-15E kit, this detail set is not for the beginning modeler. You will need to be able to remove the photo-etch parts from their frets (simple once you know how) and then be able to apply these details using cyano adhesives without gluing yourself to the kit parts. It isn'tdifficult, or else these sets wouldn't be so popular.

You should be able to find this detail set at your local hobby retailer or one of the many online hobby shops. Trust me, this is worth looking for! With a little work, this set may be adaptable to the Hasegawa F-15E as well, but no guarantees!

My sincere thanks to Eduard for this review sample!