David Hingtgen

Second attempt at shoulders went MUCH better. Will be doing several more apps of MicroSol to really get the last "crinkles" out of course. Fixed the head striping---got lucky and my first attempt at slicing out super-thin super-parallel white stripes worked great. (the stripes are about 0.5-xacto-blades-thick) Tailfin red parts: I painted the antenna spikes at the tips and along the top edge, but it still wasn't enough---decal's too small, edges all along the fin show a lot of black. (just like the ventral fin decals) Will touch up edges with paint after decaling. (I've got a perfect red paint match, it's just the black shows through even after like 6 coats) I'd have really liked white-molded fins--could paint/decal the red parts much easier, and just paint all the black---and would have had a white fin hinge area too. Going to paint the big "crescent" of black on the chest, too. Didn't like how the decal fit.

So NO comments on Leader Jetfire? I want a "perfect sideview" before deciding. Still, I was hoping for frankly near-Masterpiece when it comes to "lack of robot kibble in jet mode". There seems to be a lot more than there should, mainly due to GIMMICKS.

Either option for the head striping requires a new one. I may sacrifice double-decaling the tailfins, and use some thin white strips trimmed from them to add to the head striping.

I had to read that two or three times before I realized you're talking about the stickers. I'm decaling. Anyways, comparing to the "perfect" one Bandai has, I think I actually put them on too high--need to be 1mm lower or so. And I know where slits need to be put now. Luckily I have a second sheet. (though actually, I could use a THIRD head stripe--the white stripes are positioned right over the seam between the red and black pieces, and won't "bridge the gap" without excess clear--which I trimmed off because on the first one, the excess clear really wouldn't snuggle down and showed up sharply against the black! So without the clear, they keep falling into the seam---Arrrgh). (I'm really trying to get the head to look perfect, as it's important). Can anyone spare an Alto "head stripe" decal, you who've used the stickers instead? (if Bandai had just put the white stripes on the other side of the seam, like 0.25mm further in, they'd work perfect as-is)

I just now got around to decaling the shoulders (you know which decal) and am wondering--is it possible to actually get them to look good? I consider myself quite good at decaling (the only modeling skill I think I actually have) but these are just insane--if anything, they're actually too large IMHO. Should I have literally cut corners? (slits to allow to conform). I think it might have been better if they just gave us a long thin stripe, and let us wrap it around the outside. Seriously, anyone get the shoulder striping to look as nice as Bandai's example? (I wonder if those were painted on--they seem smaller than the provided decal)

That final point does need to be re-iterated I think: The full name of the place is *Shawn and Graham's* Macross World. Shawn pays for everyone's ability to post here out of his own pocket. It is run/moderated according to his wishes. Honestly he doesn't post much any more, but if he didn't care---he wouldn't keep paying the bills every month, or comb through session logs line-by-line when something goes wrong.

Actually I know *exactly* how that started. But that's not for this thread/topic.

If you have existing F-15s (Japan, Israel, etc) you could save a LOT of money in maintenance, training, etc by buying these instead of something totally new like a Shornet. And even better, I'm betting a good chunk of real F-15SEs will be conversions of existing ones, not new-build. Even cheaper. Heck, do a partial conversion. F-15C with the original engines, intake baffles and missile-carrying CFTs. Japan doesn't need range--but they'd love to halve the RCS of their existing Eagles quickly and cheaply. And it'll be ready long before the JSF is at this rate. This is not supposed to be an uber-fighter----it'll be a *cheap* stop-gap available *soon*, to those who want something to counter the "more of them patrolling the border every day" Super Flankers while waiting for the F-35 to make its what, 6th supersonic flight?

See where I wrote "only the very latest F-15s can use it at all"? That's the batch of F-15s that can take both. Interestingly, it's the opposite situation of the F-16: Most F-15's can only take the F100. The few that can take the F110, can also take the F100. They can only do that because Boeing re-designed the entire aft fuselage internally to make that possible. You'd have to re-build the entire back end of an F-15A to put in F110s---but it'd probably be cheaper to buy an F-15K with them. F-16's are about 50/50 for what they can take. But when they can take the F110, they can ONLY have the F110. They're not "compatible with both"---it's a joke that the new "Modular Common Intake Duct" is not "common" at all nor modular--it's for and only for the F110, and incompatible with the F110. Asides from NASA's VISTA, no F-16 has swapped engine types---because you'd also have to swap major sections of the fuselage (which NASA did, for experimentation). Finally--the F110 doesn't *require* higher airflow---it's just better with it. Quite a few F110-equipped F-16s were built with the smaller intake. Yes, most anything CAN be done. You can convert an F-5 into an X-29---doesn't mean it's easy or "supposed" to be done or done more than once. Yes, if you really, really, really want to, you could swap F100 and F110 in most planes due to being about the same size. But it's not some "remove 20 bolts, disconnect the fuel lines, and you're all set" operation. They're not compatible. Which is why no USAF plane has ever done so. Every F-15A/B/C/D/E and F-16 Block 5/10/15/20/25/30/32/40/42/50/52 the US has, has its original engine model. They may have gone from F100-220 to F100-229, but they never swapped between F100 and F110. No one changes engines if it takes millions of dollars and thousands of hours of modifications to the plane to do so.* That's not a "swappable" engine. I'm sure a Lamborghini V10 would *fit* in my car. It COULD be installed. Probably COULD be made to actually run with my electrical system and PCM. Doesn't mean it's "compatible". *Exception being the F-14, because the TF30 sucked so bad it made many F-14s crash--so it WAS deemed worth the effort to send them back to the factory to be totally taken apart and rebuilt over the course of months to make a custom-designed F110 variant fit. But once it takes an F110---it won't take the TF30, nor F100.

Armchair. But you sure can't swap the F100 and F110 around!

The F-14 and F-15 intakes are how they are to go fast---you'll note they are MUCH faster planes than the F-16 and especially F-18. The F-16 and F-18 don't have variable intakes due to complexity/weight---they wanted those planes to be as light as possible. Few planes have variable ramps now, it's just not worth that last "0.whatever" mach. Ramps help an engine make more power at altitude, little more. The F-16 and F-18 have "old school" simple intake designs. The F-16's is like the F-8, the F-18's is like the F-5. Better to make the plane sleeker or the engine more powerful, than to add parts to the intake, for more speed at altitude. The Tornado has had its ramps deactivated and fixed in one position for years, with little effect on top speed. Wasn't worth the maintenance cost. (much like the F-14's glove vanes) As for engines---the F-14's engines never went to anything else AFAIK. Their version of the F110 is unique. Now, many older F100 F-15 and F-16 engines do get handed down to even older ones as they're retired (-100's get -200's, -200's get -220's, etc). F110s are not very interchangeable---only the very latest F-15s can use it at all, and an F-16 is built to take either the F100 or F110, it cannot be changed without a MAJOR effort. (NASA is AFAIK the only place to ever have an F-16 change engine type---and that's because they custom-built a new intake) The Silent Eagle's CFTs can be swapped out for normal Strike Eagle CFTs. (this likely means you could technically convert an F-15E to a Silent Eagle if you really wanted to---or more likely, convert an F-15DJ) A little-commented-on feature snuck into the powerpoint is that the Silent Eagle has more chaff/flare dispensers---mounted in the tailbooms, similar to an F-16. (I wonder if the F-15I already has some there)

Umm, animated Swindle has a toy.

::mumble grumble:: GM just updated the Camaro website and published final specs for power/MPG. The base model now gets 304HP. That's SLIGHTLY more than my car. It was rated slightly LESS than my car. Very annoying. While my weight advantage should still make my car win any acceleration test against it, it is annoying to have lost the 'horsepower race'. (It also bumps it up amazingly close to the LS1 F-bodies' HP) (and it got 29MPG highway on the new test---which beats a LOT of smaller cars with far less power)

Canopy painting build-up! (you'd probably get to it before I get around to doing mine--I plan to save the canopy for last at this point and do/attach it when everything else is done)

That looks a whole lot more blue (and less grey) than the kit parts. Also seems to only be available in a spray. I just want to brush-paint a few small bits.

Lot more info in the powerpoint: http://www.slideshare.net/TheDEWLine/silen...type=powerpoint

I do wonder about the effect on V-tails for yaw stability---the F-15 originally had shorter fins with ventral fins---the ventrals were eliminated, so the verticals had to be extended. A primary goal of all planes is weight, so they always have the "minimum" structure needed for stability and control. Possibly the CFTs actually enhance yaw stability? Or if it never carries external weapons, it doesn't need as much yaw "protection" and a clean-config F-15 can get by with less effective v.stab area? Or perhaps production v-tails will be larger to cope. (if they go with all-new fins, they could really change things, make them trapezoidal etc---the ones seen today are specifically mentioned as basically being mock-up stabs)

For the RAAF many will be converted to EA-18Gs anyways, so they could just get these instead of F-35s or something---or buy just a few to supplement them. And the new Eagle is still over a year away from flying, much less in-service. (it'll still beat the F-35 though) While the RAAF Shornets are literally being built as we speak. And unlike Japan, Australia really does want more of a strike/interdiction plane, the Super Hornet's very good at that.

The Super Hornet has big square intakes too you know, and it's only just below the Typhoon etc for stealthiness---it has baffles in the intakes, and another article I just found said the production Silent Eagle with have them, as well as "coatings". (also, an F-15's intakes are not as straight as they look---you cannot see the compressors THAT easily---the F-14 is much worse--an F-15's engines are mounted much closer to each other than the intakes are---there is a decent S-curve in there, more so than the F-18 has) Supercruise----technically, yes most likely, but not usefully. An F-15 normally cruises at .9, doing 1.01 or something is kinda pointless. (lots of modern jets can BARELY supercruise when clean----the YF-23/22 can do 1.4+, that's their real point--it's not merely supercruising, it's going well beyond Mach 1 that's the real speed benefit) Finally--it is a "Silent Strike Eagle"--they can fit the 1,000lb JDAM and SDB inside, including mixing them with AMRAAM or Sidewinder in the bays at the same time. As for who's getting them---smart money's on Japan. They want the F-22, this is the next best thing. (F-35 simply is not that good in air combat from everything I've read---they won't even say it can match an early F-16) Japan wants the F-22 for pure air-to-air, the F-35 would be a very expensive inferior substitute--they don't want a cheap, multi-role plane like most nations---they want a truly kick-ass air superiority plane---there's not many options for that nowadays.

OMG! OMG OMG OMG OMG. V-tailed stealth F-15 with internal AMRAAM bays mounted in the CFTs to match the F-35's radar signature. It's real. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewl...tealthy-f-.html And the missiles swing out on rails: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/b...ctid16748936001

Yeah, but that was Cybertron-form Cyclonus---he'll look different on Earth. (probably---there's a chance he won't acquire an Earth mode)

Anyone got a good paint match for the purple-grey of the super pack plastic? I just want to paint a few parts. Question---decal 53 and 54 (for Alto at least) seem to go on the sides, then wrap around the bottom of the piece? (the piece right under the purple sensor windows). With a white background? Anyone got a screen cap or something that shows this area? (on any VF-25, I'm just trying to figure out what should be painted and how visible it is)

Surely I can't be the first person here to have found something this awesome: The "lost" 80's Saturday morning Watchmen cartoon opening: ::edit:: Nope, was posted earlier. Deserves posting again though.

OK, Future *after*. (most of my experiments have Future first, as it provides a barrier--easy to remove other layers if they get screwed up)

How are you protecting the decals? I'm not liking how "flattened Future" is coming out--inconsistent, and not that flat. The amount of flattener needed to make it really flat, makes it really white/crusty. As for the canopy--that's the closest to what I want that I've seen yet. Currently, mine's a tad more "pink" than that, but I'm not going to re-do what I have just to get a different hue. (though if I can't get the main piece to match the others, I will have to strip everything and re-do it anyways) PS---just how thin was the purple paint thinned? And you just dunked it, not with Future or anything?