Hasegawa Eggplane Series F-15 Eagle "JASDF 60th Anniversary" 2-kit combo
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Overview
Hasegawa's Egg Plane series has been a staple of humorous modeling since the 1980s, and recently it has seen a resurgence. New aircraft are being added, such as the V-22 Osprey, and older kits are being re-released with new markings. While not one of the original Egg Planes, the F-15 is an older kit, having been released before a few times. Now it is available again, this time with two kits in the box.
The Kits
Like most of the Hasegawa Egg Planes, the F-15 kit is fairly simple, making it a fun weekend project. Molded in gray plastic, the kit comes with a pilot figure, landing gear, missiles, and not much else. The decal sheet in this release provides two colorful JASDF anniversary examples.
Starting with the front end, the pilot figure is basically a head on a body, split front and rear. This will fill the cockpit almost completely, although there is a small instrument panel decal to add to the interior. This cockpit is molded into the upper fuselage half, which also includes the upper wings and stabilizers, and the lower fuselage completes the main body.
With the interior together and the one-piece canopy on, the remaining work will go fast. There's two separate vertical fins, two intakes, and two exhausts to complete the majority of the F-15. Should you choose to build a clean gear-up F-15, all that's left is to fill in the gear holes and start painting. If you like your eggs with everything, you'll want to add the missiles to the pylons and the wheels to the landing gear. At the most, you're looking at just over 20 parts to a finished model.
Painting adds a bit of complexity, with a two-tone gray camouflage and a natural metal rear fuselage area. Once that's done, it's time for decaling, and here you'll have some fun. The two marking options are for the 60th Anniversary of the JASDF, with one from 201 Squadron 2nd AW and the other from 306 Squadron 6th AW. The decals are nicely printed and will make for a colorful pair of egg F-15s.
Conclusion
This is a nice combo kit for those who like these little egg planes. The colorful markings make for an attractive finished model, and the inclusion of two kits opens the potential of alternate markings or possibly even conversion into something else (a Strike Eagle, perhaps?). My thanks to Hasegawa USA for the review sample.