Name: ESCI - McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
Brand: ESCI
SKU: McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4 (1 reviews)

Description:

This article covers all McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle multi-role aircraft 1/72 scale kits released by ESCI in the 80s and later under ESCI/Ertl or AMT/Ertl brands in the 90s.

ESCI tooled their line of F-15 kits in 1986, the same year, the Italian brand offered 4 different releases of the kit, covering different variants including the F-15B two seater. All the series was reissued in 1988 under the ESCI/Ertl times and two of the kits were offered again in 1992 in the last effort before the brand extinguished. In this 1992 offer, a new release with updated decals for Desert Storm appeared.

During the 90s, since 1989, in parallel, AMT/Ertl issued the same kits, with updated decals and in the last years, 1999, added some new parts to the kits, configuring some interesting releases.

Till now, as per 2024, these kits has not been issued again by any other brand, not even Italeri (had their own F-15 kits).

The following comments about the quality of the kit apply to all the releases. When these kits were released in 1986, they proved to be superior to the existing kits, tooled in the 70s, but just a couple of years later, both Hasegawa and Italeri tooled new sets for the F-15A/C variants, and in particular the Hasegawa kit, was far superior to the ESCI option. Over the years new brands tooled excellent F-15 kits, and when looking to early variants comparable to the ESCI kits, the quite recent Fine Molds kits are the best one available. McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a very popular topic in the scale models world, this mean also that modelers are more critic and pay much more attention to detail and accuracy than in other minority subjects. The engineering of the ESCI kit was good, the best of the 80s kind of, except for the F-15E variant, because as in other occasions, they tried to depict a subject still in develop and reusing their existing tool. The ESCI F-15 kit is considered a good kit, its main odds are the exhausts and the intake trunking (fixed position), with common simplifications on the cockpit or landing gear and bays. Nowadays the only reasons to take out an old ESCI kit is nostalgia or a really cheap price compared to better options such Hasegawa kit. Newer options such Fine Molds are usually quite higher price. It’s usually more recommendable pick up an original ESCI 80s kit than the later AMT releases, quality of the cast is in general superior on the original ESCI issues, but specially in the U.S., AMT variants are easier and cheaper to find.

ESCI 9048 F-15B TWO SEATER, 1986

The first release in the F-15 series, by code number, was the two-seater trainer variant. ESCI did a good engineering allowing same main fuselage parts to work with an upper section for the two-seat or single seat variants, without the need of update all the mold. This variant allowed also the F-15E, which just added some payload to the trainer variant. The trainer version included a decal sheet with two markings, US and Japanese. The kit was reissued in 1988 and no further more, either under AMT brand.

ESCI 9048 F-15B Two Seater box cover, issued in 1986 and 1988.

ESCI 9049 Satellite Killer F-15, 1986

By code number, the second release of the series was the exotic F-15 “Satellite Killer”, basically the F-15 A/C kit but including as payload a single ASAT missile (Anti-satellite weapon), an ASM-135 ASAT missile to be precise. The combination of the F-15 + ASM-135 ASAT was successfully tested in 1985 shutting down the Solwind P78-1 satellite, an US satellite launched in 1979. The program was later cancelled in 1988. The release offered the marking of the aircraft responsible of the test, and same exact marking was also used in the AMT/Ertl release.

ESCI 9049 F-15 Satellite Killer and AMT 8826 F-15C Satellite Killer

ESCI 9050 F15 E Strike Eagle, 1986

The series continued with the F-15E variant, the two seat attack version of the F-15. For such occasion ESCI added some new payload to the F-15B kit, adding an external fuel tank (central under fuselage) and two early GBU-15 bombs. Also added two parts for the characteristic conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) mounted along the engine intake ramps of the F-15E. The F-15E was not introduced into service till 1988, ESCI released the kit with prototype markings, the later AMT releases, included in service markings.

In 1999 AMT/Ertl released an upgraded variant of this kit, code number 30070, adding some ground crew, tractor, ladder, pilot figures and some other ground machinery working into position one of the GBU-15 bombs, all tooled in hard plastic, in an interesting update of the kit.

ESCI 9050 F-15E Strike Eagle and AMT/Ertl 8830 and 30070 Box covers.

ESCI 9053 MDD F15 A/C Eagle, 1986

The last of the original 1986 releases, by code number, was the A/C variant which added more payload options to the series as well as a new decal sheet, with Israeli and USAF markings. The new weapons payload included up to 4 x AIM-9 Sidewinder (under wings) and 4 x AIM-7 Sparrow (under fuselage).

The F-15 A/C kit was reissued in 1988 and in 1992, as well as under AMT/Ertl brand in 1990 (Including one single US Marking). This kit was also de base for the Desert Storm related releases.

*Despite the central under fuselage fuel tank was included in all the box covers, this parts were not included in the set, either in the Desert Storm releases.

ESCI 9053 F-15 A/C Box covers, released in 1986, 1988 and 1992, also issued by AMT/Ertl in 1990 under code number 8694 with a different decal sheet.

ESCI/Ertl 9118 F-15 A/C Eagle Desert Storm, 1992

During 1991 and 1992, ESCI/Ertl tried to capitalice the interest in the 1991 Desert Storm operation reissuing as many as possible of their existing kits with a new decal sheet offering some marking related to the conflict. The F-15 kit was not an exception and the brand released the same F-15 A/C kit with a new code number and a new decal sheet, offering one marking from the 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron (58 TFS) part of the 33d Tactical Fighter Wing. The marking was for the famous 85-0102 EG ‘Gulf Spirit’, credited with two kills during the operation, two Iraqi Su-22s, and a later MiG-23. The same release, marking included, was done by AMT/Ertl, the same year, under code number 8701 (This was not so uncommon as ESCI/Ertl covered the European market while AMT/Ertl covered the US market).

Esci/Ertl 1992 F-15 A/C Desert Storm box cover and AMT/Ertl 8701 which included also same exact marking and kit.

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