Metal EarthBoeing F-15 Eagle Airplane 3D Metal Model Kit Fascinations

After building the F-15 I felt a sense of accomplishment until I saw a YouTube video on how someone put this model together and I was humbled :)That said, it is all about learning and acquiring skills. This is not the easiest model to start with, at least in my opinion, but it is doable with the proper tools and a boatload of patience. In my review of the dragonfly I already listed which tools I purchased to assemble these kits. I like the F-15 better than the F-22 kit since it has more details and parts but the F-22 might be a better starting point to build up experience. In my photos you can see that I had difficulties making all parts fit seamlessly, especially the rounding of the cockpit and the three fuel tanks. For this model you can find a full length video on YouTube on how to do it right. The photos I took make it look better than reality :)iPhone and snapseed do wonders.

Harder than it looks

Instructions written in a fairly backwards order, with steps implied instead of ordered at times, requires a great deal of rolling to smooth angles smaller than anything you're likely to have on hand. Parts perforated for no clear reason, break easily when you have to do the manipulations to reach the tabs. Perhaps do able if:1) You have much smaller hands than me2) have microscopically small needle nose pliers3) you're luckyI managed to get 3 important pieces to break less than halfway through the jet. These types of models work best with angular construction and a jet fighter has too many small spaces and round objects. Wish this was better would probably be enjoyable at twice the size where I don't need a unique tool set.

I build 10 of these and this one is great. Its a pretty good replica, but the cockpit is way too large. The fuel tanks at the bottom are a pain to fold and curve. Everything else is fine though

This was the first Metal Earth set that I got. Comes as a metal sheet, that you have to pop the pieces out of to assemble. They come with clear instructions, which show you which orientation pieces should be assembled in and whether the tabs should be twisted or bent, as shown by a green triangle for twist, and a blue circle for bend. You must be careful when you bend the perforated pieces as you can only bend and unbend a certain number of times before the piece snaps. Because of this I was not able to attach the missiles to my model and am awaiting super glue to finish. This product was fun to make however its a bit smaller compared to the other planes that I got. This and the Fokker D-VII were a little upsetting since i made bigger models, however I will say the details on this model from the wing fins, to the fuel exhaust pipes, to the missiles and cone and cockpit make up for the size in my book. I wish the Metal Earth puzzles were bigger in general but then they wouldn't be mini challenges would they? I would recommend these for people with patience, and this first fun experience has convinced me to buy more and more of these wonderfully fun models. THESE DO NOT COME PRE ASSEMBLED. You must make them yourself. Makes a lovely display piece on my dresser.

I can't say as I personally like these things, but they look amazing when finished. They just require a level of dexterity and up-close vision that I don't have. I'd purchased one in a local bookstore a while back and ended up giving it to someone who raved about how much they loved putting it together. Fast forward to the holidays, I knew I had to get him this one and I'm sure he'll be just as happy!Just be aware that, if you're ham-fisted like I am, these things are impossible to put together and may well leave you with bloody fingers and a bruised ego.

I will give it a 3 star because it is hard to build and the parts were falling apart when building. I had to glue it and almost throw it away.

It is small but that's ok. However, it is very brittle and breaks off easy. I am almost at a point where I am about throw it away because it's keeps breaking thus frustrating. Sure I could use super glue and "fix" it but that's not how it's supposed to be. Furthermore they should also have added a cylinder so that the pieces are designed to be rolled are symmetrical and not guess work.