I believe the mean gene was passed directly from the F-4 to the A-10[>:] Even has the outboard dihedral kink.

Anyway, I never thought much about the F-15 appearance until I was flying thru Albequerque and saw one of the Edwards test F-15's taxiing. No tanks, no stores, not even the underwing sidewinder pylons that every other F-15 flies with. I wouldn't call it dainty, but it did look like the sport jet you would take out for vertical cliimbs in 15 minute bursts.

I gotta say though, the F-15E with the FAST pack nacelle-side mounted fuel tanks looks like a plane flexing it's biceps.

It doesn't say "I'm here to eat you" Like an F-4 though. I will always remember with the hair on my neck standing up, the after-dark AB close-pass I saw in Daytona in '90. That's a unique color of purple, especially when reflected in the vapor cloud around the fuse.