Jasmine Model's second sheet is also a 1/72 sheet for the F-14D Tomcat, specifically the last show bird operated by VF-31 when it was disestablished in late 2006. The aircraft is painted in a 'retro' scheme with the red fin bands and black radome that it carried when it first traded in its Phantoms for Tomcats. It apparently carries the standard TPS paint scheme, though I'd have thought it might have reverted to overall gloss light gull grey. As with the other sheet, the artwork is superb, but I can't tell where one color ends and the other begins when it comes to the greys. I'd recommend a smaller greyscale drawing for this part of things or perhaps a photo.

The decals themselves are well printed and quite glossy. Though the fine print is illegible, it is perfectly OK for this scale. The reds and yellows seem opaque enough to hold up to the backgrounds, something that is especially crucial for the black fins. In several cases, the decals are two part to prevent problems with registration. The other markings are spot on in terms of registration. No kit is specified, but I'm sure that most will be using the Hasegawa or Revell kit. Those are so close that any differences will be minimal. A nice additional touch is a 'Tomcatters; VF-31 decal to add to the base, this one of a different design to the previous sheet.

If you are wondering where to get 1/72 F-14D kits, the easiest to find would be those of Hasegawa or Revell AG. Fujimi also did an F-14D, I believe, but it is not readily available.

Overall, a very fine sheet that is most welcome; especially as it is in 1/72, a scale often overlooked, at least here in the US, when it comes to decals. If you can't find this locally, ask your hobby shop to order it for you.

March 2007

My thanks to Jasmine Model for providing the review sheet. You can e-mail them at jasminemodel2007@yahoo.com  as I don't think they have a web site as of yet.

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