During WWII there was a primary trainer that served both the US Navy and the USAAC/F. That was the Stearman Kaydet (later Boeing). The aircraft was built in the tens of thousands and every American pilot and many in other nations learned how to fly on this aircraft. These planes were built in several variations, the differences being the engines with which they were fitted, the rest of the airframe being pretty much identical.

In terms of kits in this scale, there have been two of which I am aware. The first one is from the late 1960s and was designed by Lindberg. While not a bad kit, it had a pretty lame interior. Last year, Revell produced a truly superb kit that could be built as either a PT-17 or an N2S-3 as they both used the same engine. It is this later kit for which this set is designed, though if you paint on the various bands, you could easily use this on the Lindberg kit if you have one in your stash.

There are two decal sheet in this set. One consists mostly of fuselage and wing bands. This sheet also has wing walk areas, which include the aluminum surround that you rarely see in wing walk markings. The other has a full selection of numbers in various sizes and colors as well as insignias from different eras and prop tip markings.

You see, Starfighter has decided that you know what you want your Kaydet to look like. Rather than limit your choices, you can do pretty well any airplane for which you have a photograph. There are several suggestions provided, but if you want something unique to you, then some research is required. There is a well done historical section that provides some insight as to exactly what bases and time frame will have which colors. These colors could be on wings, rudder, fuselage or any combination. I think this is a great idea that will be a real boon to most who build this kit.

The decals are very nicely printed and the full color instructions are quite helpful.

Thanks to www.starfighter-decals.com for the review sample.

August 2015

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