From the 1987 season, this is the Blue Angels squadron leader's aircraft. For the suggested kit, well there isn't one, but in the late 1980s you had two real choices, both crude by today's standards. One was the Hasegawa kit, which, I believe, was left as one of the preproduction aircraft and never upgraded to production standards. The other was the even more basic kit by Revell, though I believe it was a production standards aircraft.

Today, we have the very fine Academy F-18C that can be backdated to an early A model for use with this decal sheet. As the sheet only gives you the arrow head for the underside and all the lettering for the plane, this should be a fairly easy task. One simply has to match the paint.

Regardless of what kit is used, the result should be quite pleasing, especially as there is no weathering to worry about! In case you are wondering about the odd looking V and S in the big markings, those are so they can fit over flap hinge covers.

May 2007