This is probably the first aftermarket decal sheet in which I used all the subjects on the sheet. Of course, back in those days, I didn't have that much in the way of choices for kits, the only ones really available were from Revell, Airfix and a first generation Hasegawa F-4; all of which left a lot to be desired. Though I don't think any of them survived, though a photo of at least one of them has and is reproduced below. At the time, all I could find were Revell Phantoms, so I dutifully replaced the F-4E nose with a chunk of balsa poorly shaped to represent a Navy F-4! Actually, I think what I did was buy Thunderbird sets that had four planes and use those for my various Navy F-4s. Some rather odd looking schnozes were the result.

Anyway, all planes are in light gull grey over white with the insignia and 'NAVY' markings having to come from outside sources, such as the kit decals or another aftermarket sheet. Even though there are lots of stencils shown, there is no placement diagram included in the instructions. Extra kill markings are provided in case one may wish to embellish another model (or something like that).

First up is the F-4B of McKeown ad Ensch from VF-161 as used during their twin kill mission of 23 May 1972. On this one, the fin will have to be painted black.

Next is the F-4J of VF-142's Davis and Ulrich during their 28 December 1972 mission, probably one of the last Navy MiG kills of the war.

Finally, the very colorful VF-111 F-4B (and subject of my kit) as flown by Weigand and Freckelton during their successful mission of 6 March 1972.

While I know that this sheet hasn't been printed in decades, it is worth seeking as sheets like this are few and far between.

Sheet courtesy of me and my usual scrounging at swap meets,

June 2005

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly by a site that has around 300,000 visitors a month, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.