This is the third 1/48 sheet from WernersWings and it is a good one. This one covers the now ubiquitous H-60 Blackhawk, the aircraft that has supplanted the Huey as the jack of all trades in the US Army. It is hard to believe that the Blackhawk has been in service for well over twenty and probably closer to 30 years. Just like the folks my age of the Vietnam period, youngsters have seen the Blackhawk on television and in the media, and probably flying overhead so much it is nearly invisible to them.

This sheet is for the Minicraft and Italeri kits, which I believe are the only kits in this scale of this helo. Like the 1/35th sheet, there are no fewer than 26 different markings options, covering the time period from its introduction to those flying today. Most are in army helo drab with some in desert tan. Rather than go through a long list of what is in the sheet, I'll give you a brief rundown of what is there. There are a bunch of medevac helos because that is what one of their primary missions happens to be. There is a training helo from Ft. Rucker with an international orange door as well as one from South Korea with yellow bands. Two are Desert Storm helos and there are helos attached to KFOR, IFOR, and SFOR. Most of these have been given names to add to the interest.

All of these markings have been taken from photographs and you can see those photos when you visit www.wernerswings.com. In addition there is a full stencil suite. Instructions are superbly done with full color profiles and information on each aircraft including what mods you may want to make to them. A complete stencil application guide is also provided.

The decals themselves are perfectly printed by Cartograf, meaning there are no glitches and they are as crisply done as the technology allows. It has taken a while to get a really quality decal sheet that has been well researched but now you have one.

August 2011

Review copy courtesy of www.wernerswings.com. Get yours direct or at your local shop or on-line retailer. 

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