Furball Decals FDS 4816: Colors & Markings of US Navy Tomcats

This nice set is for the Tomcat in the 1980s. This is the first round of low visibility camouflage and all the options are in overall gloss light gull grey. This scheme had the benefit of being very easy to maintain as it was gloss and fairly easily cleaned. Modelers like it as it is equally easy to paint with minimal masking required.

There is a nice mixture of east and west coast squadrons represented along with a few obligatory CAG birds.

VF-1, F-14A 161274, NE-100, USS Kittyhawk, 1983. (Wolfpack CAG jet with black markings)

VF-2, F-14A 161443, NE-200, USS Ranger, 1987. (Bounty Hunters’ CAG jet with gray markings and small full color skull insignia on the tail)

VF-11, F-14A 161855, AE-111, USS Forrestal, 1987. (Red Rippers’ line jet with large Battle “E” and Safety “S” on the rudders)

VF-11, F-14A 161855, AE-101, USS Forrestal, 1990. (Red Rippers’ CO jet with rare “Boars Head” markings on the nose

VF-14, F-14A 162691, AC-101, USS John F. Kennedy, 1989. (Tophatters’ CO jet with 70th Anniversary markings)

VF-24, F-14 159593, NG-200, USS Constellation, 1982. (Renegades’ CAG jet with gloss black tails with red markings)

VF-102, F-14A 162704, AB-102, USS America, 1991. (Diamondbacks’ CO jet with full color tail markings)

VF-101, F-14A 161855, AD-154, NAS Oceana, 1986. (Grim Reapers’ jet with special 75th Anniversary of Naval Aviation tail markings)

VF-142, F-14A 162699, AG-201, USS Eisenhower, 1987. (Ghostriders’ CO jet “Reaper” logo on the tails

VF-194, F-14A 161270 (TARPS), NM-201, NAS Miramar, 1988 (Rare Red Lightnings’ CO jet with “Playing Card” insignia on the tail.

The set includes a stencil/insignia set so that you can do more than one aircraft from this sheet. As usual, the decals are superbly done by Cartograf, an industry leader.

While no kit is specified in the instructions, the markings are such that you could use any one of the numerous 1/48 F-14A kits on the market. Most will probably gravitate towards the recent Tamiya offering. A note that not all F-14As are exactly the same so it would be wise to have a photo of the one you are going to model in case it has differences. The gun gas vents on the nose would be the most likely to be different from the kit.

These sheets have historically sold out relatively quickly, so I recommend picking yours up at the earliest opportunity. 

August 2019

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