The fiftieth anniversary of D-day was in 1994 and to commemorate that event, 441 Squadron painted up two planes with invasion stripes and codes used during that time period. Both of the Hornets were in the standard paint scheme of FS 35237 over 36375. 441's tail checks were also applied, making for an attractive paint scheme.

There were some subtle differences in the markings for these two planes and both of these have been accounted for on the decal sheet.

However, the real difference between this sheet and any others in this scale is the extensive set of masks and guides that are provided.  A good look at the image to the left shows that not only are there seven mask sheets, but that you have masks for the wings depending on if the flaps and slats are deployed or not. A false canopy mask is also part of the set and if one wishes, Leading Edge offers other paint masks for the Canadian Hornet. Additional bits of mask are provided in case they are needed.

For those who would like to use templates instead of masks, those are also provided and can be seen at the top of the image. These plastic templates are, of course, resusable if one desires and allows the another way of applying the invasion stripes to your model. The plastic templates are to scribe and paint the white bands and then you align the masks to the white bands, then remove the two bands that are to be black which hopefully should give the modeller perfect line width stripes. This set is designed for the Academy F-18C and so there are a few modifications that must be made to the kit. These are all covered in the superlative instructions. These instructions not only cover the standard decals, but also the use of the templates, leaving nothing to chance or guesswork.

In all, it is simply the best you can get done by people who can be relied upon to proved only the best for you.

May 2008

Review sheet courtesy Leading Edge Decals. Thanks for your support

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