Aztec's 1/48 & 1/72
Latin-American Thunderbirds 1

I don't know about you, but I enjoy building unique subjects. I don't mean obscure aircraft, I love the F-4 Phantom II and the Su-27 Flanker (amongst others). I just want my aircraft to look different. That is why I look to the aftermarket decal makers for help. I was recently sent the following decals from Aztec Modeling Techs & Detail. They are a group out of Mexico that specializes in Latin American aircraft markings. After looking over these samples, I only have one word of warning – look out Aeromaster!

This set (48-001) has markings for 80 (that is not a typo – eighty!) different T-33A and AT-33A Shooting Star aircraft from the Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexincana), the pre-Castro Cuban Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ejercito de Cuba), and the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). The enclosed booklet has beautiful diagrams that not only lay out decal placement, but also identify antenna placements and other details that are unique to each group of aircraft. The booklet also has tables that identify markings, colors and other information for the multitude of squadron decals provided on this sheet. The booklet has text in Spanish and English.

This decal set also includes a second sheet with T-33 data stencils. As you can see in the above photos, this is one of the most densely printed decal sheets that I can recall! The registry is spot on, and the white backgrounds on the sharkmouths and national markings appear to be opaque enough to handle any color background they're placed on. This is truly an amazing piece of work!

Conclusion

These decals rival the best sets I've ever seen out of Aeromaster, Superscale, Repliscale, or anyone else for that matter! This is a very impressive start from this company and I am looking forward to their future offerings! Perhaps a series on Latin American F-5s in 1/48? Please?

For more information about this set and the other releases from Aztec Modeling Techs & Details, visit their website at http://www.aztecmodels.com/.

My sincere thanks to Aztec Modeling Techs & Details for this review sample!