Zotz Decals 1/32
F-8J Crusader VF-24 Fighting Renegades

Zotz Decals are back with two new releases for the Trumpeter 1/32 F-8 Crusader. This set covers the F-8J Crusaders of VF-24 'Flying Renegades' during their Crusader cruise aboard USS Hancock in 1972 off the coast of Vietnam. This squadron had scored a number of MiG kills during their operations over Vietnam. VF-24 took one last cruise with the Crusader in 1975 before starting the transition into the F-14 Tomcat later that year.

During their 1972 cruise, a number of the aircraft in that squadron were given nose art, six of which are depicted here in this decal super set. This set consists of four sheets of decals. The first with the individual aircraft markings, the second with the standard squadron markings, and the last two containing an extensive maintenance stencil collection. The instructions (not shown) show where each and every one of these stencils go on the airframe.

The aircraft covered in this set are:

• F-8J, 149201, VF-24, NP/200 (CAG), USS Hancock, 1972, 'Foghorn Leghorn'
• F-8J, 150311, VF-24, NP/201, USS Hanckcock, 1972, 'Bulldog'
• F-8J, unknown, VF-24, NP/203, USS Hancock, 1972, 'Thunder'
• F-8J, 150670, VF-24, NP/207, USS Hancock, 1972, 'Pirate'
• F-8J, unknown, VF-24, NP/211, USS Hancock, 1972, 'Yosemite Sam'
• F-8J, 150932, VF-24, NP/213, USS Hancock, 1972, 'Gator'

Note that two of the aircraft have unknown bureau numbers. If you happen across those numbers, this decal set provides you with extra numbers to replicate the BuNos for 203 or 211.

This set is a very colorful (and welcome!) option for the Trumpeter kit and these extensive stencils will definitely add visual fidelity to the completed model, which you would expect from a model in this scale. Bravo Zulu!

This set is highly recommended!

My sincere thanks to Zotz for this review sample!