Furball Aero-Design/Detail & Scale 1/48 Colors and Markings of US Navy Tomcats Part IV Decal First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | August 2018 | Manufacturer | Furball Aero-Design/Detail & Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Colors and Markings of US Navy Tomcats Part IV | Scale | 1/48 |
| Set Number | 48012 | Pros | 12 distinctive options for the Tamiya kit |
| Cons | None noted | Skill Level | Novice |
| MSRP (USD) | $25.99 |
First Look
Furball Aero-Design continues its collaboration with Detail & Scale and this release covers the F-14A Tomcats of VF-21. This set covers the F-14A between 1984-95 and follows not only the changes to the basic camoflage of the Tomcat during this period, but also the evolution of VF-21's markings during their cruises aboard the USS Constellation and then transfer to CVW-5 aboard USS Independence. While the title sheet says there are 10 options, there are only six airframes that are covered at different times, such as 161603, which traces its markings evolution across four different points in time. In all, there are 12 markings options in this nice set.
The subjects in this set include:
- F-14A, 161603, VF-21, NK/200, USS Constellation, 1984, CAG aircraft
- F-14A, 161603, VF-21, NK/200, USS Constellation, 1986, CAG aircraft
- F-14A, 161607, VF-21, NK/205, USS Constellation, 1987
- F-14A, 161603, VF-21, NK/200, USS Independence, 1989, CAG aircraft
- F-14A, 159833, VF-21, NK/213, USS Independence, 1989
- F-14A, 161603, VF-21, NK/200, USS Independence, 1990, CAG aircraft
- F-14A, 161606, VF-21, NK/201, USS Independence, 1992, Skipper's aircraft
- F-14A, 160671, VF-21, NK/210, USS Independence, 1994
- F-14A, 161606, VF-21, NF/201, USS Independence, 1994, Skipper's aircraft
- F-14A, 160671, VF-21, NF/210, USS Independence, 1994
- F-14A, 161616, VF-21, NF/200, USS Independence, 1994, CAG aircraft
- F-14A, 161616, VF-21, NF/200, USS Independence, 1995, CAG aircraft
In addition to the extensive marking options in this set, there are sufficient national markings and airframe stencils for at least two kits. The sheets are printed by Cartograf and the printing is very well done. What's more, none of these decals require the modeler to stack multiple layers of markings atop one another to recreate artwork. This trend by some other decal companies of producing multiple-layer decals is unfortunate as it puts the burden on you to do the work of what should have been done by the decal maker.
My sincere thanks to Furball Aero-Design for this review sample!