Fightertown Decals 1/48 NAVAIR Centennial Tri-Tone Trifecta Decal First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | April 2011 | Manufacturer | Fightertown Decals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | NAVAIR Centennial Tri-Tone Trifecta | Scale | 1/48 |
| Set Number | 48056 | Pros | First markings from the Naval Aviation Centennial and nicely done as well |
| Cons | Tomcat rudder stripes not included in this set | Skill Level | Novice |
| MSRP (USD) | Out of Production |
First Look
I was browsing through the new releases listed by one of the online retailers and spotted some new releases from Fightertown Decals. We've been following the terrific 'retro' colors that were applied to a wide range of US Navy aircraft to celebrate the US Navy's 100th Anniversary of Flight. You'll see many of these color schemes here on Cybermodeler Online from Fotios Rouch's visit to the San Diego kick-off of the Centennial celebration (and airshow). I wondered how long it would be before we'd see these color schemes available as decals.
Fightertown Decals is the first to market with two sets of markings, this set focuses on the early World War II camouflage colors as applied to contemporary aircraft. What especially caught my eye were the two F-14 Tomcats in Centennial colors. This was definitely one aircraft that should have been at the Centennial!
The aircraft presented in this set include:
- EA-18G, 166899, VAQ-129, 55 (1955 Air Group 85), 2011
- EA-6B, 160609, VAQ-129, 129-AQ-11 (Battle of Coral Sea), 2011
- F/A-18C, 163733, VFA-122, 25 (USS Hornet Late 1943), 2011
- MH-60R, 166524, HSM-41, 425 (Night Air Group 90), 2011
- F-14, USS Enterprise, Night Air Group 90 1944
- F-14, Coral Sea 1942
The markings are sharp and in perfect register. The decals are printed by Microscale and you'll note that all of the decals (including the NAVAIR emblems) are printed as single layer decals. You don't see the two (or more) decal layers that other companies force you to lay one atop the other in order to recreate the artwork. Fightertown Decals takes care of that for you with quality artwork and Microscale printing.The only thing missing in this set are the red/white rudder stripes for the Coral Sea Tomcat.
While a few decal makers have been promising NAVAIR Centennial decals, Fightertown has delivered and these are nice!