Superbug CAGs and Special Schemes Part 3

Afterburner Decals, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

HyperScale is proudly supported by Squadron

Afterburner Decals continue their coverage of the newer U.S. Navy CAG Birds as well as other special schemes with Part 3 in the series.

Markings are provided for eight machines in all, the details of each are as follows:

• Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Bureau number 166791 modex 260 of VX-9 Evaluators from February 2011.  The machine is in the standard Tactical Paint Scheme (TPS) worn by the Hornet comprising FS36320 dark ghost grey over FS36375 light ghost grey.  Distinctive squadron applied markings include a white outlined chord-wise green band on the vertical stabilisers.  Unusual for Afterburner Decals, they provide no advice as to what the shade of the green is provided).  The national insignia as well as the intake warnings are in full colour.  An nice inclusion are the markings worn on the exhaust covers – the General Electric logo on one and a white profile illustration of a Super Hornet wit the words “Powered By” on the other.  Note that you will have to scratch build these covers or purchase aftermarket ones so that you can use the markings.

• Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet Bureau number 166434 modex 200, the CAG bird of VFA-14 Top Hatters from march of 2011 when the squadron was a part of CVW-9 and embarked aboard the USS John C. Stennis.  It is in standard TPS and wearing black painted vertical stabilisers with full colour squadron markings, national insignia and intake warnings.  Its modex and navy titles are “shadowed” in white, adding to the visual appeal of the machine.  It sports Centenary of Naval Aviation logos on either side of the nose as well as CVW-9 “Shogun 9” logos on the inner surfaces of both vertical stabilisers. 

• Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Bureau number 166621 modex 201, the machine assigned to the Commanding Officer of VFA-103 Jolly Rogers as it appeared in the May of 2011.  The machine is in standard TPS with black painted vertical stabilisers and a white outlined black “sash” around the forward fuselage.  The machine wears a black painted “spine”, canopy rails and “anti-glare” on the nose.  White skull and crossbones are worn on the outer faces of the vertical stabilisers and the national insignia is in non-standard black and white.

• Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Bureau number 165875 modex 120 of VX-23’s “Green Hornet Flight” at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in the April of 2010.  The aircraft was used to trial the new 50/50 bio fuel blend.  The machine wears standard TPS with full colour national insignia as well as a modified squadron markings on the rudders to include the colour green befitting its membership in the Green Hornet Flight.  Other unique markings include a green stylised hornet diving through the normal squadron markings on the vertical stabilisers and a pair of U.S. Department of Navy Energy Security logos on either side of the nose and a pair of NAV AIR logos for either side of the rear fuselage.

• Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet Bureau number 1666901 modex 400 of the NAS Atsugi, Japan based VFA-195 Dambusters.  This machine is VFA-195’s new CAG Bird following their recent transition from the F/A-18C model Hornets.   It is in standard TPS with the squadron’s distinctive black and green trim.  In a retro move, the squadron has used their older style eagle’s head on the vertical stabilisers along with the script “CHIPPY HO!”  All of the squadron markings for the fuselage, vertical stabilisers and external tanks are provided as decals.  You are on your own for the fuselage green markings however!

• Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Bureau number 166663 modex 200 of VFA-213 Blacklions, (not VFA-211 as is printed on the placement guide).  The aircraft is the squadron’s CAG Bird and it is finished in the standard TPS with full colour national insignia.  Squadron markings are eight yellow diamonds on blue painted rudders and fin caps.  It also wears a yellow bordered blue “sash” with yellow stars on the forward fuselage and the squadron’s lion insignia on the vertical stabilisers.  It is interesting to note that the lion is wearing two tails.  The squadron’s original lion insignia sported a single tail which was modified to include two tails when the squadron transitioned to the F-14 to mimic the Tomcats twin tailed tomcat logo.  The modex, Squadron titles on the fuselage and external tanks, and the fuselage NAVY titles are “shadowed” in yellow with the modex on the fin caps being yellow.

• Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Bureau number 1669175.  Another NAS Atsugi/USS George Washington based machine, modex 102 of VFA-102 Diamondbacks from the March of 2011.  The machine is in the standard TPS and is wearing retro squadron markings as worn by their F-4 Phantom IIs comprising red rudders with white diamonds, red wing tips with the same white diamonds and a black anti-glare panel along with full colour national insignia and a red and white “diamondback” squadron insignia on the top of its fuselage.

• E/-18G Bureau number 166894 modex 540 of VAQ-132 Scorpions” as it appeared in April 2011 when it took part in OPERATION ODYSSEY DAWN (for the US part of the United Nations international military operation in Libya to enforce the no-fly zone) flying from Aviano Airbase in Italy.  It wears the standard Hornet TPS with a two-toned tan and brown camouflaged vertical stabilisers that wear the Squadron’s raised scorpion tails on the outer surfaces and Commander Electronic Attack Wing, Pacific insignia on the inner surfaces.  All of its squadron applied markings are in brown including the national insignia.

The decals themselves have been printed by Cartograf and are well and truly up to Cartograf’s excellent standard.  The decals are all in perfect register which is a real feat as all of the decals are one-part.  They are thinly printed and have an absolute minimum of carrier film surrounding each subject.  There are two sheets included, a larger one measuring 10½” x 8¾” and a smaller one measuring 5” x 7”.  Two sets of comprehensive stencil data are provided as well as two sets of full colour national insignia.

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Thumbnail panels:

The decals are “sized” for the Hasegawa Super Hornet kits.

The placement guides/information sheets are of the Afterburner Decals high standards.  There are four sheets (just shy of A-4 in size) that feature full colour side left and right hand side profiles of each option as well as one and a half pages that show black and white line drawings to aid stencil data placement.  Upper and lower surface plan views are also provided for each option.

The decals sheets as well as the placement/information guides come packed in a clear plastic Zip-loc bag.

An excellent sheet from Afterburner Decals.  It provides you with right up to date markings many of them presented for the first time in decal format along with comprehensive support material and first rate decals to produce eight different airframes in 1/48 scale.

Thanks to Afterburner Decals for the sample

Review Copyright © 2011 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 12 September, 2011
Last updated 12 September, 2011

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