Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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48-005 is the penultimate release in Bingo Decals’ six-sheet coverage of the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye in US Navy service.

The sheet provides markings for three different machines, of VAW-123 Screwtops.

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The details of each option are as follows:

• Modex 600, Bureau number 162619 from 1991 whilst the squadron was flying from the deck of the USS America and conducting operations during OPERATION DESERT STORM.  Camouflage scheme is overall glossy light gull with the markings comprising a blue “screw top” spiral on the top of the radome, full colour squadron insignia on the sides of the fuselage and four mission marks, also for the side of the fuselage.

• Modex 600, Bureau number 1636935 from 2004 when the Screwtops were flying from the USS Enterprise.  It is in the overall glossy light gull grey camouflage scheme with a flashy “stars and stripes” flame job streaming back from the nose.  This marking is provided in three parts with the part that goes over the top of the nose incorporating the black anti-glare panel.  Another unique marking is the 600 modex on the nose which is in what appears to be an “Old English” style font.  The top and bottom fin caps are finished in dark blue with white stars.  These are provided as decals which will ease the masking load, but I wish that the stars were offered as separate decals should you choose to paint the fin caps instead.  The blue “screw top” spiral on the top of the radome rounds out the markings.

• Modex 603 Bureau number 165298, a line bird from 2005.  The airframe is in overall glossy light gull grey with blue fin caps and “screw top” spiral on the top of the radome with the words ‘GO NAVY BEAT ARMY’ painted on it in white.  Given that the lettering are two separate decals simply leave them off if you want to depict a late Screwtops line bird.

Supporting information/guide to decal placement is via two A-4 sized sheets that show full-colour drawings of each option.  The drawings consist of left hand side profiles of each option as scrap views of the upper and lower surfaces of the wings, and an oblique view of the left hand side of the nose and of the tail .   Simple paint scheme information is provided too.

The decals themselves have been printed by Microscale Industries and are absolutely superb.  They are thinly printed with a minimum of carrier film surrounding each design and all are in are in perfect register.   As with all of the sheets in the series you are only given squadron markings and serials.  The placement guides tell you to apply the Kinetic E-2 kit decals for the rest (the stencil data as well as the national insignia) and they have provided the individual decal numbers from the kit’s sheet to assist you here.   For those who don’t have the Kinetic kit its decals are very comprehensive indeed as well as being of excellent quality (produced by Cartograf).

The two placement guides as well as the decal sheet and a thin cardboard “header card” come packed in the same large 12″ x 9″ (305mm x 230mm) paper envelope with a clear front as their first release.

Fans of 1/72 scale will have to look elsewhere as Bingo Decals only produce the sheet in 1/48 scale.

A great sheet from Bingo Decals.  It provides you with markings for three VAW-123 machines that the squadron operated between 1991 and 2005.

For more information about this set and the other releases from Bingo Decals, visit their website at http://www.shop.bingodecals.com/.

Thanks to Bingo Decals for the sample

Review Copyright © 2011 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 28 March, 2011
Last updated 28 March, 2011

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