West Coast Superbug CAGs
Part 1: F/A-18E / F / EA-18G

Afterburner Decals, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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The fellows at Afterburner Decals have been hard at it again and have released three new sheets that will gladden the hearts of U.S. Naval aviation fans.

All three sheets feature the brightly marked machines that each squadron maintains for their Air Wing Commander.  Using an old term, these aircraft are called CAG Birds.

Sheet 48-074 carries markings for two Boeing F/A-18Es, three F/A-18Fs and a single EA-18G Super Hornet GAG birds that are based on the West coast of the United States as a part of the Pacific Fleet.

The individual aircraft are as follows:

• F/A-18F Bureau number 165804, Modex 200 of VX-9 Vampires operating fromthe Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake in 2006.  The machine wears the standard Tactical Paint Scheme (TPS) worn by the Super Hornet consisting of FS36320 dark ghost grey over FS36375 light ghost grey (as do all the options on the sheet).

• F/A-18F Bureau number 166795, modex 100 of the CVW-14 assigned to VFA-22 Fighting Redcocks, and embarked aboard the USS Ronald Reagan in 2008.

• F/A-18E Bureau number 165860 modex 200 of CVW-5’s VFA-27 Royal Maces aboard the USS George Washington in 2010.  Note that Afterburner decals have featured this machine on one of their previous sheets but it is back again, this time with a shark mouth marking – something rare in the Naval aviation world.

• F/A-18F Bureau number 166842 modex 100 of the CVW-11 assigned squadron
  VFA-41 Black Aces aboard the USS Nimitz in 2010.

• F/A-18E Bureau number 166859, modex 300 assigned to VFA-115 Eagles as a part of CVW-5 and embarked aboard the USS George Washington in 2010.

• EA-18G Bureau number 166934 modex 510 of VAQ-138 Yellow Jackets.  The machine was assigned to Commander Electronic Attack Wing, Pacific and based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington, circa 2010.

The decals themselves have been printed by Cartograf.  They are all in perfect register, thinly printed and have an absolute minimum of carrier film surrounding each subject.  There are three sheets with this issue, one very large one that is absolutely crammed with decals and measures 8 inches wide by 10 and a quarter inches high and two smaller ones, one of which is a correction insert that carries items for the VFA-27 option.  The other smaller sheet carries what looks to be those decals that just could not be fitted onto the main sheet.

As with all Afterburner Decals sheets there is stencil data a plenty too (two complete sets) as well as two sets of national insignia.  The stencil data is exhaustive and includes the items worn by the ejector seats as well as the wing pylons.  Given this, you will be able to model any two of the machines from the sheet.

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The decals have been sized to fit the Hasegawa Super Hornet kits.

The supporting information/placement guide that accompanies this sheet is to the usual very high standards set by Afterburner decals.  The placement guide comes in the form of four A-4 sized pages that have been printed on both sides.  Three of the pages are printed in full colour and feature left and right hand side profiles of each option as well as upper surface plan views to show the differing styles of the black painted dorsal schemes.  The third sheet is in black and white and carries upper and lower plan views as well as left and right hand side profiles that show the placement of the seemingly myriad stencil data items.  The EA-18 gets its own left and right hand side profiles to show the stencil data unique to this option.

The placement guides and the three decal sheets come packed in a clear plastic zip lock bag.

As always with Afterburner Decals sheets, it is a first rate product.

Thanks to Afterburner Decals for the sample

Review Copyright © 2011 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 4 August, 2011
Last updated 4 August, 2011

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