Gulf War “Desert Storm”
Panavia Tornados
1990-1991

Model Alliance Decals, 1/48

Reviewed by Ken Bowes

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The Aviation Workshop has regularly produced decal sheets covering current conflicts or providing the latest colour schemes for aircraft in service with Air Forces throughout the world. This time they have gone back in time 20 years (has it been that long?) to Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm to produce a large, comprehensive sheet covering Tornado GR1, IDS, ADV and F3 aircraft that were involved from both the RAF and the Saudi and Italian Air Forces. These aircraft wore some unique temporary colour schemes and spectacular nose art (the RAF aircraft at least) making them all the more attractive as modeling subjects.

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This sheet offers the following no less than 19 subjects over 18 different airframes including some of the better know RAF GR 1 Tornados with their scantily clad women, in jokes, and, in one case, prominent shark mouth along with extensive mission markings. Included among them are:

• IDS (T) 704 of 7 SQN RSAF, Dhahran Saudi Arabia.

• IDS MM.7038 Italian Air Force Autonomous Flight Det Al Dhafra UAE

• ADV 2911 of 29 SQN RSAF, Tabuk Saudi Arabia

• F3’s ZE159 and ZE968 of 11 SQN RAF at Dhahran Saudi Arabia

• GR1A ZA372 E “Sally T” 2(AC) SQN Dhahran

• GR1 ZA374 CN “Miss Behavin” 17 SQN Dhahran

• GR 1 ZA463 Q “Flying High” 20 SQN Bahrain

• GR 1 ZA491 N “Nora Batty” 20 SQN Bahrain

• GR 1 (same aircraft as above) renamed “Nikki” 20 SQN Bahrain

• GR 1 ZD746 AB “Alarm Belle” 9 SQN Tabuk

• GR 1 ZD790 D “Debbie” 31 SQN Bahrain

• GR 1 ZD745 BM “Black Magic” 14 SQN Dhahran

• GR1 ZD740 DA “Dhahran Annie” 31 SQN Dhahran

• GR 1 ZA741 ER “Emma” 15 SQN Bahrain

• GR 1 ZD844 DE “Donna Ewin” 31 SQN Tabuk

• GR 1 ZD847 CH “Where do you want it?” 17 SQN Dhahran

• GR 1 ZD845 AF “Angel Face” 9 SQN Tabuk

• GR 1ZD851 AJ “Amanda Jane” 9 SQN Tabuk

As can be seen from the list above Model Alliance/The Aviation Workshop have chosen a range of the more interesting Tornado subjects from Desert Storm, including some of my personal favorites such as Nikki and Debbie. Inspired by this sheet I pulled out an old DVD copy of a 1991 RAF home video an RAF colleague had given to me and watched it again with a critical eye. Lo and behold Debbie features prominently as does Nikki and in comparison to the contemporary footage the Model Alliance artwork holds up well. Model alliance provides all the roundels, serial numbers and individual markings for all subjects on a large format A4 size sheet. Given that the aircraft had unique stenciling due to their temporary camouflage schemes, those too are provided in sufficient quantity for seven GR1s and all the other subjects. 

The decals are clearly printed with no issues noted, the noseart being particularly well rendered. The Model Alliance instruction booklet is adequate for making use of the sheet but I believe a book covering Desert Storm is forthcoming from The Aviation Workshop that will help the modeler as does the old Air Forces Monthly issues from 1991 which provided good photos of all the artwork that decorated the Coalition aircraft in what was a less politically correct time (if you don’t believe me compare these aircraft to their descendants in 2003). They provide clear full colour four view drawings of each subject with decal locations and colour call outs noted. Having now one of the best 1/48 scale Tornado sheets available to the modeler I can only lament that all the available 1/48 Tornado kits (Airfix, Italeri and recently Hobbyboss) all have their (ahem) shortcomings, but that is another story.

Thanks to Aviation Workshop / Model Alliance (UK)  for the review sample

Model Alliance products are available online from the Aviation Workshop.

Review Copyright © 2011 by Ken Bowes
Page Created 8 May, 2011
Last updated 9 May, 2011

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