Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

Aeromaster Decals' 1/48 scale Black Widows Pt 1 will be available online from Squadron.com

When you are on a good thing stick to it!  So goes the famous saying.  AeroMaster seems to subscribe to that theory too hence the re-release of some of their earlier sheets in a mix and match fashion. 

48-628 is one of these sheets.  It provides markings for three Northrop P-61 Black Widows of the 548^th Night Fighter Squadron when they were based on Iwo Jima in the Pacific Theatre in April of 1945. 

All three aircraft bear the overall black night fighter scheme with the 548^th Night Fighter Squadron's red spinners and cowl flaps.  The individual aircraft are: 

P-61A-11 42-5610 "MIDNITE MADNESS"

as flown by Captain James Bradford with Lieutenant Larry Lunt as his R/O.  Individual markings include: 

·        Nose art consisting of a pistol toting cat over a crescent moon.  There is doubt as to what colour the actual script was on the left hand side was so AeroMaster have hedged their bets and provided them in blue yellow and red. 

·        The 548^ths Fighter Squadron insignia. 

·        White Pilot, R/O and Crew Chief names. 

·        Red aircraft serial number and data block. 

P-61B-2 42-39454 "COOPERS SNOOPER"

as flown by Lieutenant George C. Cooper – no mention is made of an R/O.  Individual markings consist of: 

·        Nose art consisting of a nude blonde (well almost as she is wearing red high heels!) looking through a keyhole. 

·        "COOPERS SNOOPER" script in red.  The red script is applied over the white script of the nose art so that the final product is red, edged in white. 

·        Pilot's name in Yellow script. 

·        Red aircraft serial number and data block. 

P-61B-1-N0 4239405 'ANONYMOUS III"

as flown by Lieutenant Melvin Bode with Lieutenant Avery Miller.  Individual markings consist of: 

·        Green eyes on a blue background. 

·        A pair of red lips and white teeth. 

·        A white outline "nose". 

·        Nose art consisting of the words "Victory Motel" on a blue background with the words "ANONYMOUS" in blue script with Roman numerals III in red. 

·        The name "THE SPOOK" in white with the Os of the word made into grey "eyes". 

·        The pilot's name in white for the right hand side of the nose. 

·        The pilot's and R/O's name in white for the left hand side of the nose in white with two parachute symbols under the pilot's name. 

·        Red aircraft serial number and data block. 

You are given a complete set of red stencil data for a single aircraft.  The stencil data includes the red "don't walk" areas for the tops of the wings and a complete set of stencil data for the propeller blades.  There are three complete sets of national insignia provided, a set for each option.  Three thin grey stripes are provided to represent the grey sealing tape that was applied to the joints and access panels on some aircraft – a nice touch. 

The placement sheet is in full colour and shows appropriate side profiles for each aircraft as well as a top view to show the placement of stencil data.  You are provided with a list of references, one of which is the Schiffer book Queen of the Midnight Skies.  This is an excellent book and it contains photographs of each of the aircraft on the sheet. 

The decals themselves are printed by Cartograf in Italy.  Patience and settling solution are needed with these decals.  Persist and you will be rewarded!  They do work.  The decal sheet and placement guide come packed in a clear plastic zip-loc bag. 

The recommended kit is the Monogram one – the only show in town!  It is a great kit in its own right but starting to show its age.  Personally, I'm salting this sheet away until the long promised AMTech one hits the shelves.

Recommended.

 Thanks to AeroMaster / Eagle Strike Products for the review sets

On-line sales are available from the AeroMaster Products / Eagle Strike Productions web site.

Review TextCopyright © 2003 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 17 August, 2003
Last updated 16 August, 2003

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