Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

Aeromaster Decals' 1/48 scale F9F-5 Panther is available online from Squadron.com

New from Eagle Strike Productions is sheet number 48116 covering the Grumman F9F -5 Panther.  Markings are supplied for five different machines.

The Blue Angels options.  Markings are provided for three of the aircraft in overall glossy sea blue finish flown by the 1953 Blue Angels Flight Demonstration team:

• Bureau number 126070, aircraft number 1 flown by the team leader Lieutenant Commander Ray Hawkins.
• Bureau number 125305, aircraft number 3 flown by Lieutenant Roland P. Asland.
• Bureau number 126071, aircraft number 5 flown by Lieutenant H. 'Mac' McNight.

There are enough Blue Angels markings supplied to model one machine.

Bureau number 126251 of VMA-224 based at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California in 1956.  The aircraft is in the basic overall glossy sea blue finish but sports red (with thin white edging) trim on the fin cap and nose.  The supplied markings comprise: 

• The red and white trim.
• White 11 modex for the nose and fin cap and wings.
• MARINES titles for the fuselage and wings.
• WK unit identifier for the fin and rudder and lower left wing.
• Bureau number block.
• VMA-224 titles.

Note that should you opt to model this machine you will have to scratch build the AN/ARA-25 chin fairing. 

The final option is also a Marine Corps aircraft.  Bureau number 125614 of VMA-223.  This aircraft was one of the few that entered service in the experimental overall natural metal finish.  It also wore a black anti-glare panel and was painted in VMA-223's red and white trim.  The supplied markings comprise: 

• The red and white trim.
• The anti-glare panel – love it as it saves masking over a natural metal finish!
• 22 modex for the nose and lower left wing.
• MARINES titles for the fuselage and wings.
• WP unit identifier for the fin and rudder and lower left wing.
• Bureau number block.
• VMA-223 titles.

A single set of white national insignia and a single set of full colour national insignia (for the natural metal finish option) are provided.  The insignia is supplied with the red 'bar' separate Stencil data is confined to a white (for the glossy sea blue options) and a black hand grip/step guide for the nose. 

The real strength of this sheet as far as I'm concerned is a complete set of decals to simulate the (to quote the Official Monogram US Navy and Marine Corps Aircraft Colour Guide) "Aluminized" leading edges of the wings, horizontal stabilizers, tip tanks, fin and wing roots.  These are a complex set of decals to say the least and they will require a fair bit of patience to apply (but not as much patience and skill that would be required should you have to mask and paint them!).  Several separate 'patches' in the same silver are also supplied in case of goofs.  Hopefully, Eagle Strike will consider packaging and selling these as a separate sheet the same as the stencil data sheets that AeroMaster put out. 

The placement guide is the industry standard A-4 sized sheet that shows colour profiles of each option as well as top and bottom views of the wings, again for each option. 

The decals themselves have been 'printed in Mexico'.  They are in perfect register - even the thin white edging to the red trim – sharply printed and have an absolute minimum of decal film surrounding each subject. 

The decals (there are two sheets) and placement guide come packed in a clear plastic zip-loc bag. 

A very good sheet from Eagle Strike.  Given that all of the markings including the squadron applied trim and "Aluminized" sections of the airframes are supplied as decals you can get away with an absolute minimum of masking! 

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 Text Copyright © 2004 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 19 January, 2004
Last updated 19 January, 2004

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