Reviewed by Rodger Kelly
 

Yellow Wings 1/48 scale Vindicator decals are available online from Squadron

I'm sure that Yellow-Wings Decals is hell bent on producing decals for every type of aircraft flown by the US Navy, US Marine Corps and US Army Air Corps aircraft from the colourful pre-World War II era.  This seems to be evident as their latest two sheets cover the Vought SB2U Vindicator, an aircraft that seems to have been largely ignored by the bigger players in the decal world. 

Sheets 48-007 and 48-008 provide markings for the soon to be released eagerly anticipated and long awaited Accurate Miniatures kit as well as the extant HI-PM one.  Each sheet provides markings for 12 Section Leader aircraft as well as all 24 wingmen. 

48-007 provides markings for VB-2 machines from the USS Lexington and VB-3 machines off the USS. Saratoga. 

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

48-008 covers VB-4  - USS Ranger andVS-72 - USS Wasp. 

These two new sheets follow the same and now familiar format from Yellow-Wings.  The sheets provide markings for twelve Section Leader aircraft on each sheet as well as less complete markings for a further 24 squadron machines.  The squadron machines simply receive the four numbers of the Bureau number less the SB2U-2 designation as well section and aircraft in section numbers.  The Section Leader aircraft markings provided include: 

·        The fuselage 'number-letter-number' 

·        Six sets of US NAVY titles (12 in all are provided but you need two per aircraft) 

·        Aircraft designator i.e. – SB2U-2 

·        Individual Bureau numbers for 32 different machines.  Kudos to Yellow-Wings here as they could have just as easily supplied generic SB2U-2 designators and individual numbers in a 0 though 9 format 

·        Wing numbers 

·        'Battle Es' where appropriate 

To complete the markings for any of the aircraft featured you will need to find the national insignia and the squadron insignia that most of the aircraft of this era wore.   Yellow-Wings sheet 48-005 will supply the national insignia if you don't have any readily available in your decal stash whilst a visit to their website reveals that they will soon release the wing chevrons and fuselage bands for the Vindicator.  Their sheet for the TBD-1 Devastator wing chevrons and fuselage bands 48-003 also supplied Squadron insignia so I would dare say that the squadron insignia will be on this soon to be released sheet if Yellow-Wings follow their established format. 

The support material that accompanies each sheet is outstanding and very complete.  Each sheet comes with four A-4 sized sheets that are printed on both sides.  They contain 

·        A placement guide that shows side profile line drawings of a generic machine, as well as a split top/bottom top view and a front-on view on the front and what Yellow-Wings state is an exact reproduction of the painting and markings blueprint for the Vindicator used by the Vought Aircraft Company to paint each aircraft by Bureau number and marking for each squadron. 

·        A colour reference chart that identifies the colour worn by an aircraft to the carrier it flew from and the section it belonged to.  As well as this, it also provides matches of the specific colour to the Testors Model Master range.  There is also mention of Testor's model paint matches on a second sheet as well as some advice on how to mix a more accurate orange-yellow. 

·        An explanation of how to read the 'number–letter–number' fuselage code and what it meant. 

·        A listing of each of the 58 Vindicators produced by Bureau number that shows their squadron assignment, carrier or shore base assignment, the contract dates as well as the estimated and actual delivery dates. 

As with other sheets produced by Yellow-Wings to date, I guess the spreading of the markings you need to complete a single machine over separate sheets is a commercial one.  Personally, I would have liked to have seen markings for one or two individual machines and the provision of the other required markings on a single sheet – my personal preference and not a criticism of the product. 

The decals themselves have been printed by Microscale.  Enough said, you know that they will work and work well.  The supporting information as well as the decal sheets (there are two sheets per pack) and a stiff cardboard header are packed in a clear plastic zip-loc bag. 

These latest two sheets from Yellow-Wings Decals are excellent.  They provide good quality decals as well as full and complete historical background and information on US Navy markings of the period and information on which model paint to use.

Recommended.

Thanks to Yellow Wings Decals for the review samples.

Review Copyright © 2004 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 13 December, 2004
Last updated 13 December, 2004

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