Authentic Decals 1/48 F/A-18E Super Hornet VFA-81 Sunliners Decal First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | February 2011 | Manufacturer | Authentic Decals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | F/A-18E Super Hornet VFA-81 Sunliners | Scale | 1/48 |
| Set Number | 4837 | Pros | Six aircraft options |
| Cons | Nothing noted | Skill Level | Basic |
| MSRP (USD) | $13.50 |
First Look
Authentic Decals is a nicely produced line by Olimp Models from Odessa, Ukraine. These markings were initially oriented around contemporary Soviet-era and current Russian/Ukrainian subjects, but they've expanded into a much wider range of coverage as this release shows. This set covers five F/A-18E Super Hornets from VFA-81 'Sunliners'. The decals are rendered on two sheets plus a set of color-printed instructions with nice placement details laid out.
This set provides markings for five distinctive examples:
- F/A-18E, 166830, VFA-81, AA/200, USS Carl Vinson, 2010, CAG's aircraft
- F/A-18E, 166832, VFA-81, AA/201, USS Carl Vinson, 2010, Skipper's aircraft
- F/A-18E, 166831, VFA-81, AA/202, USS Carl Vinson, 2010, XO's aircraft
- F/A-18E, 166841, VFA-81, AA/213, USS Carl Vinson, 2010
- F/A-18E, 166836, VFA-81, AA/166, NAS Oceana, 2008
The printing is is nicely done and the markings are finely printed and in register. The set also includes an extensive set of maintenance stencils, so your Super Hornet will pop with lots of visual detail when completed. With the markings in this set, you can do your choice of one aircraft though if you raid your kit's decals for stencils and national markings, you can do at least four of the five subjects.
This set is definitely recommended!
Vagabond Decals imports this decal line into the US, so you'll be seeing more of these around your favorite hobby retailer, but if not, you can get these nice decals directly from the Vagabond Decals website.
My sincere thanks to Vagabond Decals for this review sample!