Furball Aero-Design/Detail & Scale 1/48 Colors and Markings of US Navy Hellcats Decal First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | July 2021 | Manufacturer | Furball Aero-Design/Detail & Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Colors and Markings of US Navy Hellcats | Scale | 1/48 |
| Set Number | 48023 | Pros | 12 distinctive options |
| Cons | None noted | Skill Level | Novice |
| MSRP (USD) | $19.99 |
First Look
Furball Aero-Design continues its collaboration with Detail & Scale and this release covers the F6F-5 Hellcats in the Pacific air war. This set was designed for use with the Eduard kit.
The subjects in this set include:
- F6F-5, VF-17, 35, USS Hornet, 1945
- F6F-5, VF-23, 24, USS Langley, 1945
- F6F-5, VF-31, 12, USS Cabot, 1944
- F6F-5, VF-32, 15, USS Cabot, 1945
- F6F-5, VF-36, 9, USS Siboney, 1945
- F6F-5, VF-40, D15, USS Suwanee, 1945
- F6F-5, VF-46, 13, USS Independence, 1945
- F6F-5, VF-83, 115, USS Essex, 1945
- F6F-5P, VF-84, 135, USS Bunker Hill, 1945
- F6F-5, VF-85, Z/69, USS Shangri-La, 1945
- F6F-5, VBF-87, 76, USS Ticonderoga, 1945
- F6F-5, VF-15, USS Essex, 1944, 'Minsie III'
In addition to the extensive marking options in this set, there are sufficient national markings and airframe stencils for two examples. The sheets are printed by Cartograf and the printing is very well done. What's more, none of these decals require the modeler to stack multiple layers of markings atop one another to recreate artwork. This trend by some other decal companies of producing multiple-layer decals is unfortunate as it puts the burden on you to do the work of what should have been done by the decal maker.
My sincere thanks to Furball Aero-Design for this review sample!