Speed Hunter Graphics 1/48 SEAD Specialists Part I Decal First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | June 2015 | Manufacturer | Speed Hunter Graphics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | SEAD Specialists Part I | Scale | 1/48 |
| Set Number | 48009 | Pros | 12 F-4G Weasel options |
| Cons | None noted | Skill Level | Basic |
| MSRP (USD) | $21.95 |
First Look
Speed Hunter Graphics has released a selection of F-4G Wild Weasel Phantoms designed for the Hasegawa 1/48 F-4G Phantom II kit. SEAD is the formal acronym for 'Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses' for the more common term of 'Wild Weasel' SAM site killers. I'm especially happy to see one of the three test jets from Det 5 represented here from my early engineering days. When I was there several years earlier than the example presented, the test jets were still wearing WW on the tail like the rest of the 35 TFW though we had the light blue checkerboard as depicted here on the tail.
The twelve examples presented here include:
- F-4G, 69-7235, 4485 TES, Det 5, George AFB, 1991, MiG killer
- F-4G, 69-7263, 35th TFW, George AFB, 1991
- F-4G, 69-7561, 561 TFS/35th TFW, George AFB, 1986
- F-4G, 69-7561, 561 TFS/35th TFW, George AFB, 1992
- F-4G, 69-7558, 480 TFS/52 TFW, Spangdahlem AB, 1987
- F-4G, 69-7268, 81 TFS/52 TFW, Spangdahlem AB, 1987
- F-4G, 69-0269, 35 TFW (Provisional), Sheikh Isa AB, Bahrain, Desert Storm, 1991
- F-4G, 69-7211, 4404 CW (Provisional), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Southern Watch, 1994
- F-4G, 69-0250, 81 TFS/52 TFW, Spangdahlem AB, 1991
- F-4G, 69-0248, 480 TFS/52 TFW, Spangdahlem AB, 1989
- F-4G, 69-7218, 90 TFS/3 TFW, Clark AB, 1988
- F-4G, 69-7580, 192 TRS/152 TRG/NV ANG, 1991
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.
This set provides one complete sets of maintenance stencils and markings though you'll see different styles of stencils provided to replicate the differences on each aircraft. This set is marked as Part I so we'll be seeing at least one more selection of SEAD aircraft in our future. Hopefully some of these subjects will also be available in 1/32 scale!
These markings are available directly from the publisher on their website www.reidairpublishing.com.
My sincere thanks to Speed Hunter Graphics for this review sample!