Yanks with Roundels
Part 2 - US Aircraft in Fleet Air Arm Service Wildcat, Hellcat, Avenger, Corsair

Xtradecal, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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The Hannants’ company, Xtradecal has recently released three sheets in 1/48 scale that provide markings for American manufactured aircraft in service with the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm during World War II.

X48103, Yanks with Roundels Part 2 provides markings for five aircraft in all, the details of each are as follows:

• Grumman Martlet III (Wildcat F4F-3A) serial AX733 of Naval Air Squadron 805 coded ‘K’ shore based in North Africa in 1941/42. Whilst a single set of decals is provided, the placement guide advises that you can finish the aircraft in either overall “USN Non-Specular Grey” or a disruptive camouflage scheme of Royal Air Force dark earth and middle stone upper surfaces over “USN Non-Specular Grey”. As always, there is debate over these schemes and the placement guide provides you with information to help you out (or further confuse you!!).
  

• Grumman Wildcat Mk V (FM-1) serial JV439 of Naval Air Station 733, coded 9N-C and based at Naval Air Station Trincomalee (China Bay) in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) circa1945. The machine is painted in US paint shades of ANA 613 olive drab in place of dark slate grey and ANA 603 sea grey in place of extra dark sea grey on its upper surfaces and ANA 602 light grey on its undersides in place of sky.
  

• Grumman Hellcat Mk.II (F6F-5) serial JW723 of Naval Air Squadron 804 flying from HMS Ameer as a part of the East Indies Fleet in 1944. Coded 6G it is painted in MAP equivalents of dark slate grey and extra dark sea grey upper surfaces over sky undersides. It also wears white theatre identification markings in the form of a white fronted engine cowling and white bands around its vertical and horizontal stabilisers and wings. Note that you will have to modify your chosen kit to replicate this option as it was converted to carry cameras.
  

• Grumman Avenger Mk.II (TBM-1C) serial JZ940 of Naval Air Squadron 855 flying from RAF Thorney Island, Thorney Island, Hampshire, England in 1944. Coded Q-F (red code letters with a thin black outline) it is painted in a disruptive pattern of ANA 603 sea grey and ANA 613 olive drab on its upper surfaces over white undersides. The forward part of the upper fuselage from the middle of the canopy is painted “night” – flat black.
  

• Vought -Corsair II (F4U-1A) serial JT260 of Naval Air Squadron 757 flying from HMS Unicorn circa June1944. Coded P54 (black code letter/numerals with a thin white outline) it is painted in the US paint shades of ANA 613 olive drab in place of dark slate grey and ANA 603 sea grey in place of extra dark sea grey on its upper surfaces and ANA 602 light grey on its undersides. Curiously, it wears a red/white/blue fin flash along with its modified Far East Fleet national insignia.
  

The decals have been produced by Microscale. They are all in perfect register but even though they have managed to get all of the roundels and fin flashes in perfect register they have produced the QF and P54 squadron codes of the Avenger and Corsair II options are supplied as separate decals to avoid register problems.

The placement guide is A-4 in size, printed on both sides and provides left and right hand side profiles and upper and lower surface plan views of each option in full colour. The sheet provides information on the painting of US produced aircraft with British equivalent shades – a complex and involved subject in itself – as well as information on (and a warning too) on matching modern Federal Standard shades with wartime ANA shades and a link to Bruce Archer’s excellent page here on Hyperscale http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/wildcatfaaba_1.htm that will help you with what you need to do to go about producing a Fleet Air Arm Wildcat.

The decal sheet and the placement guide come packed in the traditional Microscale style paper envelope.

All up an excellent quality and well produced sheet from Xtradecal that will provide you with some ‘different’ markings for the Wildcats, Avengers and Corsairs in your stash.

Thanks to Hannants for this sample.

Text and Images Copyright © 2012 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 9 May, 2012
Last updated 9 May, 2012

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