North American Aviation's F-100 Super Sabre is a classic in anyone's list of aircraft. The first of the "Century Series", the  'Hun' was the USAF's first true supersonic jet fighter. Initially developed to be an interceptor, the march of technology of the '50s quickly relegated it to being a fighter-bomber. 

It is in that niche that the Hun saw action in Vietnam. Devoid of colorful markings from its heyday, it was sent into battle in the early 1960s in an overall aluminum paint scheme with just the TAC badge and a swatch of color to give it any interest. Soon nose art as well as mission marking appeared on the aluminum warriors. Later the ubiquitous SEA paint scheme appeared on the F-100 and that is how it eventually ended it's career in the mid 1970s.

Interestingly, there are several aftermarket sets available for the Hun in 1/48, an oddity as there hasn't been a regularly available 1/48 F-100 on the shelves in nearly ten years. Be that what it may, the Monogram F-100D is undoubtedly the best available kit for the 1/48 modeler. ESCI also produced a 1/4 scale Hun, but unlike its 72nd cousin, is not that great a kit.

The Experts Choice sheet is for SEA painted F-100D Super Sabres of the 31st TFW based at Tuy Hoa in Vietnam during 1969 and 1970, the last years of the Hun's involvement in the war. There are five aircraft depicted on this sheet. All of them in SEA camo. What differentiates them are nose art and, in some cases, tail fin markings. All have white serials and tail codes. The image of the sheet is deliberately darker than normal so you can see the white lettering.

So what is on the sheet?  Well just to give you a listing;

308 TFS, SM tailcode, 'Mary Jane/Carol Ann', green and white checkered tail cap (some aircraft have nose art on both sides)

306 TFS, SD tailcode,  'Miss K', red tail cap

309 TFS, SS tailcode, 'Colleen'

355 TFS, SP tailcode, 'Led Zepplin' on both sides of the nose

416 TFS, SE tailcode, 'Nanny's Goat'

All aircraft also have a color band under the cockpit on the left side with the pilot's name.

The decals are very well printed and in register. There are enough markings to do three of the aircraft from the sheet. Thankfully, these aircraft were not festooned with warning and maintenance markings so there really are not that many decals to apply. Some small modifications to the Monogram kit will have to be made to update various radio antennas and and a SAM warning antenna under the intake lip. It is known that all ANG F-100Ds were retrofitted with F-102 afterburner nozzles. I am unsure if regular USAF Huns had this retrofit done to them, so finding a photo of the aircraft in question is really needed to do an accurate presentation.

Review copy courtesy of me and my wallet!! If any of you manufacturers or shop owners want to send products for review and building, please contact me.