This sheet is Hellcats galore. There are 21 aircraft on this sheet with all the different varieties of camouflage and all the different variants provided. It includes the planes of the aces such as Vraciu, McCampbell, Stimpson and McCudding to name a few. There are also USMC night fighters in the mix as planes from VF-27 with their unique cat-mouth markings.

Some of the planes are from carriers when the geometric markings were in vogue. These white markings will have to be painted on the model by the builder. In these cases, you will need an outside reference for what needs to be done on the wings. Sky has, for some reason, decided not to print that information in the instruction book. In fact, that is probably one of the biggest problems with Sky decals. Since they offer so much, they do not provide the space in their booklet for wing or tailplane markings. Some of the planes on this and other sheets do have unique markings there, yet the builder would never know it from the instructions. That is one reason why it is so important to double-check with the references provided before starting on your kit.

You might also notice that a red surround is provided for some of the markings on the sheet. By doing it the way Sky has provided them, it takes up much less space and still provides the markings you might need.

The instruction booklet gives basically profiles with one overhead shot for generic insignia placement. A color guide on the back gives FS 595, Humbrol, Molak, Tamiya, Gunze, and Testors paint references. There is also a list of sources from whence the markings were gleaned. A couple of the pages are duplicated at the beginning of the review.

All in all, Sky sheets are probably the best 'bang for the buck' when it comes to aftermarket decals. If you can't find them locally, then they can be obtained from the link below.

Review copy courtesy of Pacific Coast Models. Thanks for your support.