The 1950s and very early 1960s were undoubtedly the most colorful era for the USAF. Squadrons abounded with large areas of color on the fin and other parts of the airframe. The need for camouflage was not seen as a requirement as there was no enemy that was stronger than the US and modern radars made such additional painting unnecessary. Most aircraft of the time were interceptors and not dedicated dog-fighters. That era was thought to be long gone, even after the experiences in Korea. Sadly for most of us, these planes are only in our memories and museums.

This particular sheet isn't Superscale's newest, but does have two very colorful planes. The first is a gorgeous boss bird F-100D from the 48th TFW. Though the instructions say to use the Hasegawa Hun, I'd be willing to bet it will fit the ESCI or Italeri bird just as well.

The other plane is an F-102 from the 32 FIS in the Netherlands. This was the only USAF unit based on Dutch territory and when the Cold War went away, so did the unit's F-15A MSIP aircraft. Many of them are now based just a few tens of miles away at Lambert Field with the 110 FS, Missouri ANG.

Both aircraft are very colorful and will look great in your collection. The only 1/72 F-102 is the ancient (by styrene standards) Hasegawa F-102A. If Academy wants to make a lot of people happy, they will copy this kit for an upcoming release as a modern 1/72 102 is sorely needed. A 101, 105 and 106 would be appreciated as well.

As with early sheets, this one is devoid of insignia, however, most of us will either use the kit ones or those from another aftermarket sheet. Wanna pretty plane, build one of these.

Review copy courtesy of me and my wallet.

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