New from  MAW Decals is this sheet on the CH-46E. These aircraft are a combination of early and later versions so you may need to either kitbash the current E and A/D kits or get the coming early E kit from Academy to use some of the markings. The sheet includes both the older Field/Land scheme and the current greys scheme. There are markings for 10 different helicopters, many with shield artwork. Those units provided on the sheet are  HMM-161, 162, 163, 165, & 166.

The set also includes the new Stencils, insignia and walkways set, making for a very complete sheet.

Something new in my experience with decal sheets is that you will not find the standard placement guide and instructions. MAW has placed all of these as well as a bunch of photographs. All of the markings information is in .pdf format and it seems a copy of the Adobe Reader is included for those who don't already have this program. I found that some of the photos would not open in my Windows Explorer Photo Gallery software, while others were not a problem. These are a real boon to the detail freak that wants to get everything just right. As to having the decal placement guide in electronic format, it is a neat idea and since the disc is included in with the sheets, why not. It saves paper and when it comes to applying the markings, the scheme to be done can be printed out.

As I only have 2 gig of RAM, I found the page loading to be quite slow, but as they say in the adverts, your mileage may vary.

The end result is not only a superlative sheet for the very fine Academy kit, but also an equally great reference. If Marine helos are your thing, then this one is a must.

My thanks to MAW Decals for the review sample. You can get yours direct from the link and see all the available schemes.

December 2008

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