In 1941, the movie "Dive Bomber" appeared in theaters around the US. This film is special in many ways. First, it was filmed in Technicolor, a rare treat for crowds of the time. Secondly, it has all the super 'yellow wing' pre-war aircraft that modelers have come to love. Though filmed in 1940, the Navy was starting to turn its aircraft from the gaudy chrome yellow winged planes of the 30s into the more drab camouflaged aircraft with which it finally went to war.

Yellow Wings Decals has produced a set of 8 decal sheets to commemorate this film and has covered every aircraft that you see in the film, even those that appeared only briefly. The real stars of the show are the SBU Vindicators, but you'll see Helldivers, Buffalos, F3Fs, PBY's and several other types that were based at NAS North Island at the time the film was produced. Those ex-sailors amongst us who have been stationed at NASNI will instantly recognize many of the locales in the film and the aerial sequences of planes overflying the base will be able to see what it looked like before the area between it and Coronado was filled in.

As you'd expect from Yellow Wings Decals, the research that has gone into the making of this sheet is first rate. There are detailed markings guides as well as photos of some of the types on the sheet. All the required insignia, unit marking, stripes, bands and even the prop tip warning markings are provided.

This is bound to be a best seller so I highly recommend obtaining your copy at the earliest opportunity.

July 2005

Thanks to Yellow Wings for the review samples.

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