The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel off the western French coast of Normandy’s Cotentin Peninsula, composed of two Crown Dependencies – the Bailiwicks of Jersey (the largest of the islands) and Guernsey, which consists of the islands of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm and some smaller islands. Historically, they are considered remnants of the Duchy of Normandy, and administered separately since the late 13th century.

This decal set is intended for the Eduard 1/48 F4F-3 Wildcat and is one of the three Wildcat decals sets from Starfighter Decals. The Early USN Wildcats set provides markings for six different aircraft: F4F-3A Number 3916 Ens. Daniels VF6; F4F-3A Bu. Number 3914 Lt. Rawle VF-6; F4F-3A Bu. Number 4031 Lt. E. O’Hare VF-2; F4F-3A Bu. Number 3976 Lt. J.S. Thatch VF-2; F4F-3 Bu. Number 2531 Ens. McCuskey VF-42 and F-1 Bu. No. 4031 Lt. Cmdr. Paul L. Ramsey.

The decals are easy to work with, however, there are a few things to watch out for. The tail rudder decals are larger than the kit’s rudder piece. To get the edges to lay down, you will need to apply MicroSol or a similar product. Apply a decal on one side and allow it to fully dry, and then apply the opposite side. BUT…pay attention to the strips so that they line up. Next, use care when positioning. These decals are thin, and moving them around too much on the surface of the plane will cause them to tear.

Eduard’s new F4F-3 Wildcat is a beautiful and well-engineered kit. The recessed panel lines, raised and recessed rivets are gorgeous. The kit contains five gray and one clear sprues, beautiful pre-painted photo-etch parts and a decal sheet, which provides markings for six different planes.

The kit, however, is not without its flaws. The 58-gallon drop tank, which all productions of the F4F-3 could carry, is absent from the instructions. There is mistake with the decal callouts (what is identified as Nr. 59 should be Nr. 54). There are raised demarcation lines on the edges of the prop blades for the yellow tips. These should be sanded down. There is nothing inside the wings to hold the guns, so when you insert them into the holes, they won’t stop and you could easily lose a gun inside the wing and end up with a rattle.