Thank you, Bob Sanchez, for another stunning set of decals for us! While the Bicentennial F-15 is not new to us in the modeling community as the original aircraft was displayed and flown worldwide over 40 years ago, the decals are a much-needed facelift to anyone who has an old F-15 A-D laying around or just maybe wanting to change it up and not use the kit decals.

About the Company

Two Bobs is a limited run/ Custom aviation Decal company based out of Fort Worth, Texas and is owned and operated by Mr. Bob Sanchez. Mr. Sanchez is a former enlisted Air Force engineer and has been very active in the modeling community almost all of his life and has continued to be active in the aviation field outside of his service to our country.

I can tell you guys from experience Mr. Sanchez’s decals cover unique and memorable topics, are a pleasure to work with and downright hard to get if you miss out on a particular set, so keep that in mind when ordering.

Scale Aircraft Conversions now has over twenty-seven years of experience supplying resin and white metal parts to model builders, and their product listing continues to expand. This is the ninth landing gear set from SAC that I have reviewed, and once again, they have provided an excellent metal option for kit-supplied landing gear. This set is intended for the 1/48 scale A-4 Skyhawk that was recently released by Hobby Boss (kit 81764). The purpose of this replacement set is to provide stronger landing gear that is adjustable if necessary to obtain the proper angles. Even with no previous experience in using white metal parts, this set will provide an upgrade that most modelers will have no issue installing.

Crécy Publishing’s biography: “Lieutenant Colonel Rick Bishop flew for over 50 years as a civilian, Army, and Air Force pilot amassing over 16,000 hours in the air. Raised in Miami, Florida his passion for aviation started with flying lessons at the age of 16 which he continued throughout his college years. Voluntarily joining the Army in 1967, he saw action in Vietnam then joined the Air Force in 1974 where he flew jets for four years until being selected to join the U-2 Program. Over the following 13 years he rose to Commander of the 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron prior to further advancement preceding his early retirement in 1991. Rick then flew for American Airlines for the next 16 years. He now resides on a small farm in the rolling hills north of Ocala, Florida.”

Background

The Group “C” racing class ran from 1982 until about 1993. It was an extremely exciting series that saw some of the class cars run over 250 mph on the Le Mans' Mulsanne Straight (the WM-Peugeot recorded the highest 405 km/h / 252 mph). Porsche revolutionized the race series with the 956/962 cars and the associated aerodynamics and ground effects innovations. These Porsche vehicles were dominant for many years and were campaigned by both the factory and private race teams which, for modelers, allows for a multitude of paint and color schemes.

Osprey bio: “Andrew Brookes completed RAF pilot training after graduating from Leeds University. Following reconnaissance and strike tours on Victors, Canberras and Vulcans he joined the tri-service policy and plans staff of Commander British Forces, Hong Kong. He flew over 3,000 hours as an RAF reconnaissance and strike pilot. He was a UK nuclear release officer in NATO and the last operational RAF Commander at the Greenham Common cruise missile base. He was coordinator of air power studies at the RAF Advanced Staff College and he is now Chief Executive of The Air League. He broadcasts widely and this is his 18th aviation book, including four for Osprey. He received the Defense Aerospace Journalist of the Year Award in 2004 and 2006. In 2009 he was awarded the C P Robertson Memorial Trophy for the best interpretation of the Royal Air Force to the public.”