If you attended the Nationals in Omaha and had occasion to stop at the National Office Managers Table, you have probably seen these on display with a notice that they were soon available. Well, soon is now. Fellow IPMS member Ray Beyers has beautifully crafted this set of markings to fit the 1/32nd scale Trumpeter F-100D in both schemes (P32-025 for the 1965 show season and P32-026 for 1967). Each set of markings comes with 4 separate sheets and a partial containing the extremely complex flag markings, as well as the Thunderbird logo. Even a pilot’s helmet decal with the logo and scallops is included. These decals are custom-printed by Microscale Decals.

I have received an email set of photos from Rick Bellanger, who had this aircraft under construction to the point that it was ready for the decals. He gives high marks to the fit of the decals and offers several tips for those planning to use them. Tip One: Pre-paint the inside of the intake red before applying the decals. Tip Two: Pre-paint the nose wheel well area interior green. Also to be pre-painted white are the tail surfaces before applying the bird motif decal. Tip Three: Make sure that the first half of the decals you apply are COMPLETELY dry before attempting the second half. I can’t wait to see the finished product, but what I’m looking at sure looks good to me. I must admit that when I first saw these decals, my first impression was that they are too dark a red. I contacted Ray who sent me documentation showing that these colors (insignia red, white and blue) are correct according to the TSO’s for the F-100. The photos of Rick’s F-100 speak to the final appearance…sure looks good to me!

Also impressive is the fact that “Patch Panel” repair decals are included as well to handle any touch up situations that may occur. As always, these are well done decals that are thin, in perfect register, and respond well to the Micro Set/Sol decal solutions. Visit Cam Decals on their website to order or see some of the many other offerings in all three scales. Recommendation – most high.

Many thanks to Ray Beyers at CAM for the review samples.