After reviewing Lifelike #72-021 for Messerschmitt Bf-109s, I opened this set and found it difficult to resist working on a Tamiya 1/72 Fw-190A-3 that I had started dry fitting a few months ago. Lifelike’s set #72-022, much like the Bf-109 set, offers a number of appealing decal options that beg almost immediate attention.

Included on the two small sheets packaged in the zip-lock sleeve are markings for:

• Fw-190A-4 flown by Oblt. Siegfried Schnell, Sta. Kap. 9/JG2; mid-February 1943, at Vannes AB/France
• Fw-190F-8 of I/SG4 or Stab/SG4; September 1944, at Wenden AB/Germany
• Fw-190A-4 flown by Maj. Walter Nowotny, Kdore JG101; Spring-Summer 1944, Pau AB/France
• Fw-190A-3 of 2/EJGr. West, sometime in 1942, at Cazaux AB/France

The decals are excellent. The artwork is precise and created from considerable research. The printing is crisp and in register, the colors are vivid, and the decal film is as thin as any I have seen anywhere. The film is so thin that Lifelike warns modelers against using “hot” decal setting solutions such as Gunze’s Mr. Mark Softer or anything else that is as strong because of the possibility that the images will soften enough to become distorted as they settle in. Instead, the decals should be applied with enough warm water to be floated into place before they attach themselves to the surface somewhere else. A little Microscale Set and Sol may be used if necessary, but may not be called for if the decals are applied over a smooth glossy surface, such as a coat of Future. And, a little more airbrushed Future will seal them nicely before any other final coating is applied.

A look at the photos below will attest to the quality of the printed images on these sheets. The multiple instruction sheets packed with the decals provide more than adequate painting information and list seven references to consult to confirm the correct placement of the markings. Hmm…I think I hear my Tamiya Fw-190A-3 calling to me right now.

Obviously, I highly recommend this set. And, don’t wait too long if you want one because it is a Limited Edition set. My thanks to Lifelike Decals and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this set.