Werner’s Wings is a Baltimore, MD based firm that offers decals and resin detail parts for scale modelers. Floyd Werner has been around scale modeling for many years, and is one of the hobby’s leading authorities on US Army rotary wing aircraft (not just through modeling, but from years of very personal experience!), and WWII Luftwaffe fighters. A quick search of the IPMS Review or other modeling-related sites will yield plenty of background on his considerable modeling skills and knowledge.

Floyd’s passion for modeling modern rotary aircraft subjects is evident in this latest decal release of Night Stalkers, Part II - Gothic Serpents to present. The subjects of these sets continue Werner’s Wings documenting the history of the 160th SOAR. This set picks up at the Gothic Serpent operation in Somalia, and includes 20 examples from then, up to the current time. Markings are included for four A/MH-6 “Little Birds”, nine MH-60 Blackhawks and seven MH-47 Chinooks as follows:

• MH-6J – 81-23648 Operation GOTHIC SERPENT
• A/MH-6M – 81-23634 Operation Iraqi Freedom – Varmint 44
• A/MH-6M – 25381 Mission Enhanced Little Bird (MELB)
• A/MH-6M – 25377 - in 160th’s Trial 3-Gray Paint Scheme
• MH-60A – 83-2882 – Operation GOTHIC SERPENT – Super 62
• MH-60A – 83-2887 – Operation GOTHIC SERPENT – Super 65
• MH-60L – unknown serial – Operation GOTHIC SERPENT – Super 67
• MH-60L – 83-23853 – Operation GOTHIC SERPENT
• MH-60L – 90-26276 – Operation GOTHIC SERPENT
• MH-60L – 91-26365 – Direct Action Penetrator
• MH-60K – 91-26388 – Operation GOTHIC SERPENT
• MH-60K – 91-26377 – in 160th’s Trial 3-Gray Paint Scheme
• MH-60K – 91-26375 – with skull and crossbow artwork
• MH-47D – 85-24367 – early
• MH-47D – 89-00146 – Operation RED WINGS – Turbine 33
• YMH-47E – 88-0267 – prototype of upgraded E with 3-gray paint scheme
• MH-47E –92-00472 – Afghanistan – Feb. 2007
• MH-47E –92-00475 – Operation ANACONDA – Razor 01
• MH-47G – 03-03730 – “Guns-A-Go-Go”
• MH-47G – 05-03756 – “Flower Power”

Read carefully the last page of the instruction sheet! There are important pieces of information from Floyds’s research on these subjects, including references to personnel from notable special ops in the Middle East. He enlisted assistance from members of the Night Stalkers unit to research the set.

US Army Special Operations ‘copters are typically painted flat black to accommodate their work under cover of darkness. Markings are minimal, so this is one of those decal sets that contain valuable research information on the particular subjects, than the size or quantity of the markings themselves.

The sets were printed by BOA, and Floyd says the decals are very thin, and to use just a bit of Micro Sol to float them into place. Once located, use just a touch of Solvaset to snuggle them down. They look excellent on the photos below of MH-47E “Razor 1” (courtesy of Werner’s Wings). Check out Werner’s Wings website now to get in on a 1/35 conversion set to build this beast yourself.

Now, if only someone would do the MH conversion in 1/48 … Guess I’ll just have to wait a while.

Very highly recommended! Thanks to Werner’s Wings and IPMS for the review sets.