efd327

How about 1/48 AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom. The kit decals are not very good.

These Skyknights were flown out of Holloman AFB in the early 80's for US Army missile tests at the White Sands range. A friend of mine was with the 9TFS/49TFW flying F-15s and I went to Holloman to visit him around 1985. He was showing me around the base and I remember him saying there was a plane that he had no idea what it was. We drove over to where it was parked and there sat a dark blue F3D Skyknight. First and last time I ever saw one.

There is a photo in Daco Publications Uncovering the F-16 of 4 F-16s lined up preparing to take-off. The neutral gray on all of them is a different shade. To me it just goes to prove what everyone else above has said.

I can't remember the reason but somehow the photo of the E with the drop tanks was not supposed to be released but was accidentally made public. Once it was out there it couldn't be stopped so they had to just roll with it.

If I may add a little bit to the conversation. The guy flying the F-15 in the photo is a good friend of mine. I can tell by his dark gray helmet. He was Boeing's chief F-15 pilot and flew every version of the Eagle before he retired a couple of years ago. This is what he told me about the sensors below the cockpit. He said and I quote "They are missile plum detectors. They only work when the missile plum is present and gives a warning. There is one on top of the fuselage and the bottom situated between the engines and the ones below the cockpit". It is supposed to give 360 degree coverage (Boeing Driver is this the same as the DEWS you are referring to?). He said the ones located on the cockpit sides made a lot of noise when they would get the jet up to around 500 knots. As a side note he did the testing on the F-15I. He said on one test it was loaded so heavily that he thought the tires would surely come off of the wheels when he made a turn while taxiing. It was carrying what the Israelis wanted tested for a maximum load. He also showed me a test photo of a Strike Eagle in flight where they mounted the drop tanks on each side on the conformal fuel pallets of an F-15E. The Israeli's wanted to know if it would work and it did. It was kind of crazy looking.

I looked at numerous photos of Tomcats in the grey and white scheme when I was building my VF-2 Tomcat. I never found one that had the no step stencils anywhere so I left them off.

From what I've been able to determine the major difference between the seats is the -3 had a face curtain. Other than that they look almost the same. Also if your building an A model Harrier the first 89 aircraft were equipped with Martin Baker seats, from the 90th aircraft onward they were equipped with the Stencil seat. All were eventually retrofitted with the Stencil seat. In my research I've noticed if a Harrier has full color unit markings then it usually has the Martin Baker seat. By the time low vis markings became the norm they are equipped with Stencil seats.

I vote for Georgia Air Guard also.

I would say use the kit decals they work great and you wouldn't be wrong for the production block.

For sale OEZ 1/48 SU-25K original boxing. Includes Eduard photo etch sets for both interior and exterior, Part photo etch set. $30.00 includes shipping in CONUS.

For sale Tamiya 1/100 B-52D all bags are sealed. $55.00 includes shipping in the CONUS.

F/S 1/48 DML Focke-Wulf TA 152H $25.00 shipped in the CONUS. SOLD

That is why I have quit using a lot of aftermarket. Expensive and a lot of times it doesn't fit or if it does it is a major pain to get it to fit.

No the markings aren't ghost gray. What I am saying is the circle for the star is light ghost gray. In the camo section of the book the anti-glare panel, vertical tail, and canopy frames are light ghost gray. That was the stateside scheme. The only jets I have seen in this particular scheme (dark gray markings and anti-glare panel) operated from the Midway on detachment. I don't think it lasted to long. It looks to me this particular aircraft had a replacement radome installed which had the light ghost gray. In the book there is a picture of 3108 with all dark gray markings, including the tail with full national insignia also dark gray and the ghost gray has disappeared. In reading the book the way I took it the Japan detachment had some leeway on how to paint the aircraft. There is also a photo of 3103 with the same type of radome coloring with a dark anti-glare panel.

I have the Airdoc Publications book on the RF-4B and they have a camo section in the book. The vertical tail is 36375 light ghost gray as is the anti-glare panel on the radome. Additionally the roundel for the national insignia is also light ghost gray. The overall airframe is the usual light gull grey. Hope that helps.