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Afterburner Decals 48-054 Lakenheath Varks


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Hi all

 

when I have my EA-6b Prowler VAQ-141 finished (see In-Progress part), the next one on the bench is the Academy F-111F Aardvark in 1/48.

looking for the right decals of Afterburner, who can help me finding these decals for a reasonable price?

2059602D-C584-410F-B013-A299EEBE198E.jpeg

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  • 1 month later...

Yeah I think you will come up against that problem a lot. It commands quite a high price these days.

 

Its a shame the cottage industry decal makers cant afford to print a lot more than they do on their print runs as they seem only ever to do do one run and then its gone for good, only be be seen again in people collections.

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From what I remember of it without digging it out it was a rather strange sheet.
Whoever did the research for it didnt seem to have all the information required to make the sheet properly as one of the jets (494th) is marked up as 494FS not 494TFS as the other jets are, which is not how it was during ODS which is when the decal sheet is supposed to be from.

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23 hours ago, ElectroSoldier said:

From what I remember of it without digging it out it was a rather strange sheet.
Whoever did the research for it didnt seem to have all the information required to make the sheet properly as one of the jets (494th) is marked up as 494FS not 494TFS as the other jets are, which is not how it was during ODS which is when the decal sheet is supposed to be from.

I think the time frame depicted and stated for the 494 FS jet is 1992. So it is depicted after squadrons transitioned from Tactical Fighter Squadron to Fighter Squadron. The decal is accurately depicted.

https://www.afhra.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/433507/494-fighter-squadron-usafe/ 
timeline in this attachment says November 1991 494 became 494 FS

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/494th_Fighter_Squadron 
and also in this post

 

 

 

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On 5/3/2020 at 5:45 PM, USAFsparkchaser said:

I think the time frame depicted and stated for the 494 FS jet is 1992. So it is depicted after squadrons transitioned from Tactical Fighter Squadron to Fighter Squadron. The decal is accurately depicted.

https://www.afhra.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/433507/494-fighter-squadron-usafe/ 
timeline in this attachment says November 1991 494 became 494 FS

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/494th_Fighter_Squadron 
and also in this post

 

 

 

Oh no I wouldnt like to say nor like people to think Im saying they are not accurate. Im sure they are, my problem with the sheet is that of the 5 jets on the decal sheet there is the 48th TFW wing commanders mount, the the mount of the 492 TFS, 493 TFS, 494 FS and 495 TFS.
The odd one out is the mount of the 494 FS, when it could so easily have been for just a few weeks earlier and been from the 494 TFS as there was a bird marked as that with the same coloured dropped shadow tail codes.

 

On 5/2/2020 at 7:36 PM, BastianD said:

Do you think the Superscale 48315 sheet is a better one?

48-315 F-111E/F Libyan Raiders sheet...
June Nite (68-077), My Lucky Blonde (68-020) and Miss Liberty (72-1448)
A good sheet, I remember those jets being painted up like that, they were a common sight, from a very different time, The F-111F 72-1448 doesnt carry the Libyan campaign ribbon on the tail which became ubiquitous on the Liberty wing jets in the months after that night in the spring time.

 

Both sheets are really very very good, both hard to find now of course, but either gets you a model that will have accurate decals, I was just disapointed with the After burner sheet because of 74-0178.

For me having been there at the time I remember the jets and they markings they had so I know it would have been possible to make them all from a TFS...
The only real difference is the weapons you could mount to your mode.
What weapons do you want on it?

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There is a Facebook group for decals now, people post there looking for decals. Maybe you can get a partial sheet? My friend was lucky there as he found someone who sold him the decal he was looking for. 

Also I have been buying decals for years of subjects I like even though I did not have the kit. Figured the sheets were short run. I could always get the kit but not the decals. Slowed down lots now but still have too many decals 😂

Edited by skyhawk174
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1 hour ago, skyhawk174 said:

. Also I have been buying decals for years of subjects I like even though I did not have the kit. Figured the sheets were short run. I could always get the kit but not the decals. Slowed down lots now but still have too many decals 😂


Guilty...  😎

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This has been stated many times about aftermarket decals, resin, etc.  If you see it today and think you want it, you better get it, because it will soon be gone.  I have both Afterburner Sheets The Heath & Heyford, both outstanding and thankful Scott produced them, UH is my Alma Mata.  Funny thing is after Afterburner stopped the brand Sprue Brothers had these sheets in stock for months, maybe even a year before they sold out.  Maybe Caracal will produce a sheet as they have produced excellent SAC FB-111A & F-111A Vietnam era sheets.  Many of us are waiting on a decent 1/48 F-111 kit.

 

John

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1 hour ago, Raptor01 said:

Maybe Caracal will produce a sheet as they have produced excellent SAC FB-111A & F-111A Vietnam era sheets.  Many of us are waiting on a decent 1/48 F-111 kit.

 

 

 

I already announced an F-111E sheet which will be available in the July-August timeframe. I have no plans for a Lakenheath F-111F sheet right now, but may consider doing one in the future.

 

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4 minutes ago, KursadA said:

 

I already announced an F-111E sheet which will be available in the July-August timeframe. I have no plans for a Lakenheath F-111F sheet right now, but may consider doing one in the future.

 

I am in for 2, love your decals.  Thank you for the Varks!

 

John

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7 hours ago, KursadA said:

 

I already announced an F-111E sheet which will be available in the July-August timeframe. I have no plans for a Lakenheath F-111F sheet right now, but may consider doing one in the future.

 

If you have plans to do a LN 1/48 sheet, please keep me posted. I have a sheet of Microscale in sight but if yours will be better I can have patience...

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On 5/7/2020 at 8:08 AM, BastianD said:

Many thanks.

i will put an alq-131 from Eduard on, and some 4 Gbu’s in total (2x Gbu16 and 2x Gbu24) plus a Pave Tac.

 

only the pave tac is hard to find on eBay.

 

The AN/ALQ-131 shallow version only, it can be mounted to the rear fuselage pylon, or to the forward fuselage pylon. In this case the AN/AVQ-26 must be shown rotated into the bomb bay with the bulged fairing bay doors. If there is no bulged doors then it needs to be the AN/ALQ-119 pod for continuity reasons.

 

The GBU-16 isnt an option.

 

The GBU-24 was developed for use on the F-111F, its a perfect weapon for a "late" Lakenheath jet... ie very late 80s into the 90s.

 

On 5/7/2020 at 9:02 PM, BastianD said:

Found a good site for the right load-out: http://www.f-111.net/models/weaponsloads/index.htm

 

Its a good site, its a little limited in that it shows only those loads which were probably in operations rather than all the loads that are possible, and does not show some of the load outs that were used in the last year at Lakenheath. It doesnt mention any LGBs carried by the Upper Heyford jets

 

 

On 5/7/2020 at 11:42 AM, BastianD said:

Any advice for load out is welcome!

 

The answer to that is quite easy really but it very much depends on what jet you are going to model and the time you are going to model it.

For instance 72-1448 Miss Liberty on the Superscale sheet is without the Libya campaign ribbon which fixes its time frame to just before of very soon after the 1986 bombing of Tripoli, so the weapons are standard as
LGBs
GBU-10 or GBU-12
Dumb bombs
Any Mk 82 LDGP, SE or AIR
Mk 84 LDGP or AIR

Any USAF cluster bomb SUU-30H dispenser  and Mk 20 Rockeye.

600Gal tanks on the outer pylons (3, 6) was possible but hardly ever seen back then

 

Back in the 80s the f-111.net site is a good reference point. Where I dont like it is it doesnt mention the GBU-15 in a cold war postulation. I know they would have used them then.

 

I wouldnt get to hung up on the weapons, they will be every bit as accurate as the jet will be, and most people have no idea what it can and cant carry and in what quantities anyway so whos to say your model isnt accurate.

 

You know the Academy or Hobbyboss kit decals are rather nice dont you.

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