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F-8 Crusader decals - USS Independence


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I think you are correct, the yellow for the flames seems to be to light.  The tail markings maybe correct.   Here is a link to a photo I found that seems to show a more orangey yellow to the flames.   The decal sheet does not provide any unit identifier.  It is VF-84 Vagabonds from 1963 on board USS Independence, CVG-7.  HTH.

 

Geoff M

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Thanks all,

 

I agree - lovely scheme but this decal set doesn't seem to do it justice.

 

Anyone familiar with the Cutting Edge set (also VF-84) or any other colourful F-8C or E's in 1/48th? At affordable prices that is.

 

Thanks,

 

Marc

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I've pondered the color gradient question in that image.  I think it's just shadows making it look like a gradation.  Here's another image that I think more clearly shows no gradation in the color, but the red outline looks soft, and the yellow looks paler:

 

 

crusadervf84-01.jpg

 

Edit: Found another photo

 

 

78e08d861d3c5a1099851fd29e199c9e.jpg

Edited by kozlok
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I looked at the sheet in question. It looks like the national insignia may be usable. The rest - not so much.

 

I am pretty confident there is some gradient at the edges - it looks they certainly feathered the edges a little bit with an airbrush / spray gun. It will be hard to pull off on a decal sheet convincingly. Also, every aircraft looks a little different, suggesting that perhaps there was no single master pattern and each were painted by hand.

 

49383776756_3a14b06c68_b.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

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Hey folks,

Sorry I'm late to this party.  I did a lot of research on the complete Jolly Rogers line 'way back.  First, the link to the PS decals looks like a copy of the old Superscale release, with all its inherent inaccuracies.  'Nuff said.

 

Regarding the flames.  I soon found that there didn't seem to be a complete identical standard to the flames, but variances between airframes, just like the AVG P-40 sharkmouths.  

 

Finally, yes, there was a fine spray line between the red and the yellow, very fine.  See the attached images from the USS Independence 1962 cruise book and you'll see the fine fog line.

 

kyrvdop.jpg

JYgMIxU.jpg

 

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On 3/7/2021 at 10:06 AM, Stefan buysse said:

 

It seems that the "eye" just behind the radome is also missing from the sheet. Maybe AG209 didn't have the "eye" that's visible on AG210.

 

 

Correct, 209 was one of very few lacking the eye...so Superscale and then Printscale actually got that one aspect correct.  Credit where it's due 😁

I'll look for the photos of her I've got....

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38 minutes ago, jpk said:

Did VF-84 ever fly the F-8E?

 

Negative.  Only the F8U-2/F-8C.  They had them originally under the name F8U-2, with the original Vought seats.  By the time they were retired after the Cuban Missile Crisis (which they participated in), they had been renamed F-8C and had been fitted with the Martin Baker seats.  Crew member I spoke with said fitting the new seats was a tough job, like fitting a square peg to a round hole (his words).

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Microscale issued 1/72 scale markings for this twice, and the more recent sheet is better as it has the flaming eyeballs. Still, the size of the underchin flames is off - they give you way too much at the front end. I had to slice off about a half inch from the forward end of the decal to get the flames to be in the correct (average) positions. This is the Academy kit back dated to F-8C by cutting off the electronic pack on top of the wing and carving the radome down to the early shape.

DSCN0085.JPG

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Didn't know MS/SS had done a more modern issue of those old decals...the only ones I could find not long ago would just crumble to pieces when you tried to use them. As far as the flames, both times I've tried the scheme I ended up masking/painting the flames.  For whatever limitations that has, it ended up seeming better than trying to work those decals. Nice work Paul!

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14 minutes ago, Paul Boyer said:

The sheet was Microscale AC72-0055 from the "new" Microscale. I just checked their site and they no longer list this one (!), but here's what the sheet looks like on the Scalemates listing: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/microscale-ac72-0055-vought-f-8e-crusader-vf-24-449-f-8c-crusader-vf-84-207--1026125


I’m seeing both the 1/72 and 1/48 decals (AC72-0055 and AC48-0055 respectively) as in stock and available on the Microscale website, although quantities of the latter are low.

 

Great looking jet Paul...and the “orangey” yellow color seems better captured on these decals vs Print Scale’s.

 

Rich

 

 

 

 

Edited by RichB63
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2 hours ago, RichB63 said:


I’m seeing both the 1/72 and 1/48 decals (AC72-0055 and AC48-0055 respectively) as in stock and available on the Microscale website, although quantities of the latter are low.

 

Great looking jet Paul...and the “orangey” yellow color seems better captured on these decals vs Print Scale’s.

 

Rich

 

 

 

 

The yellow looks more realistic indeed but that could my bias - it's hard to judge tint on those old photos.

 

Marc.

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31 minutes ago, habu2 said:

Same markings on Micro/Superscale 48-211, might be easier to find?

 

s-l300.jpg

How do you mean Habu? For sheet 211 I'm getting this:
http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=f65d382f4ce49044f27bc142ec13af4d&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=48-211&Store_Code=MD&search=48-211&offset=&filter_cat=&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=&sort=&range_low=&range_high=
 

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Habu, that is an old sheet from SuperScale. Probably came out in the '80s or '90s. Might be hard to find. The relationship between Microscale and SuperScale is a long, convoluted one. They're related (literally - they're brothers), and one split from the other. Not sure either is still alive, but Superscale is gone - I think Squadron bought all their stock and now Squadron is gone. Microscale lives on and they still release new sheets with some of the old subjects. 

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22 hours ago, Andrew D. the Jolly Rogers guy said:

 

Negative.  Only the F8U-2/F-8C.  They had them originally under the name F8U-2, with the original Vought seats.  By the time they were retired after the Cuban Missile Crisis (which they participated in), they had been renamed F-8C and had been fitted with the Martin Baker seats.  Crew member I spoke with said fitting the new seats was a tough job, like fitting a square peg to a round hole (his words).

Too bad. It seems the only kits available are the latter F-8's with the enlarged nose with seeker. Love to do a complete Jolly Rogers aircraft collection. 

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1 hour ago, jpk said:

Too bad. It seems the only kits available are the latter F-8's with the enlarged nose with seeker. Love to do a complete Jolly Rogers aircraft collection. 

I know, I faced the same realization when I did my complete JR line.  Discovered after an extreme rebuild of an "E" that there was a harder to find resin nose conversion, which I got too late.  Windscreen had to be redone too since the IRST seeker would be non-existent. 

 

Best of luck on your JR lineage; mine took me a decade of intense research and building, 30 planes strong....

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On 3/16/2021 at 9:12 AM, Andrew D. the Jolly Rogers guy said:

I know, I faced the same realization when I did my complete JR line.  Discovered after an extreme rebuild of an "E" that there was a harder to find resin nose conversion, which I got too late.  Windscreen had to be redone too since the IRST seeker would be non-existent. 

 

Best of luck on your JR lineage; mine took me a decade of intense research and building, 30 planes strong....

I may instead go with VF-33. Always liked their markings as well.

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