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Cutting Edge Decals Limited Edition - Sea Kings #1 Stock Number: 48008 and 72008 Reviewed By Charles Landrum, #26328 |
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MSRP: $8.99 USD Review copy provided by Meteor Productions P.O. Box 3956
Merrifield, VA 22116 The Sea King Helicopter is without a doubt the most venerable and versatile maritime helicopter built and it is nice to finally see decal options for its many user nations. A truly remarkable platform, the Sea King has been flying for over 40 years for the maritime services of many nations. It has served in a wide range of roles including general utility, search and rescue, anti-submarine warfare helicopter, anti-surface and airborne early warning. Developed by Sikorsky, through licensing Augusta Bell and Westland have also manufactured the aircraft. Ready for retirement in many countries it keeps on flying, awaiting a suitable replacement.
Until now, despite the multitude of Sea King operators, there has been a limited selection of decal options especially in 1/48. Cutting Edge, in this limited edition set, helps redress this shortfall and provides marking for four nations. All are colorful schemes, with large bands of fluorescent day-glo orange and range from vintage to contemporary. These bands need to be painted by the modeler. The decals are crisply printed, in register with bold, bright colors. Carrier film is kept to a minimum. These are thin decals and react well to mild setting solution such as Micro-sol; no need for harsher solutions like Solvaset.
These markings are for early Sea King airframes the SH-3A in US Navy designation. In 1/48 scale the only model available in the very nice Hasegawa SH-3H. So use of this sheet will require some backdating. Cutting Edge provides some pointers for backdating and modifying the Hasegawa kit from a Sikorsky to a Westland Sea King. They also make a conversion set. Good references are a necessity. In 1/72 there are early model Sea Kings readily available. Meteor provides a nice color layout of the four variants listing the color call out in the US Federal Standard color reference. Also included is a color cross-reference to Extracolor, Humbrol and Gunze Sangyo paint brands. Aside from the color profiles, the instructions include additional painting notes for each specific helicopter depicted.
The first set of markings is for a Royal Navy Sea King Has.5 rescue aircraft of 771 Squadron in RNAS Culdrose from 1993. In overall medium sea gray with large areas of signal red, it sports an ace of clubs near the cockpit.
The second aircraft is a Royal Norwegian Air Force Sea King Mk. 43 of 330 Squadron in Bodo, Norway, circa 1974. It is overall white with blaze orange banding.
The third aircraft is a Royal Canadian Navy CHSS-2 (later CH-124) Sea King from HS-50 in Shearwater, 1964. It is a dark gray over light gray scheme with day-glo orange banding.
The last scheme is an early US Navy SH-3A from HS-5 on USS Lake Champlain in 1963. It is overall engine gray with fluorescent orange banding. HS-5 participated in the recovery of unmanned Gemini 2 in January 1965. Later both participated in the recovery of Gemini 5, astronauts Cooper and Conrad, in August 1965. Side number “65” retrieved Gemini 2 and side number 58 (bureau no. 9005) returned Cooper and Conrad to Lake Champlain. So if you can come up with the larger white MODEX numbers, you can build either bird.
These are high quality decals that give the modeler far more variety of Sea Kings to build, especially the early models. Highly recommend. |
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