Afterburner Decals

1/48 Felix Rules F-18E 2007-2009

Sheet Number: 48-059

Reviewed by  Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

MSRP: $15.00 Website: www.afterburnerdecals.com I want to state up front that as the chairman of the 2008 IPMS National Convention, I had a business relationship with Afterburner Decals, who was a prime developer of the convention decal sheet. I have a warm spot for Felix that dates back 5 years. As luck would have it I know or have known three of the former Commanding Officers from the past 15 years. So I have heard my fair share of Felix lore. Thanks to that connection, VFA-31 hosted a tour for Nats in 2008 and no one left disappointed! One of the former Skippers who revived the red tail/black pencil nose scheme on the F-14 referred to the yellow circle with the Felix inside as the "beach ball" scheme. A watershed event occurred with the retirement of the F-14; the mantle of Felix art transferred to the F-18E and the "beach ball" bounced onto it! Now, thanks to Afterburner decals, the first several years of Felix art on the F-18E are available to the modeler. This is a comprehensive look at VFA-31 with two sheets of decals covering 8 different aircraft. The decals are glossy and crisply printed by Cartograph. A trademark of Afterburner Decals is a decal sheet that is dense with markings and these sheets are no different - in fact it takes a steady hand and small scissors to reach many of these markings. The main sheet is 8-color. The second sheet is 3-color, with mostly low-visibility markings. The markings are glossy and crisply printed and unlike other manufacturers the color build up is done for you and in register. The exception is the non-skid panel on the wing, it is provide stenciled or separate in case you want to paint the non-skid. Based on the stencil count, there are sufficient markings for two aircraft. The aircraft schemes include: Felix 100 2009 CAG Bird, Bureau Nr. 166776. This is a Hi-Vis "Beach ball" scheme with black spine, black glare panel with red accents. Felix 100 December 2008 CAG Bird, Bureau Nr. 166776. This is same scheme as above but Felix has a Santa hat and gift-wrapped bomb! Felix 101 2009 CO's plane, Bureau Nr. 166777. Low-Vis with engine gray markings. Felix 101 2007 CO's plane, Bureau Nr. 166777. Low-Vis with medium gray markings. Felix 102 2009 XO's plane, Bureau Nr. 166778. Low-Vis with mixed black and engine gray markings. Felix 103 2009, Bureau Nr. 166779. Low-Vis with engine gray markings. Felix 106 2009 CO's plane, Bureau Nr. 166782. Low-Vis with black markings. Felix 111 2009 CO's plane, Bureau Nr. 166785. Low-Vis with engine gray markings. There are 4.5 pages of color documentation that cover the 8 schemes including the profiles. There is a one-page 4 view of the aircraft with stencil locations and a cool Felix background! There is also a camouflage color guide that shows the upper and lower views of the Hi-Viz CAG aircraft. This page also includes the white squares (provided) inside the exhaust cone and the pylon stencils. The bonus is the full page matrix that outlines the weapons and stores locations! Afterburner (Cartograf) decals are easy to work with. There is minimum carrier film, they are durable enough to handle, but react well to Micro-sol and Solvaset. I have never had a problem with silvering. This is a superb sheet with detailed documentation. The only thing missing are photos of the prototype, but then again, you don't need them. Felix 103 has a fuel delivery tank (there are no dedicated tankers anymore) with a cool stencil of Felix with a gas pump! I really like this set and there is a Santa Cat in my future, even with the beach ball!