Scale 1/72
Manufacturer Draw Decal
Decal Sheet ID 72s-F102-3
Decal Sheet Title Western ANG F-102's
Types Featured F-102A

Draw Decal mainly produce airliner decals but they have also produced a number of sheets for USAF subjects, including a range for the F-102 Delta Dagger. This is the third sheet in the range and covers four Air National Guard units from the Western USA. The following airframes are covered:-

  • F-102A-55-CO 56-989 '0-60989' from the 152nd FIS, Arizona ANG. This airframe had yellow wing fences and a yellow triangular tail flash, outlined in black, together with an ANG crest on the fin and  ‘ARIZONA’ lettering;
  • F-102A-90-CO 57-800 '70800' from the 196th FIS, California ANG. This aircraft had a blue fin stripe containing the ANG crest, together with 4 large white stars outlined in white, and 'CALIFORNIA' lettering. Wing fences were painted fluorescent orange;
  • F-102A-50-CO 55-3454 '53454' from the 199th FIS, Hawaii ANG. This carried red wing fences and a fin stripe containing yellow/red/black triangles, and 'HAWAII' lettering on the fin;
  • F-102A-90-CO 57-776 '0-70776' from the 123rd FIS, Oregon ANG. This carried a yellow lighning bolt outlined in black on the fin surrounding the ANG crest and 'OREGON' lettering. Wing fences were red and there were four diagonal yellow stripes outlined in black on the fuselage.

Draw Decal are unusual in using Silk Screening for the decals. This makes them thicker than normal transfers but they are beautifully detailed and in perfect register. The artwork for this sheet was designed by Norm Filer, a well-known figure in modelling circles, and this shows.

A single set of National Insignia are provided, together with black anti-glare panels for the nose and intakes - as this type of decal is not as flexible as normal water-slide, it is recommended to use the kit decals or even resort to masking and spraying.

Instructions comprise side views of the above airframes and top and bottom views, but Draw Decal go one stage further by listing all known aircraft which flew with the above units.

Note that airframes up to 56-1317 had the Case X wing, with 'upturned' wingtips, whilst those from 56-1318 onwards had the Case XX wing with 'downturned' wingtips. Not all of the aircraft on this sheet have the earlier Case X wing so choosing carefully is a must!

Review by Chris St Clair