Yet more Gallic and British aviation is represented on Model Art’s latest decal sheet.
In this, the 40th anniversary year of the Falklands conflict, a new generation of modellers can learn more about 1982’s South Atlantic face-off with Argentina, through build projects and the requisite research.
Royal Air Force and Royal Navy Sea Kings, and the latter air arm’s Wessex, were a vital component of Operation Corporate, Britain’s effort to retake the Falkland Islands. Here, Jean-Pierre Desprez’s Model Art brand provides a beautifully printed new 1/72 decal sheet (72/084). It caters for ten ‘choppers’ but, on a tangent, also supplies markings for five French DHC.2 Beavers flown in French Indochina... with the re-release of Airfix’s 1/72 Vintage Classic kit in mind. The Wessex airframes include HMS Antrim’s famous Humphrey:
• Sea King HAR.3, XZ592/S-A, 202 Squadron ‘C’ Flight RAF, Port Stanley
• Commando HC.4, ZA291/VB, 846 Naval Air Squadron, Canberra
• Commando HC.4, ZA297/VG, 846 NAS, Canberra
• Sea King HAS.2A, XV656/703, 825 NAS, Forward Operating Base Port San Carlos
• Sea King HAS.2A, XV677/595, 825 NAS, Forward Operating Base Port San Carlos
• Wessex HU.5, XS486/W-W, 848 NAS ‘A’ Flight, Operation Keyhole, Southern Thule
• Wessex HU.5, XT480/X-Q, 847 NAS ‘B’ Flight, Port San Carlos
• Wessex HU.5, XT471.W-X, 847 NAS ‘B’ Flight, HMS Hermes
• Wessex HU.5, XS521/621/PO, 845 NAS, Wideawake, Ascension Island
• Wessex HAS.3, XP142 Humphrey, 737 NAS, HMS Antrim
• DHC.2 Beaver, No.26156, ELA 54, Tourane, 1954
• DHC.2 Beaver, No.26257/Z, ELA 52, Tan-Son-Nhut, 1954
• DHC.2 Beaver, No.26154/F, ELA 54, Bach-Maï, 1954
• DHC.2 Beaver, No.26158/G, ELA 52, Tourane, 1955
• DHC.2 Beaver, No.26156/F, ELA 52, Tan-Son-Nhut, 1955
Model Art provides extensive colour information, quoting official paint names/codes. The RN Wessex HU.5s and Commando HC.4s are in overall Olive Drab, while Humphrey and the Sea King HAS.2As wear RAF Blue Grey. The RAF Sea King sports overall Dark Sea Grey. Colour-wise for the Beavers, it’s a case of overall aluminium for four of the machines, but one wears French Army Green.
This is a great decal set which, as usual with Model Art, offers completely different subjects… but both are interesting in their own right. The quality of the decals is superb; they are very thin and sit on gloss carrier film, so there should be no problems with application and adherence if the model is gloss-varnished first. The set costs £10 and is available direct from Model Art.
