Crosswind Hobbies

1/72 National Insignia of Laos, 1960's

Sheet Number: 3

Reviewed by  Ed Shelnutt, IPMS# 40682

MSRP: $10.50 (AUD$12 Australian) Review sample provided by Crosswind Hobbies (crosswindhobbies.com) The air war in Southeast Asia has been well represented by kit decals and aftermarket decals for all scales for the major participants: the US, North and South Vietnam and Australia, and France and Thailand from the earliest years of the war, but most often overlooked are the air arms of those adjacent countries that were active in combat. This has been remedied by the recent release of a series of decals from Australia's Crosswind Hobbies. Several 1/72nd scale sheets have been recently released with adequate markings for a variety of aircraft. The sheet I received has markings for three C-47's, one DeHavilland Beaver, a T-6G, A T-28, and a C-46. Instructions are in the form of a five-page series of profiles with the placement indicated in red on the appropriate part of the aircraft. Additional information about each aircraft type as used by Laos in included with the placement descriptions. A link to the ACIG database online reference site is included, as are the references cited for the markings represented on the decal sheet. The last instruction sheet is a black and white decal identity key with the markings for each particular aircraft denoted with a letter or letter/number combination on the left hand side of the page and corresponding markings on the decal sheet. The colors are accurate, printing is crisp and in register. They require only a bit of your favorite decal setting solution to snuggle down for an excellent fit. I built up the old Heller T-28 kit to display the markings of a fighter-bomber of The Royal Laotian Air Force circa 1963. Some squadrons used specific markings as an identifier; this sheet includes only the basic insignia and numbers for most planes found in the RLAF. I highly recommend these decals and others in the series. Thanks to Crosswind Hobbies and IPMS/USA for the sample.

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