MAW Decals

1/48 Night Hawks History

Sheet Number: 48-004

Reviewed by  Doug Hamilton, IPMS# 21985

MSRP: $13.49 MAW Decals is a fairly new arrival to the aftermarket decal scene. Their name MAW is an acronym for Marine Air Wing, which is appropriate, as most of their current offerings are of Marine Corps subjects. This decal set is a very nice offering because it offers markings for three birds from VMFA 533, also known as the Night Hawks. VMFA 533 traces its roots back to 1 October 1943, when it was commissioned as one of three Marine Corps night fighter squadrons. Flying two night versions of the F6F Hellcat, this unit saw many firsts happen with its pilots, including the most night victories of any squadron in the Pacific, the longest flight over water when transitioning from the Marshall Islands to Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, and the first Night ace, Captain Robert Baird. Over the years, this unit has flown the F7F-3N Tigercat, F2H-A4 Banshee, the F9F Cougar, and finally transitioning to the A4 Skyhawk in 1959, which is where the history of this squadron is picked up on this decal sheet. The first aircraft depicted here is an A-4B Skyhawk, flown in the spring of 1962. During this time, the squadron changed designations to VMA 533, highlighting its new role as an Attack squadron. They were based at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. The markings included for this bird are typical of those carried by Marine Skyhawks during this period. The paint scheme for this bird is the gray over white scheme. They carried the ED tail codes, which are still in use today. The next aircraft in the set is an A6-E Tram Intruder. Designated as VMF (AW) 533 during this timeframe, this bird was flown as part of Operation Desert Storm. This aircraft carries the tactical low-vis paint job seen during this period. The markings are subdued, which was common on aircraft painted in this manner. Mission markings are included in the set, which are not used if building an aircraft as flown during the conflict, as they were added after the fact. The most colorful part of these markings are the blue checkerboard pattern located on the tail. The third aircraft supplied in the set are for two versions of F-18D Hornet assigned to the unit. One was flown during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the second as flown in April 2004. Again changing designations to reflect its mission, the unit is currently known as VMFA (AW) 533, and still flies the F-18 Hornet. The F-18 is perhaps the most colorful of all the aircraft on this sheet. Painted in the two-tone tactical gray scheme that's currently seen on most military aircraft, this bird has blue tails and fuel tanks, which make for a really cool looking Hornet. Currently based at MCAS Beaufort, the Night Hawks have a long and storied history that is worthy of a decal set of this type. The decals themselves are superbly printed by Mircoscale, are in register, and very thin. On two sheets, this set includes all markings specific to the birds in question. Basic stenciling is included, and additional stenciling must be taken from either the kit markings, or other sources. The red bars found on the "Stars and Bars" are separate pieces that must be applied as individual decals. The sheets come with three pages of instructions, one each for each aircraft, and a separate page showing weapons loads that each bird could have carried. This is a very nice addition when building combat aircraft and I wish more decal manufacturers did this. The aircraft drawings are all in color, which make it easy to correctly paint the models. Correct paint numbers are called out for all birds and info on correct details is also included. As mentioned earlier, this set is a very fine addition to the available aftermarket decal selection for Marine Corps aircraft. It traces the historical lineage of VMFA 533 from the early 1960's up to today. To my knowledge, this is the first time any decal supplier has done this. As a former Marine Airdale, I applaud MAW Decals for taking the opportunity to release a set of this sort, and look forward to seeing more sets of this type. The decals are quite good and the subject matter even better! I highly recommend this set to anyone that is interested in Marine Corps aviation, or looking for an interesting subject to build. My thanks go to MAW Decals and IPMS for supplying this sample for review. More great products from MAW Decals can be viewed at their homepage: www.mawdecals.com .

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