1:72 U.S. Insignia

From the red center to the plain star

The older of the two markings on this sheet was in force from August 1919 and lasted more than twenty years. The white five-pointed star in a blue circle still had a small red disc in the middle. It was precisely that disc which turned out to be a problem in the first months of the war in the Pacific, because at speed it blended with the markings of Japanese aircraft. In May 1942 it was therefore removed by order.

The second option on the sheet shows the result of that decision: a purely white star in a blue field with no red element at all. American machines flew in this form from May 1942 to June 1943, that is during the Battle of Midway, the fighting for Guadalcanal and the first raids over occupied Europe.

The older of the two options also went with the striped rudder markings that American aircraft carried until 1942. Anyone building an interwar biplane should therefore expect the star alone not to complete the appearance. On the machines of 1942 the rudder was already left plain and all the identification was carried by the markings on the fuselage and the wings.

Which models it suits

The set covers interwar biplanes, early Warhawks, Wildcats and Dauntless dive bombers, and anywhere a machine is to be placed unambiguously in the time before the side bars were introduced. The markings are laid on a smooth glossy surface; once dry, the area around them is gone over with a matte coat so that the edge of the carrier layer disappears into the paint.

The package holds a printed sheet in 1:72 scale with both periods covered. There is no kit in it.