1:48 Dassault Super Etendard n°23 100 Ans de l'Aéronavale 1910-2010

A hundred years over the sea

French naval aviation dates its origin from 1910 and for the jubilee a hundred years later it prepared several machines with a festive finish. One of them was the carrier-borne strike aircraft Super Etendard with the number 23, that is the type which served on French aircraft carriers from the start of the 1980s and went through attacks over the Balkans, Afghanistan and Libya. Its silhouette with a short cranked wing and a substantial arrestor hook is among the most characteristic machines in carrier aviation history.

The motifs on the sheet

The finish rests on a dark area on the vertical tail surface with the years of the jubilee, completed by period symbols of naval aviation, anchors, roundels and the designation of the carrier squadron. To that the sheet adds the fuselage number and technical lettering, without which a model would look empty.

Application procedure

Each motif is cut away from the rest of the sheet with a minimum overhang of carrier film, so that no glossy outline is visible on the surface once dry. A short bath in lukewarm water releases the adhesive; the decal is then slid onto the moistened place and brought into position with tweezers or a soft brush. A paper towel laid on without pressure blots the excess water.

It is sensible to do the large areas across the tail fin in one go and to check straight away whether the motif overlaps an engraved line. Finally the surface is unified by a final coat, which sinks the edges of the film into the surrounding color and evens out the sheen of the whole airframe. On carrier machines a satin sheen suits better, because service at sea never allows paint a mirror gloss.