1:72 U.S. Insignia

The star with bars in two eras

The national insignia of American aviation took on its present outline in the summer of 1943, when rectangular bars were added at the sides of the white star in a blue circle. At first a red outline ran around them, but that disappeared after a few weeks. From the middle of 1943 a purely blue and white version was therefore in use. In January 1947 a red stripe returned inside the horizontal bars, and the insignia has flown in this form ever since.

The sheet covers exactly these two later periods: the insignia valid between 1943 and 1947 and the one introduced in 1947. It therefore handles late Thunderbolts and Mustangs, Korean War Sabres and the aircraft of today's air force, navy and marine corps. One sheet thus covers a very wide range of subjects.

The difference between the two versions looks small at first sight, but in fact it changes the proportions of the whole insignia. The blue field stays the same, but the red stripe of 1947 divides the white bars into two parts and the whole thing reads more strongly. On the dark finishes of newer machines it therefore calls for more careful checking of contrast than the older variant.

Where the insignia belong

The placement was not arbitrary. The 1943 regulation specified four positions, on the upper left and lower right wing surfaces and on both sides of the fuselage. Modelers often forget this and put a star on all four wing surfaces, which is immediately noticeable. The carrier film is very thin and after drying and overcoating it practically disappears.

What you get is a printed sheet in 1:72 scale. A model and glue do not belong to it.