LATEST NEWS!

5 SHEETS AVAILABLE FOR ORDER!!

Ok, so there have been some delays.....BUT, there is a good reason.

Heres how it all went down....A while back, our pal Jake Melampy called me with an unbeatable proposition...."Hey, how'd you like to go to Alaska with me to shoot some aggressors?" What's a boy to say? Heck yeah, count me in. We've been planning on doing the new 18th Aggressors since their announcement last year and the arrival of the definitive block 30 series viper kit in 1/48 from Tamiya, the process was accelerated. We've had access to their "spec" for the jets for months, but it burned us just a bit when we did the 65th the first time and they painted one of the jets blue they'd told me was to be brown, so we were a little gunshy about going that route again, preferring to wait a piece to see what the actual schemes looked like finished. What Jake was offering me was the keys to the store, so to speak....3 days at Eielson for the 18th AGRS  first Red Flag, getting personal with the jets! Arrangements were made, art was pre-drawn, and off we went into the frozen tundra!

The result of Jake's superb offer, is this... 48-034  "Arctic Aggressors" which covers the unit stem to stern in both 1/48 and 1/32! Cartograf was juuuust finishing our last 4 sheets the week of the trip, so since I wouldn't be here to receive them anyway, and they were eager to turn this sheet out in 1/4 the usual timeframe, I had them hang on to the rest and ship them at once. So, all 5 are available for ordering now!

A little about the Arctic Aggressor release. The sheet covers 9 jets in 1/48, the arctic scheme wing and squadron flagships, an arctic scheme line jet, plus a D model. The Flanker schemes are the OG jet and a line jet, plus 2 C model Flogger schemes. That's all 3 Eielson schemes, 3 flagships and a D on 1 sheet, with 4 sets of stencils and markings! The sheet also covers the wing flagship and one of the flogger line jets in 1/32, with stencils and walkways for both jets! You can set to work building your own squadron! Talk about value! The subtle differences in the stencils have been faithfully captured due to the jets having been painted at 3 different paint barns, plus some other markings anomalies that are present and only caught by being next to the jets personally.

I have at least a weeks worth of stuffing to do before anything gets shipped....y'all know how it is 'round here when we release 5 things as popular as there are going to be....get your orders in early, but be just a skosh patient....unless some of y'all would like to come camp and help a brother stuff bags :-) ....I'm envisioning some sort of Tom Sawyer thing....its FUN, really!

I'd like to announce a brand new distributor in Australia, Zed Hobbies

Drop by and say howdy and more importantly, buy some stuff!

Our 30th sheet.....(say that with me folks....30th sheet....not your average "here today, gone later today" outfit, huh?)...is a monster! 12 ANG F-16 "Wing Kings" on one sheet, representing 11 different units! 48-030 is designed with the new Tamiya block 25/32 ANG kit in mind. The sheet covers block 25s thru 52s...several of the jets have spent time in Iraq putting warheads on foreheads recently, so in addition to killer ANG schemes, you can hang warloads from them.

48-031 is F-15E Strike Eagle flagships from Mountain Home AFB's 366th FW. The sheet covers the wing flagships from 2003 and 2008, the OG flagship from last year at Bagram AB for OEF with a great scoreboard, and the current 12th AF flagship. It is tough to find better looking strikes out there.

48-032 covers the F/A-18F Super Hornets of VFA-102 "Diamondbacks". CAG and line jets from 2007, plus a line jet from 2005 with the older dark gray markings. If you are a little burned out on anniversary schemes and just like great looking super bugs, look no further!

48-033 is another monster release. In looking around for some non-US subjects to cover, we stumbled rather blindly over the fantastic looking F/A-18s from the RAAF. Its a subject that quite frankly should have been recognized by us as a winner right from the outset....sometimes we are less than swift. We got hooked up with the right people and the result is the first in a series of Aussie hornet sheets that will blow you away. This first one covers the fantastic looking 90th Anniversary scheme from 3SQ, jets from "Operation Falconer" (OIF for you colonials out there) with nose art and mission marks, line jets and Wing CO flagships from 3SQ, 75SQ and 77SQ. You won't believe the detail and options on this sheet. If its on an Aussie hornet, bruthas and sistas its on this sheet!

Art for all this will be posted as we get profiles done.

The round after this is shaping up to be incredible. Our buds in the 18th AGRS squadron have been feverishly painting and markings their jets getting ready from their first full-up Red Flag Alaska this month....you do the math. We put VFA-37 off from this round to next because they got a brand new AWESOME looking CAG jet that we just had to include, so the wait will be worth it. The reprint of the 64th AS jets for Tamiya will commence and a BUNCH more cool stuff ahead in the spring and summer leading to NATS.

Stay tuned! 

5 new sheets RELEASED!!

We have expanded out a little bit for this round, and included a subject that doesn't have an afterburner....but it won't be the last! That's correct folks, we course corrected a tad and bombed a signifigantly different hole. PROWLERS BABY!!

A while back, our "chief spy" Duane Kaiser "took one for the team" and arranged to be deployed to Bagram airfield, Afghanistan to collect reference pictures for us......

ok, that's a lie, but in the process of admirably serving his country, he did in fact begin to send back some VERY interesting shots of something VERY unusual....a brown 3 tone camoflaged EA-6B, and the chase was on! After Duane returned from Bagram, another superb picture taker send us some OUTSTANDING shots of....another 3 tone camoflaged prowler, only this time in grays, and the plan began to come together.

So, on sheet 48-028 "Jammin' Jihad" you have the markings for both camo EA-6s, the gray from VAQ-142 "Gray Wolves" and the brown from VAQ-133 "Wizards" while deployed to Bagram. You also get the markings for two 142 line jets and one 133 line jet....BONUS!

Here's what we're babbling about:

If you are hoarding a prowler waiting for some inspiration to strike, THIS is inspiring!

We'll have the full pages up asap after Geoff gets done with the instructions, and we'll post the reference shots. These are the 2 best covered subjects I've ever seen.

Wait, there's more!

There's 4 more sheets to talk about.

48-025 covers the F/A-18s from NAS Patuxent River and VX-23. Every model they flew or have flown there of the hornet is represented....WELL.....the A thru the F, including the all over black and white A model "D'Skunk", which is a gorgeous, striking scheme. If you like to hang weird bomb loads on your hornets or are looking for a subject out of the ordinary, you'll love this release!

48-026 covers another test unit, but this time for vipers. The OT jets from the 53rd Test Wing from both Nellis and Eglin AFB are featured, and the subjects are outstanding! Both the 422nd TES and 85th TES flagships are present, plus the Nellis based Air Warfare Center flagship, and the 53rd Wing flagship to boot! Also included are line jets from Nellis and a D from Eglin. You can just go wild with loadouts and various configurations. Sized for Tamiya.

48-027 is the 3rd in the series of stencil and data sheets, this time for the F-15C/D. 2 complete sets of stencils are provided as well as both black and gray tail numbers so you can customize your eagle right! There are designed to enhance your use of our eagle sheets and make more subjects available.

48-029 is the last in this batch, and takes us back to Mountain Home AFB with the 390th FS "Wild Boars" and their F-15C/D eagles. This is a release that we've been waiting on to get out for a while, and the opprotunity to finish it finally arrived when one of my buds who used to be the flight doc for the Boars and had his name on 181 tracked down the skinny on his jet. Way to go "Doc"....now you are famous for being more than a "rocket surgeon"! The boars have been poorly served in the past but now you get the chance to do them up Afterburner style! Gorgeous, single layer markings....no more tedious 2 and 3 layer decals for 1 marking, a mix of eras and tail flashes and the standard superb art combines for a fantastic sheet.

As IF that weren't enough, we have also recieved our first shipment of Jake Melampy's new title, The Modern Hog Guide, the A-10 Warthog Exposed

Holy hawgsmoke Batman.....

We have become accustomed in a very short period of time to the wonderment that is Jake Melampy's books, and this one is very close to beyond description. I was present for just a bit of the picture taking process for this book, and I must say that it was....a little terrifying. This title borders on fanatical in its attention to detail of every aspect of an A-10. Jake's photography is superb, and his eye for what you need as a modeler and also as an aviation enthusiast is perfect. It covers the new C models, inside, outside, bays, weapons, engines, avionics.....its all there in one book. Get one today, and hey, you know those things don't have afterburners huh?

More stuff headed to print immediately after this round, so stay tuned!

2 new releases ready to go!

48-023 is the next in the new series of sheets designed with your Tamiya block 50 1/48 viper in mind! This is such a cool release! It covers the 22nd FS from Spangdahlem and as is our custom features jets from several eras. The COs jet is from 2001, 2003/OIF, 2006 and 2007/OIF-Balad AB, Iraq. It also features line jets from several eras, including current jets wearing "Have Glass" finish and utilizing the latest ordnance and targeting pods.

48-024 is a "Wing King" history sheet and covers 91-0352, a block 50 jet that has served as the 52nd FW flagship since it arrived at Spangdahlem. The jet is probably one of the most photographed F-16s on earth, and has worn spectacular schemes during its career, and now you can dress up your Tamiya viper in style! Markings cover the jet from 1999/OAF, 2001, 2003/OIF and 2006 wearing the "Have Glass" finish and carrying the latest ordnance and targeting pods.

18th Aggressor Squadron news!!

A while back when we learned about the stand up of a new aggressor squadron for Red Flag Alaska at Eielson AFB, we immediately set to work making contacts and laying ground work to bring you the latest in USAF aggressor jet markings. Recently, the paint barn at Kunsan, where the 18th AGRS jets are coming from unveiled a brand new scheme for F-16 bandits....a wicked 3 tone gray, black and white "arctic" scheme! We'd been told of the existance of plans for this last year while working with Nellis' graphics section, but seeing it actually applied to a jet is tremendous! It just looks amazing! Right now the squadron is in stand up mode, and the decisions about staffing and which jets are getting what schemes and who'll crew them are still up in the air, but the pards we've made up there are stoked about the markings and we'll jump on the sheet for it the moment they get things finalized in Fairbanks. In the meantime, drop by the forum to see the linked pictures, and Shawn busted out a fantastic profile of the new scheme.

3 new releases ready to go!

48-019 is the actual first in the new "Wing King" series for the F-15 units, and covers the 11th AF flagship and the 3rd Wing flagship from Elmendorf AFB as well as the 18th Wing and OG flagships from Kadena AB, Okinawa. These markings are just superb looking, as PACAF eagle units have very unique markings.

48-020 is a special release for us. First, its #20 in the 1/48 line, and who thought we'd make it to 20? Second, its a subject grouping that we spent a ton of time on tracking down people and info for, so it became kind of a "quest" at times. It covers the block 40 vipers from the 86th FW at Ramstein in '94, both the 526th and 512th COs jets, and the both the 526th jets that scored kills against Serb J-21 Jastrebs during Deny Flight in Feb. '94 over Bosnia. 2137, Bob Wright's jet, is portrayed during 2 periods...the Jastreb kill mission, and later in the year wearing 512th tail flash but 3 kill marks. Both the COs jets feature great looking tail art, and the 512th jet is simply the coolest looking US F-16 I've ever seen. All wear the original 3-tone F-16 scheme. This covers an extremely interesting and important historical subject, and one that has been consistently overlooked....but no longer.

48-022 is our first foray into USMC and F/A-18D subjects, and we couldn't have picked 2 more beautiful jets. The first is VMFA(AW)-121's flagship from MCAS Miramar that sports the colors of the 2nd Marine Division. 121 just returned from a deployment to Iraq at Al Asad AF, and carries the mission marks for the entire unit on the nose as well as an array of unit patches from other units operating in their area in Iraq. This is one you can load up with ordnance and just looks tremendous. The second option on the sheet covers the flagship from VMFAT-101 "Sharpshooters" based at MCAS Miramar and is a wicked scheme lifted from an A-4 from the same unit in the 70s. Marine Corps hornets are generally fairly drab looking, but these are notable exceptions!

Check out the reference pages for some inspiration!

The Modern Viper Guide continues to set the absolute standard in reference books on a single airframe. The response to this has just been fantastic, and if you don't have one yet, GET ONE! You will be thrilled!

Lots of stuff in the works for after Christmas....Spang vipers, Misawa vipers, Hill and Aviano, plus a whole BUNCH of new eagle and hornet units drawn and in the wings.

Released today (10-5) is 48-021 the first available of the new "Wing Kings" series for the F-15 units. This first one covers the wing flagships from the 325th FW at Tyndall AFB and the 366th FW at Mountain Home AFB. This is also the first of the new Cartograf printed sheets and it is SPECTACULAR! The printing has to be seen to be believed. This sheet # is out of sequence due to Cartograf's printing schedule being quicker than MicroScale's, the actual first in the new eagle wing king line is still at print, and covers the 3rd FW at Elmendorf and the 18th FW at Kadena. Grab these things while you can, they won't last.

Released today (10-4) is Jake Melampy's new book

The Modern Viper Guide

This is the ULTIMATE F-16C reference guide and completely answers all your lingering questions about the F-16 in both easy to follow text and stunning photography. Its all right here, a true "one stop shop" in terms of modeling reference. There is nothing like it available anywhere in print and totally outstrips previous attempts at a "walkaround" book for the viper.

3 new releases this week, the first 2 in a series of stencil sheets and our first legacy hornet sheet. Ordering links are hot!

48-016 is the first of the stencil sheets in this series and is designed for use on the new Tamiya F-16 in 1/48. This sheet will allow you to utilize your older F-16 sheets designed to fit Hasegawa on the far superior Tamiya kit. The set includes tail numbers, exhaust petal markigs, the carbon fiber ring around a GE engine, canopy frame markings, 2 complete sets of stencils and a host of numbers that will allow you to customize existing markings to suit your taste in tail numbers.

48-017 is the set covering the F/A-18 Es and Fs will allow you to extend the use of our and other manufacturers sheets by providing stencils that allow you to use more options from 1 sheet. Included are the heat blanket areas on the upper fuselage, 2 complete sets of stencils with walkways, the white squares inside on the exhaust petals, and as many numbers as you need to completely customize a jet to your taste.

48-018 is the first in the upcoming series of legacy F-18 units is a superb one covering the Golden Warriors of VFA-87. These are some of the sharpest looking jets in the fleet, and the markings cover the squadron from the initial stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom, thru 2006 and the conversion from C models to the lower time F/A-18A+ the unit currently flies. 2 complete sets of stencils, including truly accurate walkways and as always your choices include CAG jets, CO jets, line jets and combat jets, plus a comprehensive guide to accurate loadouts that are a staple of what we do here.

In future releases we will add stencil sheets to cover the F-15, legacy hornet and possibly hawgs, and stay tuned for further developments for legacy hornets, as we have some fantastic sheets coming.

If you don't keep up with our forum, we announced the 19th and 20th 1/48 scale sheets. 48-019 is the PACAF F-15 "Wing Kings" sheet, and covers the Wing and OG jets from Kadena and the wing and 11th AF flagship from Elmendorf. This is a fantastic grouping....all 4 of these jets are awesome looking....I LOVE the gray codes on them.

Little Aggressor action for y'all.

The new 65th Aggressor sheet is in and it looks spectacular! I'm gonna go ahead and release it for sale because I'm gonna be out of pocket the next week and won't be shipping anyway, and the instructions should be back before I can get cracking. Not really a "presell" but more of a "get 'em while the're hot". We got shorted again on this one and didn't get the full run like normal, so snoozers beware! The 1/32 guys get love on this one as well.

3 sheets resting at print, VFA-87, Viper stencils for Tamiya and Super Hornet stencils. Lots of wicked stuff right behind 'em!

Welcome to the "new look" website!

During my latest computer crash, the files containing the website content were unable to be recovered, so the site had to be built back from the ground up. I took the opportunity to change the layout and look a little, and improve some of the functions, but by and large its the same ol' site! Some of the content will be added back later next week...gallery pages and whatnot....after I can move my fingers and my wife is talking to me again.

The 5 new sheets are flying out the door as fast as I can get 'em out. We sure appreciate all the support, but in the future I think we'll try fewer releases more frequently instead of 5 or 6 all at once. Wow.

To that end, the reprint for the 65th Aggressors in 1/48 with the 2 1/32 jets ought to be back in the next couple of weeks, so start saving your pennies, it won't last any longer than the first one did, and I don't anticipate a 3rd release. The sheet covers all 7 current 65th jets in 1/48 and 2 jets....the blue COs jet and a brown C model in 1/32.

The art for the next 2 viper sheets is done, and headed to print soon. These cover block 50 vipers from Spangdahlem AB, the wing jet 91-0352 from 4 eras and the 22nd FS, designed for Tamiya. Also in the que soon is a sheet of viper stencils for Tamiya so you can use your older Hasegawa sized sheets on the Tamiya kit. Stencils sheets for the F-15 and super hornets are close behind.

The legacy hornet and super hornet units are being covered this fall, with sheets for VFA-87, VFA-105, VFA-154, VFA-86, VFA-203 and VFA-37 in the works.

The eagles, both strikes and light grays have sheets coming from Strike Eagle Demo, SJ, Lakenheath, PACAF and Mountain Home.

You hawg lovers hold tight....we have some stuff coming that will blow you away!

It looks to be a great fall and winter here, so stay tuned.

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