FCM 1/48 & 1/32 F-5 Tigers

Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl

These two sheets are very similar in subject, so I thought I would save time and combine the reviews. The main difference between the two is that the 1/48 sheet includes some F-5As, designed for the Classic Airframes kit. As there is no 1/32 kit of the F-5A, they wisely chose to fill the space with interesting F-5Es (although we do have an interesting article here at Internet Modeler on converting Hasegawa's F-5E into an F-5A).

Starting with the couple of F-5As on the 1/48 sheet, the first is for a Venezuelan F-5A of the 'Jaguares' squadron. This plane is camouflaged in two shades of green and a brown over light gray, and has a large red pennant emblem on the tail. The other aircraft is actually an RF-5A, of the 132nd TRS, 39th TRG in South Korea. This plane is camouflaged in the same colors as the Venezuelan aircraft, and has a double tiger head emblem on the fuselage.

For the F-5Es, there are lots of interesting options here. First up is a Brazilian special scheme. This plane is finished in green over light gray, much like the WW2 P-47s flown by Brazil. The back end of the fuselage is white, with the tail red and a large rendition of the squadron badge covering the tail and part of the rear fuselage. "Senta a Pua" is on the fuselage sides, and the fuselage drop tank has mission markings and the original Brazilian national insignia on it. This was painted up for the 60th anniversary of the squadron, and this scheme is on both the 1/48 and 1/32 sheets. Additionally, on the 1/32 sheet is another fancy Brazilian F-5E, this one for the 53 Years Pampa Commemorative aircraft. This plane has a large tiger on the spine, and a sharkmouth on the drop tank, all in gray.

Next up is another South American F-5, this time from Chile. This plane has a Tiger III emblem on the tail, and the usual Chilean national markings in low viz on the wings. The rudder is blue, with a white star, and this scheme is on both the 1/48 and 1/32 sheets. Additionally, on the 1/32 sheet is another Chilean F-5E, this time with high-viz, but small national insignia, and a double tiger head emblem on the tail.

Moving across the Atlantic, the next one up is a Tunisian F-5E of 15 Squadron. This aircraft is camouflaged in an intriguing scheme consisting of a tan, a green, and a blue-gray. This will make for a very interesting F-5, especially with the red and white Tunisian national insignia. Moving a bit further east, we come to a Saudi Arabian F-5E, and this plane is camouflaged in the Asia Minor scheme of two browns and a green over gray. Standard Saudi markings are in the usual locations. Both of these options are on the 1/48 and 1/32 sheets, and these finish off the 1/48 sheet.

The 1/32 sheet has one more aircraft, this being an F-5E from Singapore. This plane has an interesting camouflage consisting of three shades of gray in a wrap-around scheme. The RSAF national markings and all the squadron markings are in a dark gray.

These decals offer some very interesting schemes for the F-5, and I believe that this is the first time foreign operators have been offered in a 1/32 sheet. FCM decals have an intriguing method of application, in which the carrier film is designed to be removed after application, which will result in just the decal ink remaining on the model. With no film to worry about, silvering is non-existant and the finish will truly look magnificent. My thanks to FCM for the review samples.