Starfighter Decals 1/72 B-10s in USAAC Service
By Matt Bittner
Overview
While the Williams Brothers kit has been out for quite some time - I think the first release was around 1974 - there hasn't been much aftermarket provided for it, even though it was the only injected kit of the subject in 1/72 scale. Now that Special Hobby/Azur-Frrom is producing a new-tool B-10 (along with most export versions) we will definitely see more aftermarket produced. The first is this set of decals from Starfighter Decals.
The Decals
This new decal sheet from Starfighter Decals contains twelve different B-10s:
- YB-10, 33-? (140-153) 7th Bomber Group (B.G.) Hamilton Field, CA, Maj. C.L. Tinker, 1 Jan 1935 (Olive Drab (OD) fuselage)
- B-10B, 34-72, 7th B.G. Hamliton Field, CD
- B-10B(?), 96th Bombardment Squadron (B.S.), 2nd B.G. Langley Field, VA
- B-10B, 33-164, 31st B.S., 7th B.G., Hamilton Field, CA
- B-10B(?), 11th B.S. 7th B.G.
- B-10B(?), 1st B.S., 9th B.G., Mitchell Field, NY
- B-10B(?), 7th Observation Squadron, 6th Composite Group, France Field, C.Z.
- B-10B(?), 25th B.S., 6th Composite Group, France Field, C.Z.
- B-10B(?), 5th B.S., 9th B.G., Mitchell Field, NY
- B-10B, 33-168(?), 94th Pursuit Squadron (P.S.), 1st Pursuit Group (P.G.), Selfridge Field, MI (overall Aluminum)
- B-10B, 33-168(?), 27th P.S., 1st P.G., Selfridge Field, MI
- B-10B, 34-51, 28th B.S., Clark Field, P.I., 1938 (overall Aluminum)
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The decal sheet is nicely printed, appears to be in register and the colors are excellent. Unless specifics are given in the list above as to colors, all aircraft are finished with Blue 23 (True Blue) fuselage with Yellow 04 flying surfaces. There are common decals enough for two B-10s so if you want to build all of these, then you'll need to source the common decals for the other ten.
Conclusion
With the imminent release of the Special Hobby/Azur-Frrom series of B-10s, this is a timely decal sheet. Or, if you still have a Williams Brothers kit (or two) in your stash, like I do, this is another source of markings for that model. Definitely worth tracking down.