F-DCAL 1/144
Air France A300B2/B4

This new decal company has exploded onto the market with an incredibly large catalog. The decals are printed with a color laser printer, so the inks are translucent, but the color density is quite good, with no banding as you might see on some Alps decals. This sheet provides the livery found on the initial delivery A300s to Air France. This is a fairly basic livery, consisting of a blue cheatline, a blue chevron on the tail, and Air France titles on the fuselage. The lower quarter of the fuselage is natural metal, while the rest is white. In addition to the large Air France titles on the fuselage, this sheet also includes the small vertical titles that go next to all the doors. The seahorse emblem is also included, as is the elongated French flag for the rear fuselage.

Common markings include windows, engine logos, and two sets of door outlines, one marked for the Airfix kit. Finally, the instructions provide a complete listing of all seven A300B2 and seventeen A300B4 aircraft flown by Air France, showing which registration goes with which plane. The decals include enough letters to do any of these aircraft.

This is a well-done sheet using a new printing method that hopefully will stand the test of time. The Air France delivery scheme for the A300 offers a different look for this first airliner from Airbus and for those who like building delivery aircraft this is one sheet you’ll have to pick up. Be sure to check out F-DCAL’s website for other decals in their interesting range.