Euro Decals 1/72 & 1/48 Swedish Air Force 1968 Exercise Markings

Euro Decals has come out with several sheets aimed at Swedish Air Force aircraft, a subject that has been sorely lacking in the aftermarket world.  Rather than providing specific aircraft, these sheets have been aimed at generic markings that could be used on a variety of aircraft.  This particular sheet provides those interesting 1968 exercise markings found on fighter and support aircraft.

In late 1968, the Swedish Air Force put on a large exercise that incorporated a large number of aircraft.  The two sides were marked with opposing colors, one side taking fluorescent yellow and the other taking fluorescent red.  These markings were 200mm squares of self-adhesive tape that were applied to the vertical tail, wings, and fuselage.  The majority of aircraft marked with these squares were Saab J-35s and Saab J-32s, but there were also some Saab Sk-60s and Percival Pembrokes that also wore them.  The instructions provide examples of some of the most common applications.  As an added bonus, there are a couple small stingray unit emblems in fluorescent yellow, which were carried a handful of J-35s that were part of the Flygvapnets Drakengrupp display team.

These are a very welcome addition to fans of the Swedish Air Force, as masking these checks can be very tough, not to mention getting a good match for the fluorescent yellow and red.  There are enough provided on this sheet for several aircraft as well, so one could build a handful of J-35s and J-32s and still have some left over.  My thanks to Fantasy Printshop for the review sample.