Next month will see the welcome re-release of one of Platz's most popular decal sheets - the spectacular JASDF 50th Anniversary scheme worn by F-2B s/n 33-8119 at Dokuganryu Matsushima Base.

Featuring dramatic artwork of "Dokuganryu Masamune" on the fin and unusual mirrored text on the starboard fuselage side, the decals are superbly custom-printed by Cartograph in Italy. The registration is perfect on the sample sheet and the thin glossy items have a crystal clear carrier film.

The designers at Platz take a somewhat unusual approach to stencil markings; rather than give you myriads of tiny individual decals, they group them together where possible onto larger patches of carrier film, including items that overlay one another. This only works successfully thanks to Cartograph's superb print-registration and does undoubtedly make applying them a lot quicker, but it's worth holding the sheet up to the light to double-check the shape of the grouped items before reaching straight for the scissors - otherwise you'll be back at square one with a lot of individual decals...

For this preview sample, only a colour copy of the instructions was included but it's representative of the finished thing. A full colour profile of the scheme is on one side of the instructions, with B&W plan views and reference photos on the reverse. The main text is Japanese-only, but numbers and paint names (complete with FS matches) are in English which is all the information you really need.

Conclusion

This is a beautifully produced set of decals that will certainly make for a striking F-2B. Recommended for all fans of modern Japanese jets.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.