1/48 Trainers No More: Trojans At War Decals - T-28B/C/D Trojans in The Vietnam War

Unfortunately the two "VNAF" (US) 1st Air Commando shark-mouthed schemes have some colour uncertainty. At the time of printing, of the approximately 30 photos available of their aircraft, all except two were black/white - and of those two in colour, in one that specific aircraft didn't have the lightning bolt on the tail and the other didn't have the sharkmouth.

(a) Various written accounts conflict regarding the lightning bolt colour: light blue, blue, and red were all described. In the black/white photos the bolt appears very dark in comparison to the colour of inside of the eyes, which is known to be red from the colour photo. One early colour photo shows a red bolt, but it's not clear if they were standard. Therefore, both red and dark blue bolts are provided as decals.

(b) The inside of the sharkmouth is usually shown in profile illustrations as red. However, with some aircraft the inside of the mouth is noticeably very dark, appearing darker than the inside of the eye (red), such as the case with 53-8371. On the other hand, the inside of the mouth on 53-8372 appears closer in colour to the red eye colour. Both the teeth and the eyes also varied from aircraft to aircraft (they were hand painted) so it is possible perhaps the colours also varied? Only red-filled mouths are provided (though with some carefully trimming and painting the red section of the decals can be removed and painted a different colour.)

18 Marking options included:

Although none are specifically marked with the US national insignia, many of these were also US operated/maintained under the disguise of other nationalities as part of the "secret" war outside of Vietnamese borders.

United States - 2 schemes (T-28D-5)
South Vietnam - 5 schemes (T-28B and T-28C)
Laos - 5 schemes (T-28B, T-28C, T-28D, and T-28D-5)
Thailand - 3 schemes (T-28D and T-28D-5)
Cambodia - 1 scheme (T-28D)
Khmer Republic - 2 schemes (T-28B and T-28D)

Two types of full airframe stencilling are also provided - one as the original full decal type lettering and the other as the sprayed/stencil lettering. Two versions of the walkway striping are also provided.

How to apply water-slide decals:
1. Preparation: to achieve better result, a gloss or semi-gloss coat is very important. It will make a smooth layer which the decals will suction to and make it much easier to apply and set them.
2. Cut out the decal you need (do it on cutting mat)
3. Grab the decal with tweezers, place it on the surface of the water and leave it for about 20 seconds.
4. Remove the decal from the water and place it on paper towel to remove any excess water.
5. Apply decal solution to the part where the decal is to be placed.
6. Slide the decal off the backing paper on to the model. Using a paint brush or cotton bud is a good way to do this without damaging the decal.
7. Use the brush, knife or cotton bud to position the decal. Using your paper towel, gently dab the decal and soak up the excess water (decal softener is also recommended at this stage. After applying softener, the decal will suction to the part and flatten out smooth.)
8. When the decal is completely dry, give another coat of varnish or Klear/Future to seal it.