Afterburner Decals interesting release of a water slide decal detail set called 'Viper Zero' is a continuation of the inclusion of instrument panels that are found on the decal sheets of many kits. Afterburner have taken the concept a little further by including decals for the exhaust petals as well. This set is intended to supplement the Afterburner releases of the 21 Hikotai F-2B [Ref no: 48-065] and 6th Hikotai F-2A/B [Ref no: 48-064] decal sheets.

Contents.

Included in the resealable clear plastic bag are:
1 x A5 coloured instruction sheet.
1 x set of decals.

Afterburner have released a set of decals that will help those modellers who are shy of resin and PE detailed accessories. Included in this set are:
2 x front seat instrument panel and side consoles.
2 x rear seat instrument panel and side consoles.
4 x sets of seat harnesses.
8 x decals for the bang seats.
2 x sets of decals for the notices on the undercarriage.
1 x set of tyre brand names in white.
1 x set of tyre brand names in black.
2 x sets of decals for the exhaust petals

The decals are printed by Cartograf, so it's no surprise when I say that the quality and registration are superb. The decals for the instruments panels and side consoles look very good. The look of the instruments with the illuminated screens are possibly for an aircraft with power on. The instrument panel is made up of several decals of each individual instrument. It's important to study the instructions carefully so that the decals are placed correctly. There are no number references to help, which would have been useful and is a system normally used by Afterburner. Once the various elements of the instrument panel have been identified, placing should be no problem, as long as your patient. I am not familiar with the Hasegawa kit so I am not sure if the instruments are low relief in nature. If so then these will need to be sanded smooth before these decals can be applied. The inclusion of decals for the bang seat is very useful as are the water slide decal seat harnesses. The notice tags for the undercarriage legs are a real bonus, a feature that is often overlooked on the kit decal sheets. They are particularly noticeable on the white coloured undercarriage legs, as are the straps that are also represented on this decal sheet. The writing on the notices are tiny and I can make out letters, but my eyesight does not do these decals justice. The decals look the part. A really nice touch is the decals for the brand names of the tyres. There is even the tyre details on another decal as well. The decals for the exhaust petals are a excellent idea and will save many hours of tedious masking to achieve the various colours of the external components. The decals for the inside of the exhaust petals may be a bit more challenging to place, but very welcome none the less. It does not state which kit the decals are sized for, but the decal sheets for 21 Hikotai F-2B [Ref no: 48-065] and 6th Hikotai F-2A/B [Ref no: 48-064] are intended for the Hasegawa kits.

Conclusions.

The instrument panel, side consoles and exhaust petal decals are very welcome alternative or supplement to detailing parts in PE or resin. The use of decals for these part will appeal to those that dislike highlighting resin parts and handling PE bits. What is important Afterburner have provided the modeller with a choice, which has to be a good thing.