1-600 USA White Star & Red Bar 1947-1980s Decals

These 1-600 USA White Star & Red Bar 1947-1980s Decals provide full-color star-and-bar national insignia for 1-600 scale aircraft miniatures representing USAAF, USAF, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The subject covers 1947-1980s; select the marking combination appropriate to the aircraft being modelled.

Decal Information

The sheet provides USA White Star & Red Bar 1947-1980s markings for 1-600 scale aircraft miniatures.

They are printed on clear-background waterslide decal paper. They need to be individually cut out. Apply over a properly prepared and gloss-coated model surface using normal waterslide-decal techniques.

Key Historical Details

Region / Nation: United States Service: USAAF, USAF, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Time Period: 1947-1980s Primary Marking: Full-color star-and-bar national insignia Scale: 1-600

Historical Information

The new marking was adopted on January 14, 1947, several months before the independent United States Air Force was formally established. The addition of the red bars restored all three colors of the American flag to the national aircraft insignia while preserving the star-and-bar silhouette developed during World War II.

The insignia was initially seen on late U.S. Army Air Forces aircraft and quickly became standard on aircraft of the new U.S. Air Force, as well as the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. It remained the principal full-color national insignia throughout the Korean War, Vietnam era, and much of the Cold War.

Representative aircraft included the F-86 Sabre, F-100 Super Sabre, F-104 Starfighter, F-4 Phantom II, F-8 Crusader, A-4 Skyhawk, A-7 Corsair II, F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-52 Stratofortress, and C-130 Hercules.

Beginning in the later Cold War period, tactical aircraft increasingly adopted subdued low-visibility versions of the national insignia to complement gray and camouflage finishes. The full-color red-bar design nevertheless remained the basis of the official U.S. aircraft national marking.