USS Nimitz CVW-8 1981
(or at least as close as I can get)

I'm setting out to build representations of the 1981 USS Nimitz air wing, as represented by CVW-8. This is a long term project, but I've already got a good start. I chose this particular wing because:

A.) It is well documented due to a couple of incidents. The first was the crash of an EA-6B Prowler on May 26, 1981. The second was the first Gulf of Sidra incident on August 19, where two Tomcats from the Nimitz shot down two Su-22s

B.) It was a time when the Navy air wing was at it's most aesthetic. High visibility markings were still around, although a couple of wings were transitioning towards the newer low-vis paint jobs. The wing was also pretty diverse, instead of being just a ton of Bugs.

CVW-8 consisted of the following air wings in 1981:

VF-41 "Black Aces" - F-14A Tomcat
VF-84 "Jolly Rogers" - F-14A Tomcat (Complete)
VA-82 "Marauders" - A-7E Corsair II
VA-86 "Sidewinders" - A-7E Corsair II
VA-35 "Black Panthers" - A-6E Intruder (In Progress)
VMAQ-2 Det. Y "Playboys" - EA-6B Prowler
VS-24 "Scouts" - S-3A Viking
HS-9 "Sea Griffins" - SH-3H Sea King
VAW-124 "Bear Aces" - E-2C Hawkeye (In Stash)

Luckily, some of these have the correct decals as a part of their kit, like VF-84, VA-35, and VAW-124. Others I've found aftermarket decal options for. The real issues look like they'll be in finding HS-9 and VS-24 decals.