Monogram North American F-86F Sabre
As designers will tell you, if it looks right, it is right. Well, the North American F-86 Sabre just really looks right. Really right. With its sleek swept wings the Sabre was an elegant warplane. North American had started the XP-86 project in 1945 and when German data(and engineers) became available post-war, the design adopted swept wings, settling on 35 degrees. The first production P-86A flew on May 18, 1948, several months after the MiG-15, its classic rival and adversary in countless dogfights in "MiG Alley" during the Korean War. In addition to its pleasing aesthetics, the Sabre is one of the most-produced warplanes, with 9,502 built by North American as well as licensed versions built in Japan, Canada, Italy and Australia.
Here's the Monogram 1/48 version that was boxed in combination with a MiG-15 in 1987. My plane bears the markings of Capt. Charles McSwain. His plane was "Mike's Bird", an F-86F-30 of the 39th FIS/ 51st FIW, Korea, summer of 1953. I finished this model in SnJ aluminum with some panels polished with the SnJ aluminum powder to various degrees. The decals are Microscale Decal no. 48-198. Thanks for looking her over!
Gary
Very nice, especially using the kit decals.
Wow! Nice job, the pics are nice too!
Nice build and presentation...love the Sabre.
Thanks gents! I appreciate the encouragement so much.
Gary
Great build. Looks like the real McCoy.
Thanks Tappie! Your comments made me smile this morning, I really appreciate that!
Gary
Beautiful plane, nicely staged. What material did you use for your runway?
Thank you Robert! The base is a piece of thin masonite, sprayed with some car trunk paint that I came across in an auto-parts store. The "tar strips" are drafting tape and the yellow lines were masked and sprayed with my Paasche Model H. Cracks were portrayed with an ink pen. The oil stains/spots are drips of thin paint, dirty thinner, that sort of stuff. Thanks again, I'm glad you liked her! Gary