1/72 TF-86F Sabre Trainer

[Courageous]

Hi guys. Here is the beginnings of my first ever WIP.

The plan is to build a 1/72 TF-86F, a 2-seater Sabre Trainer using the vacuform conversion kit from Falcon. The conversion recommends using the Heller kit which I will do but I'll be using as little as possible. The HobbyCraft kit will be used for most of it as I want to back-date the kit '6-3' wing to the narrow chord. The etched brass will be thrown into the offices as I want the canopy to be open.

Not sure what the pace will be like as I'll be doing it during my lunch hour at work.

Comments more than welcome.

TIA

[phildagreek]

Looks like an interesting subject, crack on!

[Vingtor]

I have used a couple of Falcon conversions, and they're quite good. Stay away from the Heller Sabre, though. I think the wing sweep angle is not correct.

Nils

[Courageous]

Don't worry Nils, I have no plans to use the Heller wings.

The lunch hour was spent marking, cutting, breaking and then sanding this vacuform plastic. A bit nerve breaking at times when you come across various thicknesses of plastic from the same mold! The canopy is nice and clear but will get dipped in the Clear at some stage. Fuselage has a nice shape with the odd dimple which will have to be removed. Panel lines are virtually non-existent so that looks like I'll have to do some scribing along the way, and I won't be looking forward to that . I've taken a look at the rear 'office' and I don't think I'll bother with it, think I'll go as planned and fit the HobbyCraft cockpit.

To be continued...

[Courageous]

Lunchtimes this week were wisely used to progress this build. So much is lost getting things out and packing away, not forgetting the work colleagues who think I'm .

Here we have the parts I've been working on. The fuselage halves have been cleaned up and tabs added to aid bonding later.

Here I'm using the Heller front wheel well, air intake and cockpit tub. Eduard PE has been added to improve the tub.

And here we have the HobbyCraft cockpit tub that's replaced the vacuform effort which lacked detail. Again, Eduard PE was added to give some detail.

That's it for a while as I'm off to the Cosford Air Show before heading across to the Mach Loop in Wales.

Thanks for viewing.

[Courageous]

For those that are interested, the Cosford Air Show was a little bit of a let down this year with a number of aircraft not turning up and cloud causing problems. The few days on the Mach Loop were also disappointing with a mixture of Hercs and Hawks being the only things showing, fast jets were told to avoid the loop after a photo was published. Hopefully it will be better next year.

Slow progress was made on the cockpit tubs, the only work being done was a paint job and fitting of consoles.

The Heller tub with intake.

The Hobbycraft tub (with its intake that will be discarded)

Until next time.

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Nice work

Just came across this thread and have the same conversion to do one day.

I like you approach to this build and I may have to source a second F-86 kit for my build.

[AngstROM]

Never EVER seen a 2-hole Sabre build!

[Courageous]

Nice work

Just came across this thread and have the same conversion to do one day.

I like you approach to this build and I may have to source a second F-86 kit for my build.

I have a few Sabres in my stash to help this build along and it was easier to rob a cockpit than try and make something from the vacuform effort. Soon I'll be starting on the wings and that'll require surgery to return them back to pre 6-3 configuration. I've done this once for an F-86A, so I know what's required but the fuselage will need to be 'hacked' to take the Hobbycraft wings and not the Heller.

Never EVER seen a 2-hole Sabre build!

I think only 3 were built so info is a little thin on the ground.

Next stop will be fitting the tubs...should be fun.

[Courageous]

Things are moving along albeit slowly.

The completed tubs were fitted into a fuselage half. The front fitted okay as it was fitted to the front wheel well but the rear was a little more problematic having no fixing points. Using the vacuform tub as a reference, the rear cockpit was fitted making anchor points on both the fuselage side and the floor of the front tub.

Fuselage sides fitted together with the Heller nose. Seems were cleaned and filled with filler and will no doubt need more work later. The area forward of the front tub is meant to be gun sight but looks like a blob and will most probably be removed and the Hobbycraft one fitted later. The space between the tubs and behind the rear tub will have decks fitted later also.

Underside shot showing plenty of space to put the nose weight.

Here I've fitted a 'fairing' on the underside of the tail, exhaust to be fitted later. Besides, makes a useful handling point.

This will be the next major area of work. Here is the Hobbycraft wing temporarily located to give me some idea of what needs to be done next. The wings will need to be converted back to pre 6-3 wing status; a scale 'wedge' will be removed. The fuselage will need to widened and/or fillets added to wing roots to get the wings to fit. And the gaping hole at the rear is where the Heller lower wing is meant to fit and so I'll be fitting the Heller shaped part in here.

Until next time.

[Courageous]

Slow progress over the last few weeks.

My process for modifying these wings was to score/ cut along the existing panel lines from root to tip. Putting the main wings aside, the slat parts had slithers of plastic removed until scale chord was achieved. Here is the HobbyCraft wing set that has been modified back to the pre 6-3 stage.

Hopefully the next posting won't be so long. Thanks for looking.

[Courageous]

Hi Guys, thought it was about time I got back into the seat with this Sabre now the man cave is back up and running.

 

Topside view of the Sabre Trainer. The converted wings have now been fitted and fillets added at the wing roots and now need filler. Very little/ no data exists for the cockpit area so I have used a bit of artistic license to fill in the gaps; fire-control console added at the front, middle platform with a few electronic boxes added and the rear platform also added. 

 

Work on the underside  started with the filling of the gaping hole, and here I used a part of the Heller lower wing and then got to work with the filler.

 

Back to the bench.

 

Stuart

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Nice to see Stuart

[Britman]

That is looking really good,look forward to more of the same. To my memory, when I last looked some years ago, I seem to remember only one aircraft constructed. Incidentally, I used to model in my lunch breaks, completing an Airfix E3D!  My colleagues also thought me a bit strange "playing" with "airfix " kits.

Enjoy your hobby! 

[RidgeRunner]

I'm keeping a watch on this one. I have a Falcon FJ-2 in the pile but to date I haven't had the courage to start cutting plastic!

 

Martin

 

[Giorgio N]

Glad to see you're back at the bench and have restarted work on the TF-86 !

[Sabrejet]

Hello! 

 

I’m new here so I hope I won’t ruffle any feathers by joining in with this thread (nice work by the way). I have done a great deal of research into the F-86 in all forms and hope I may be able to add to what has already been written above. In essence, two TF-86F Sabres were produced, with this their brief story:

 

No.1 TF-86F (NAA model NA-204) modified in production from F-86F-30 s/n 52-5016 with second cockpit and 63-inch forward fuselage extension. Maiden flight 14^th December 1953 by Ray Morris. Aircraft crashed on take-off at Nellis AFB on 17^th March 1954, killing NAA test pilot Joe Lynch (it was the aircraft’s 9^th flight).

 

No.2 TF-86F (NAA model NA-216) modified in production from F-86F-35 s/n 53-1228.  Maiden flight 5^th August 1954 (by Bob Hoover?). Short test career and then to 3595^th Combat Crew Training Wing at Nellis AFB on 31^st January 1955. USAF announced on 7^th February 1955 that no production orders for the trainer would be forthcoming and on 10^th March the No.2 TF-86F was transferred to Edwards AFB for use as a chase plane. The aircraft was flown to McClellan AFB for depot work on 20^th November 1958, reclassified for storage there on 21^st July 1959 and finally scrapped in March 1961.

 

From a modelling perspective:

 

No.1 TF-86F as-built (s/n 52-5016):

Narrow-chord, slatted wing

No armament

No ventral fin (but see Note 1)

 

Note 1:

No.1 TF-86 later modified with increased surface area at junction of tailfin/spine + vertical tail ‘fence’.

 

No.2 TF-86F as-built (s/n 53-1228):

Narrow-chord, slatted wing (but see Note 2)

Armament x2 0.5-inch machine guns

Ventral fin

Additional surface area at junction of tailfin/spine junction

 

Note 2:

No.2 TF-86 later modified (in/after 1955) with broad-chord, extended-span, slatted “F-40” wing.

 

Attached some photos to show differences:

 

No.1 machine, after modification:

 

No.2 machine, after modification:

 

No.1 aircraft at roll-out:

 

No.2 aircraft, first flight:

 

No.2 aircraft, final colour scheme/configuration:

 

Hope these help and look forward to your updates!

 

SJ

 

 

Edited May 8, 2017 by Sabrejet

[stevehnz]

Great thread & great last post from Sabrejet. From having absolutely no interest in this aircraft I'm now on the hot side of lukewarm on it. I'll be watching the rest of this thread with much greater interest from here on in.

Steve.

[Antoine]

HI Stuart, 

Some very good work going on here.

I'm more interested in the vacform conversion than the Sabre in itself.

Any fit problems between the two half fuselage?

It seems that you needed some plates here and there to strenghten the structure?

[Courageous]

Sabrejet, welcome. Lots of good info and I'll be doing 228 (no.2) with the markings between its first flight and final scheme, like this: 

 

4 hours ago, Antoine said:

HI Stuart, 

Some very good work going on here.

I'm more interested in the vacform conversion than the Sabre in itself.

Any fit problems between the two half fuselage?

It seems that you needed some plates here and there to strenghten the structure?

Antoine, IIRC this is my second vacuform and I'm in no way an experienced hand in vacuform subjects. Because their are no location lugs and the thin plastic, plastic plates were added everywhere. This gives a lot more plastic for gluing and outer surfaces are nearly level, so less filler required. If you are using the donor kit that matches the vacuform suggestion, these will be a better fit, eg. my front undercarriage bay (Heller). Other parts, like the Hobbycraft wings, were more hassle, we're modellers...

 

Hopefully, the filling and sanding is complete and I'll get the primer on this evening.

 

Regards to all,

 

Stuart

[John_W]

Nice. The Fuji T-1 looks similar.

[Courageous]

Hi peeps. Managed to progress the subject a little further along after ripping out my back boiler.

 

This was the main pain so far in this build, getting to blend in the Heller windscreen with the vacuform but I think this is the best it's going to get...primer will tell.

 

Well, the primer went on and windscreen blending needed a little more work and this is as far as I'm willing to go.

 

Primer on and smoothed down, hopefully all ready for the Humbrol Metalcoat. Canopy nicely dipped in the Johnsons...nice shiny. I wish I had the confidence to scribe a few panel lines on the fuselage but it's quite thin in places.

 

Next, besides the paint, is some DIY decals, you'd have thought that Falcon would have supplied the necessary serials 

 

Until next time.

 

Stuart

[Sabrejet]

Looks good: are you still doing the Sabre 2 & 4? Wondered if you had schemes in mind.

[PLC1966]

Some good work going on here.  

 

Good info Sabrejet

[Courageous]

28 minutes ago, Sabrejet said:

Looks good: are you still doing the Sabre 2 & 4? Wondered if you had schemes in mind.

Yes, they are in the queue. The plan is to build a Sabre variant every other build and those listed were all started, well the wings were started at the same time as they all had non 6-3 wing, so I got all the slicing out of the way, might've started the tubs also...  The Sabre 2 was going to be a Canadian silver job when they were arriving in Europe and Sabre 4 was going to be an early RAF variant.

 

Stuart