1/48 Hasegawa Sabre, AZ ANG - 80's Matchbox tribute

[Sun Ra]

Do you remember the old 1/72 Matchbox Sabre? I must have made about half a dozen back at the turn of the 80s/90s when I was a kid. I really liked the shape of the aircraft and the cool Arizona Air National Guard decals, not that I really understood what the ANG was back then. I usually built them 'in'flight', it was the quickest and easiest way to get kits built and I was impatient to have a finished 'plane (later, I started doing them gear-down and open cockpit, and I remember being proud of how good they look. They where probably terrible). Browsing Hannats website I happened across Microscale's 1/48 decals for the f-86 featuring the very same Arizona ANG 'roaring lion' scheme, so I couldn't resist. The Hasegawa kit is obviously way more detailed than the Matchbox (but only in one colour plastic, unlike Matchbox's which had some parts in a fetching baby blue, as I recall), but I stayed true to my roots and did it 'in flight' - which required some filling in with Milliput as mature, serious modellers don't do in flight, and the kit isn't designed for that. The decals caused me a few headaches with the long side decal spliting into 3 on the starboard side, line up issues on the nose band and masking-tape lifting off bits, even after a coat of varnish (and others - see what you can spot!). Massively enjoyable blast from the past, now I'm off to run around the living room 'flying' my Sabre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's a Sabre in my garden!

 

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Great looking sabre in very nice Air guard markings 👍

[DennisTheBear]

Haha! Recently finished the Matchbox 1/72 Sabre (with the other markings).

 

Beautifully done!

 

DennisTheBear

[Builder]

Nicely done

[Unfinished project]

Lovely build and it’s nice to know I’m not the only that’s runs around with their kits. I personally like buzzing the cats or if it a helicopter hovering in front of the fish tank

[Sun Ra]

6 hours ago, Unfinished project said:

Lovely build and it’s nice to know I’m not the only that’s runs around with their kits. I personally like buzzing the cats or if it a helicopter hovering in front of the fish tank

I'm 42 going on 11 when I build a kit! Officially, my 'planes are for my son to play with once they're built. He never gets near them.

Edited November 9, 2017 by Sun Ra