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@Sabrejet--not only are you an F-86 master, you are da man! Thank you so much for closing the loop on any question I have on my project and sharing your vast wealth of knowledge for all of us on Britmodeller! So appreciated! Best, Erwin

@Sabrejet, thank you so much—you can’t make it clearer than that. One last question if I may on the tail fin. Is it more than likely the fiberglass areas were painted aluminum, or were they a light aircraft grey? Thinking about using Tamiya Flat Aluminum (airbrushed from the acrylic range) to replicate a painted look (if they were painted) against a NMF created by Al Clads, Xtreme Metal, and Mr Color Silver (I am going to try your technique for the center wing highlighted above). Thanks again—this is amazing help! Best, Erwin

Hello everyone, First, thanks for all the great information above. As I work on my research, I thought I would another two F-86F questions given all the amazing information I have learned here and think the answers might be of interest to the community. Apologies if these answers are readily available and I missed them. I understand that F-86F cockpits were by an large overall black during the Korean War. In looking at the F-86As at the USAF museum and Smithsonian, I think the CM A-1 box underneath the gun sight would be Interior Green or Olive Drab. Would this piece of electrical equipment that is ahead of the instrument panel underneath the sighting glass black or an olive color in an F-86F? Hopefully the link to the to the Smithsonian's F-86A cockpit below works. As mentioned by @Sabrejet in another thread, I think the F-86As at the museums were upgraded with radar gunsights similar to Es and Fs since they have metal intakes vice the earlier fiber class ones. Apologize if I misunderstood https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/10106pjpg Also, regarding the top of the tail fin. Was this metal, painted fiberglass or combination on an F-86F? Everytime I think I have it figured out, I discover something that makes me change my mind. Thank you all for your generous help and time Hope all is well Erwin

@Tony Edmundson--so sorry for delayed response--thank you for the amazing pictures!

Thanks @Sabrejetand great eye! Best, Erwin

@Sabrejet—thats gorgeous! If you don’t mind me asking, what shade did you use for the center wing? (Or rough ratio of white to silver) Best, Erwin

@Sabrejet--my man! That pic of the square air break is like a thousand words! Thank you so much. On the pic just above the TACAN intake it looks like there are 2 other intakes on the same panel--do those go too? I am thinking the rear fuselage is pretty clean on dash 30 Saber. I got to ask give your deep bench of knowledge on this aircraft--any thoughts on XTreme metal or AL Clad colors for an F-86F in Korea. No worries if you dont have time--the above is so helpful and energizing given the issues I created with my Academy kit. Thank you so much! Best, Erwin

Thanks @Julien--with all the F-86 info out there it is tough to keep it straight. I appreciate the wing confirmation the Mig Killer having the correct wing. Best, Erwin

Hello everyone, Sorry its been a while since I posted as life has been really busy (in a great way). That said, I ran into a great deal of trouble with the Academy F-86F that I had been working on given previous advice kindly provided by @Sabrejet & @72modeler that the wings and overall kit Academy were pretty good. The trouble I ran into with the Academy kit had really nothing to do with the kit, I basically had a mess on my hand when it got dropped, and the seams cracked, which then led to further issues when I tried to restore the finish, use differnt color base coats and the like). With that, I found found the F-86F Mig Keller by Fujimi and decided to replace the Academy F-86 with this given the discussion below in my quest to add "The Huff" to my collection. Given reviews, I felt the Fujimi kit would have finer detail as I felt the detail on Academy's wing in particular was a little soft and liked the full trunking in the Fujimi kit. I got a little bit lost in the detailed coverage of the both the North American and Canadaire Sabres. Basically, I wanted to confirm the following for a Korean War F-86F: - Is the Fujimi Wing in the Mig Killer Box accurate for a Korean War hard wing F-86F like the "The Huff"--any thing I need to fix on it (I understand the wing in the Mig Killer box is different than the wing in Fujimi's JASDF tooling for the block 40 and later--I believe the JSADF dash 40 F Wing is longer, lacks a fence and slotted compared to a Korean War F-86F dash 30 wing) - I understand there is an engine scoop on the rear of the Fujimi fuselage which was typical of Mitsubishi built (upgraded?) machines--do I need to remove this for Korean War Saber like the Huff - I read a lot about the Fujimi (and Academy) air breaks being too square--would anyone be willing to show/link a pic of how? Sorry if I missed an example on the thread - Tracking the Huff likely had a black cockpit, interior green wheel wells, air break wells/interior. Is it true that F-86 ejection seat headrests could be black, red, or olive green? - Finally advice on what Alclad or AK Xtreme metal colors to use on my Saber would be most welcome as this is one my first NMF aircraft using these paints. I have decided to stick with Tamiya Gloss black as primer) - Anything I am missing beside not hanging side winders on this aircraft 😉 Thank you for reviewing and any suggestions folks might have Best, Erwin

Bob, really excited to see you working this. That cockpit is amazing! Best, Erwin

This Thud is coming along in an amazing fashion—what a joy to review! Best, Erwin

Happy New Year folks and my last installment of the 1/72 F4U-1D build--final painting and finishing. I must say that I am very happy with @Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies's Colour Coats enamels. They spray very well even when heavily thinned on low pressure and do not loose their historic matching. I think this is especially important when building a Gloss Sea Blue Corsair--the intensity of the F4U-1D's operational service to counter the Kamikaze threat juxtaposed with how relatively new they were to US carriers in 1945 presents unique challenges for a GSB finish. In the of VMF-112's #1 on USS Bennington, one can make out the cloth areas and see the aircraft is well maintained but it is beginning to see the effects of heavy service. I applied ACUS34/ANA623 Gloss Sea Blue over the pre-shaded metal/cloth areas at about 30%paint/70%thinner at a low pressure (call it 10-12 psi). It took about 6 to 8 coats (or filters given the thin paint) so that the cloth areas looked slightly weathered/different than the metal areas. I also was not looking for full coverage of the wheel well areas and wanted some of the YZC to show through to assist in weathering later on. I then applied the Tamiya decals with heavy amounts of Micro Sol/Micro Set and AK's Decal solution. While they are thick, they eventually settled down. That said, in the future I will be using aftermarket decals or following the lead others and painting markings on rather than deal with Tamiya decals--for whatever reason (probably me) I am having trouble sourcing US national insignia markings (I have masks for Japanese aircraft) (Sorry for I did not take many pics of the decals stage) I then painted the anti-glare panel in front of the cockpit after installing Quickboost's cowl flaps--the internal detail is an improvement over the kit part and it drops in without effort. The non specular color difference research on Gloss Sea Blue Corsairs was new to me and per @Dana Bell's books this non-specular area was sprayed on at the factory free hand which is why it sometimes hard to discern. Additionally, you can see a difference in hue on the front 1/4r picture for the non-specular area in front of the cockpit of this particular aircraft as it gets ready to launch in 1945. I went with a best guess from Bell's research and used @Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies's Colour Coats ACUS33/ANA607 thinned at about 40% for this job using a combination of tape and silly putty. I then painted the walkways/footsteps with Tamiya Flat Black Landing gear and rocked stubs were next. Given the aircraft I am building was focused on fleet air defense when flying from the USS Bennington, it did not typically carry rockets. While not clear on the reference photos, most pictures of the VMF-112 during this time period indicate the aircraft retained the rocket stubs, so I cut them off the rockets and attached them. Main landing gear color and wheel color--this area seems to be a can of worms. My research led me to first go with grey, not aluminum lacquer for late WW2 F4U-1Ds as the research in @Dana Bell's book indicates that Chrysler requested and was granted a waiver to expend their stocks of grey paint when making this sub-component. The question was, what shade of grey! I finally settled on ACUS01 Light Gull Grey given a very similar shades use on the F4F-4 (albeit a Grumman aircraft painted to USN standard), F4U-1A and period pictures in Bell's book and Squadron's F4U In Action. Hopefully this is close and the grey looked correct to me with period photos (especially after weathering with AK's landing gear affects) Following Gloss Coats/Flat coats for the specular area as appropriate, it was time for washes. What build would be complete without a Flory Wash (I blame Johnny @The Spadgent for getting me started with this trick). I used their Grime and the White weathering wash, followed by AK's engine effects, chipping and various Tamiya Panel Line Accents. I then decided to give salt weathering a shot to further ding up the inner wings to replicate the impact of ground crew frequently climbing over the aircraft. I wetted down the ares and applied salt, letting it dry over night. I then removed it and was left with a slightly worn appearance. Finally I airbrushed heavily thinned Tamiya Flat White (may be 10% paint) from the exhausts based on photos to mimic the lede oxide that Double Wasp seemed to spit out with abandon, used an aluminum pencil for final scratches, and applied oil stains/fuel leaks and engine soot from AK Engine effects weathering set. I then attached one external fuel tank as it seems VF-112's F4U-1Ds only carried one in the 1945 time frame and it is time to call the F4U-1D complete for this go. (Most of the pictures I saw of carrier based F4U-1Ds only had one external tank, perhaps there is knowledge as to why across the bench of talent here (I could have messed this up to)) I also sprayed Alclad2 Hot Metal Sepia on the hot engine cowling area and finally used fishing line for the radio wires. Future RFI--- For my F4U-1D build there are many to thank on who helped me get to a level of feeling I got the colors and the like accurate to the best of our current knowledge. For better or worse the, F4U-1 series has been always been a color tracking challenge for me and I really appreciate folks on the forum who sent me great resources and provided inspiration along the way. @don f started this research and build journey a year ago generously sharing some expertise on late model F4U-1Ds & initial vectors on how to updated Tamiya's already excellent 1/72 F4U-1D (additional special shout out to @Chuck1945 & @Seahawk for their initial info on Chrysler supplied landing gear colors & the Tamiya kit's eccentricities). Their initial inputs are linked below I would be remiss not mentioning @Dana Bell's amazing 3 books on the F4U-1 series along with David Morris and the team at the FAA Museum who not only worked on KD431 but provided an amazing walk though of an F4U-1's internals. I would also like to thank a whole host of talent out there has slowed down the pacing of my builds, while increasing my enjoyment of the hobby-- @giemme, @The Spadgent, @billn53, @mark.au, @opus999, @ModelingEdmontonian, @Corsairfoxfouruncle, @RidgeRunner, @rob Lyttle, @Grey Beema and @elger are a few of the repeat helpers who have really inspired me through their builds and answering questions on how they make their amazing projects come together. Next up is an RFI for these USN fighters--I can say putting these Hellcats and an F4U-1D together was fun. Best to all and Happy New Year! Erwin

Great catch up G, those wheel wells look amazing with YZC showing through the wear and tear areas. The plumbing also pops--with Johnny @The Spadgent on the plastic card trick--useful! Best, Erwin

G, thanks! While it may seem like a sophomoric question, it is one where I greatly appreciate your perspective on outlining where to draw the line. Cheers, Erwin

G, as usual, looking awesome! One quick question, from an advice perspective given your spectacular results. I love your super detailed cockpits, wheel wells and the like on this and many other builds. I didn’t see a lot of the plumbing/wires etc under the seat of this floor-less Corsair. Was wondering if there is any rhyme or reason on where you draw the line on super detailing with your projects? Again, please don’t take this as a critique, but more of a compliment—sometimes I think I get caught up with the “you know it’s in there but don’t see it” bug that you effectively avoid in your parade of masterful builds. It ends up slowing down my projects for minimal results, but I haven’t found an effective strategy to draw the line. In the meantime, simply masterful work on the cockpit, wheel wells and other internals. Best, Erwin

Great work so far—looking forward to what I am sure will be a unique and impressive paint scheme—best, Erwin

I really like the wheel well wiring G, as usual, great work! Best, Erwin

Great work here and also learning a lot about these aircraft in South American service—well done! Looking forward to the Banshee Best, Erwin

Oh wow—eye watering. I will be coming back to this when I attempt my 262. The engine fronts are very convincing Mark! Best Erwin

Thank you so much @RidgeRunner, @mark.au, @giemme, @bissyboat & @opus999--your comments mean a great deal to me given the consistent quality of your work, the roles you have played in improving my abilities and enjoyment of the hobby/craft. Thanks for pushing me into radials 🙂 After much deliberation, I decided that the best way to tackle the minimally scratched but heavily used F4U-1Ds from 1945 was to use pre-shading and chipping fluid. My hope is to subtly differentiate the different materials and wear areas on VMF-112's No 1 aircraft over @Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Gloss Sea Blue. I am learning that Gloss Sea Blue is far from a monochromatic color—even in this scale. I think what makes the F4U-1D even more interesting is the array of cloth features (cloth doped on to a frame, cloth doped on a plywood aileron), and metal. An interesting point I learned was on the area forward of the wind screen is that per @Dana Bell this area was actually Non-Specular Sea Blue on GSB F4U-1Ds. (please see below and his reference books) @Dana Bell's Corsair books show this feature and I will try to capture it given we have Color Coats. Finally, I believe what what makes a late war F4U-1D look even more lifelike is the Double Wasp coat of leaking oil 😜. I believe this color should be part of any US Navy WW2 aircraft color study. In all honesty, there seems to be a certain sheen to areas of FU-1Ds that experienced a lot of oil leakage regardless of when they were cleaned (all interpretation of period photos) My plan of attack will be priming to level everything out followed by a base coat of white then on the cloth areas and then mask. Metal areas will start with Tamiya spray aluminum lacquer, chipping fluid, YZC, chipping fluid, and pre-shade panel lines. Final coat will be Color Coats GSB/Non Spec Sea Blue sprayed at 50% or less paint to thinner. Cloth areas painted white (masked). Apologies, did not get the straight white at this stage Metalic lacquer Chipping fluid and then YZC Chipping fluid, pre shading then removal of masks from cloth areas (I felt the contrast was more important in this small scale than trying to less around with pre-shading the areas between the cloth ribbing on the wings given the dark nature of GSB) Up next will be the filters of Gloss Sea Blue using Color Coats Colorcoats ANA 623. Thank you so much for looking and appreciate any thoughts folks have. Best to all, Erwin

I really like the cabling you are putting in by the throttle quad. For whatever reason, that was an element of the aircraft which stood out at me. Really enjoying how you are tackling this floor less area, I am sure it will be a show stopper! Best, Erwin

Bill, great work so far! As usual your research and skills shine through. I remember your correction fluid technique and now happily use it on anything too deep—aka. panel line trenches and the like—it works like a charm! Thanks for sharing, Erwin

Wow, this is an informative thread—glad I stumbled upon it. Well done to all—best, Erwin

Thanks @Robin-42—I was not aware of the hobby vista site—that had some better angles and is very helpful. I am with you on the larger scale diagrams as a reference—they really helped out on the F4U—the F-80 has been a bit harder for me to scrounge up material so I greatly appreciate the help—best, Erwin

Hello everyone, One follow up to the F-80C wheel well color question above. Does anyone have a diagram of the front and main wheel wells plumbing/wiring to assist in scratching some additional detail to Airfix’s 1/72 F-80. Apologize for double tapping the forum—F-80 wheel well details seem to be a little more difficult to scrounge up on line Thank you all for looking Best, Erwin