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1/48 - North American/Canadair F-86F-40 Sabre F.4 - released - new CMK sets


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20 minutes ago, Wez said:

Sorry Tony, but that's no excuse not to pass your knowledge on.

 

Better to pass the information on rather than bellyache about things later.

I did pass on a note on their FB page under the thread of the Sabre, a couple weeks ago.

 

Tony

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27 minutes ago, Tony Edmundson said:

I did pass on a note on their FB page under the thread of the Sabre, a couple weeks ago.

 

Tony

Good, I get really annoyed when those who have knowledge AND are in a position to pass it on don't do so, then bellyache on incessantly about something they potentially could have put paid to. Thank you for your contribution.

 

Should they choose to ignore it, that's another thing.

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  • 4 months later...

Sprue shots today from Airfix

 

https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/news/workbench/sabre-parts-first-look-exclusive?utm_campaign=2777246_Airfix - Workbench - Week 25 2020%2F2021&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Hornby PLC&_%24ja=tsid%3A71284&dm_i=2DJZ,1NIXQ,22YU0X,5LWY6,1

 

Nice to see someone inally mentioing its role in RAF History as it seems to have been pretty much airbrushed out by a lot of people along with other US types operated post war, the Washington being another.

 

Julien

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Judging by those wing sprue imagines I’d say that ‘finally’ we are going to get an OOB slated Sabre, however not with this first boxing. Change that upper wing sprue over for a slatted one and we should be in for a real treat. Still a few years off by the look of it, however we been waiting this long haven’t we! 
Cheers.. Dave 

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1 hour ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Judging by those wing sprue imagines I’d say that ‘finally’ we are going to get an OOB slated Sabre, however not with this first boxing. Change that upper wing sprue over for a slatted one and we should be in for a real treat. Still a few years off by the look of it, however we been waiting this long haven’t we! 
Cheers.. Dave 

Airfix have no plans for a slatted Sabre, told by no less than the person who helped them develop this. Its sad and not a great marketing decision in my book, and other peoples but there you go.

 

Maybe if Aiifix read these things they might realise there is a market out there for it. 

Until then one of the atermarket guys will have to step in.

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31 minutes ago, Julien said:

Airfix have no plans for a slatted Sabre, told by no less than the person who helped them develop this.

Well if that’s the case (and I don’t doubt you Julian) then I am bitterly disappointed. If that Wing breakdown is designed just for some aftermarket guy to take more money from me, then I’m not interested in this kit whatsoever. The still serviceable Academy kit will just have to do. 

Cheers.. Dave (who actually thought Airfix had a smart Marketing department!) 

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5 hours ago, Julien said:

Airfix have no plans for a slatted Sabre, told by no less than the person who helped them develop this. Its sad and not a great marketing decision in my book, and other peoples but there you go.

@Sabrejet in fact.

5 hours ago, Julien said:

 

Maybe if Aiifix read these things they might realise there is a market out there for it. 

Airfix DO read here,  I doubt they have time to read everything,  but they know there are very knowledgeable members here, and  they do look at what goes on, and do ask for information and help as well,  hence asking @Sabrejet,   who would have told them there is no slatted wing kit of an early F or E, and that is what you should do. 

Ironically they are now reboxing some Academy armour kit, and Academy do a pretty decent 1/48th F-86F-30 already...

 

Problem is , Airfix are not Eduard, a specialist model firm,   but a section of a bigger company, Hornby,  and while Airfix division make money,  Hornby are in debt.

 

Anyway,  I think that Airfix are in some ways hamstrung by this,  and get constraints put upon them by the larger parent group that are not 'logical' from the perspective of a specialist model company, like getting 'cheap' moulding done in India, with attendant problems of quality control, and what seems on occasion to be  a lack of dotting the i's and crossing the t's,   small missing detail on the Hunter for example.

 

Or not taking advantage of research and  small additions to existing tooling, or planning tooling in a certain way,  look at the Spitfire XIV, they do the low back,  and even though they only then needed  to tool up a new fuselage, some internals and canopy parts, they say they have no intention. 

Or not doing a Spitfire Vc based on the Vb and Mk.I tooling,  as this is already set up with separate wing trees.

 

But, not doing a slatted wing Sabre is a poor move, as that would have bumped up sales assuming they got it right, especially in North America,  both the USA, and Canada,  given Canada built and operated slatted wing version,  ( I'd be interested to know how much of the 1/24th Hellcat run ended up in the US, quite a chunk I suspect)

And, they would have still had the RAF option, as well as numerous Korean schemes,  for which there is no OOB kit...

 

Still, despite the statement they won't do a slatted wing,  it does look like the tooling is set up that you could just do a new tree for a possible slatted wing, 

note the lower wing has no leading edges, 

c_new_airfix_canadair_sabre_model_kit_te

and the upper wing is a separate tree

e_new_airfix_canadair_sabre_model_kit_te

 

If nothing else it appears to make an aftermarket slatted wing a lot easier, as you can build onto the existing kit lower wing, meaning less parts and possibly a drop fit replacement?  (so easier and cheaper hopefully)

 

I'm sure those more knowledgeable in Sabre detail could conform if i'm spouting cobblers here.    I'll @Sabrejet and @Tony Edmundson here so they can laugh at my wild assumptions....

 

One other thing that strikes me, what reason is there for a cut out section in front of the fin?

 

 

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Cut out in front of the fin gives you the ability to do F-86E/Sabre 4 or F-86F.

 

There are parts visible which give a hint of what's to come. I shall leave it to you lot to work out, but it shouldn't be too difficult.

 

Also you'd have to ask yourself why you'd put the pitot probe on the 6-3 wing sprue...

Edited by Sabrejet
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This is budget tooling at its best, Mk.4's had slatted wings-most prominent feature, so in 2020 Airfix cannot go the same route Promodeler/Revell did with their F-86D - 22 years ago, congrats, truely well thought effort, no flaps and no slats on a 1/48 scale kit, not to mention panel lines...spirit of Matchbox found its new home, sorry guys but as I have soft spot for Sabres -this equals my dissapointment in Zvezda's new Mi-24V.

 

This should be Series 5 or 6 kit-at best.

Edited by Thomas V.
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29 minutes ago, Bjorn said:

Oooh... Those wingtip sink marks... 

It's a test shot and besides, they'll take five minutes to get rid of if they're still there in the production kit.

 

Jeff

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23 minutes ago, Thomas V. said:

This should be Series 5 or 6 kit-at best.

100% Agree, for what Series 8 kit prices are going for these days, it’s hard to justify outplaying the additional money for a few optional and novel items. Throw in the missing Slat wing parts and it becomes a lot more tempting. 
 

I can see myself at my LHS in a few moths time tossing up between this new Sabre kit and Zvezda’s 1/72 Hercules. Something tells me that the RRP for both kits won’t be much different! 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

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4 hours ago, Sabrejet said:

Note the two seat options...😉

Is that second seat supposed to be representative of a Martin-Baker seat? If so, I believe the Germans were the first and perhaps only air force to use them, in Mk 6 Sabres. 

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1 hour ago, Sabrejet said:

Cut out in front of the fin gives you the ability to do F-86E/Sabre 4 or F-86F.

 

There are parts visible which give a hint of what's to come. I shall leave it to you lot to work out, but it shouldn't be too difficult.

 

Also you'd have to ask yourself why you'd put the pitot probe on the 6-3 wing sprue...

Went looking for pictures. It appears the pitot probe is located more inboard of the wing tip on non-slatted Sabres and closer to the wing tip on slatted Sabres. I'm open to education.

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The Sabre 6, for most of the production, had slats on a 6-3 wing and no wing fences; didn't have the wing tip extensions the F-86F-40 had. Separate pitot probe and presence of what appear to be Martin Baker seats points to a possible Mk 6 Sabre coming our way. Again, open to education.

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17 minutes ago, SAT69 said:

Is that second seat supposed to be representative of a Martin-Baker seat? If so, I believe the Germans were the first and perhaps only air force to use them, in Mk 6 Sabres. 

Quite a few Ex Luftwaffe Sabre 6s ended up in Pakistan. 

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