A Vanilla Sabre - 1/48 Academy F-86F

[Ghostbase]

I started this 1/48th Academy F-86F Sabre in February and after some long time gaps have completed her 🙂

 

20200805_184347 by Ghostbase, on Flickr

 

The kit is the c. 2000 Academy F-86F "Mig Killer", I was quite impressed with the kit for the detail and how easily it went together, it proved to be an enjoyable build and I am reasonably pleased with the finished model.

 

20200805_184408 by Ghostbase, on Flickr

 

She was painted using a spray can, I think it was Humbrol 11 silver, and all other colours were brushed using Vallejo acrylics. In reality she is much shinier than in my photos.

 

20200805_184426 by Ghostbase, on Flickr

 

So why "vanilla"? She was supposed to be finished as F-86F 51-12958 "The Paper Tiger" flown by Capt. Harold E. Fischer in Korea in 1953. The problem was the kit decals and specifically the yellow bands on the wing and the fuselage. As much as I drowned them in Decalfix they refused to settle, Inevitably I got frustrated and ham-fisted and they ended up in the bin. I checked my references and found that the F-86F was operated in Europe with buzz codes as well as U.S. Air Force titles on the forward fuselage so I decided to go for a just-out-of-depot look and add a couple of U.S. Air Force decals from the spares box.

 

20200805_184309 by Ghostbase, on Flickr

 

My next 1/48 Sabre will be the new Airfix kit when it is released. Michael

[Wulfman]

Lovely looking Sabre, nice modelling !

 

Wulfman

[F-32]

Nicely done, very cool work

[Bangseat]

Excellent, less is more and vanilla is good!

 

I seem to remember reading the 'FU' code letters were much coveted but the USAF banned them, it might have been in the John Boyd biography..?

[SAT69]

I've never seen a picture of a USAF or Air National Guard Sabre with anything other than the "FU" type identifier code. The Brass may not have liked it, but from the evidence they never changed it. Regarding the "vanilla" finish, the nice thing about it is that it draws attention to the airplane's characteristics, rather than to the markings the airplane wears. I'm planning to build a Hasegawa F-4J looking like it just came out of depot for that very reason. You did a fine job on your model.

[RMCS]

Lovley 

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

Outstanding! it looks really nice.. The finish you've achieved is top notch and with a spray can too! Personally, I'd have been tempted to put the yellow stripes on using paint rather than the kit decals. Thanks for sharing such a fine model!

[72modeler]

Plain vanilla or candy striped, a Sabre is a beautiful airplane! Sure looks elegant even without the obligatory yellow and black ID bands. Nice model!

Mike