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Something a bit different for those Airfix Sabres...


Sabrejet

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Since the other thread drifted off into more generic stuff, I thought I'd contribute something a bit more 'RAF' and Sabre-related. I hope to see some completed Airfix Sabres soon! I already have one on the table, but it's a bit undecided at the moment. It won't be a Sabre 4, for sure. Anyway here is a trio of schemes which I haven't seen done yet.

 

XB542 had initially been a 2nd TAF-camouflaged aircraft assigned to the Sabre Conversion Flight at Wildenrath. It returned to the UK in July 1954 and for reasons unknown, it was repainted with High-Speed Silver undersides, but retained the higher demarcation line of the 2nd TAF scheme. It was then issued to 66 Sqn on 16 September and received the squadron code 'Z'. It served with 66 Sqn (with 6-3 wing) in this one-off colour scheme until retired in April 1956. Photo below courtesy Peter Foard.

 

023 XB542 Peter Foard

 

One of the very few RAF Sabres to carry nose art, XB930 was a Sabre 4 which received the 6-3 wing at manufacture. It served with 130 Sqn in Germany from March 1954 to April 1956 and during this period carried a modified Disney ‘Zeke’ wolf caricature, in flying gear on its left/port gun door. As an ‘A’ Flight aircraft, the squadron code letter 'B' was painted white on a red disc. B&W photo via Tony Lock; colour view is a still from a cine film loaned from John Oxenford.

 

022 XB930 (2)

 

022 xb930 (1)

 

This is the 'Zeke' character it's based on:

 

022 XB930

 

This one came from Roger Lindsay many years ago and we discussed it at length without ever coming to a conclusion on what is depicted in the photo. But since Roger’s passing I have done a bit more digging and I’m now reasonably sure that it is XB616, an aircraft nominally on the charge of Sabre Conversion Flight from mid-March 1953. When the first Sabres arrived at Wildenrath, Gp Capt ‘Johnnie’ Johnson selected XB616 as his ‘personal’ mount, it being one of the few NMF Sabres on station. It didn’t stay with him long, for on 19 August that year, he was flying XB616 out of Sylt when an uncommanded nose gear extension caused Cat.4 (flyable) damage. The aircraft was then ferried back to the UK for rework.  It'll take a bit more work because it's a narrow-chord, slatted wing on this one.

 

024 poss XB616 JEJ Roger Lindsay

 

There are a number of reasons for thinking that this is XB616. First of all, no other NMF Sabres fit the bill: they were either SCF machines or UK-based test airframes. Secondly, the day after Johnson’s incident in XB616, camouflaged XB686 was allotted to the SCF and Johnnie took on this machine as his personal mount. To distinguish it, he had the lower portion of the tail fin painted red, completely obscuring the RAF fin flash. In the photo of ‘XB616’ above, you’ll note that there appears to be no RAF serial number painted on the aircraft and it’s my belief that Johnson’s later approval for overpainting the fin flash on XB686 may well have had its precedent on XB616 with deletion of the fuselage serial number so that it didn't interfere with the lightning flash (I’m also thinking that wing underside s/n would have escaped deletion). It would also appear that the fuselage flash matches the blue of the roundel. So it’s a bit of a ‘WHIF’, but with some sound reasoning behind it.

 

Tantalisingly, somewhere I have a letter from back when I was doing the RAF Sabre book, which details the colour scheme of XB616, and though the letter eludes me at present, I do recall the writer describing something flamboyant. At the time I was unable to tie up the serial number to any surviving photos. Except, more recently, this one.

 

So off you go. Report back when you're done! :)


 

 

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17 hours ago, Sabrejet said:

after Johnson’s incident in XB616, camouflaged XB686 was allotted to the SCF and Johnnie took on this machine as his personal mount.

 

Is that a three letter monograph a la the canopy frame of XB686 visible in the lightning stripe just below the canopy in that image of XB616? Certainly looks like it to me, but whether it is J.E.J. or S.C.F. would need a sharper image to be sure.

 

Mark.

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1 hour ago, Harry Lime said:

 

Is that a three letter monograph a la the canopy frame of XB686 visible in the lightning stripe just below the canopy in that image of XB616? Certainly looks like it to me, but whether it is J.E.J. or S.C.F. would need a sharper image to be sure.

 

Mark.

 

I have often wondered about that. It certainly looks like it :)

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I would easily build "Zeke", everything with cool nose-art (preferrably pin-ups though!! ;) ) is always interesting and fun. :)

Now for that decal..

 

Thanks for the info by the way.

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Thanks for the info @Sabrejet

 

I rather like XB542 of 66 squadron with the silver undersides and higher demarcation. That could make an interesting double build with the co’s a/c from 66 squadron. The one with the blue tail and nose intake ring. 
 

Thanks again. 
 

James 

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Hi all

 

Just one question on XB542. 
 

Is the Z on the fin red or black or another colour on a white back ground? 
 

Thanks 

 

James 

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4 hours ago, franky boy said:

Hi all

 

Just one question on XB542. 
 

Is the Z on the fin red or black or another colour on a white back ground? 
 

Thanks 

 

James 

 

It's a moot point: officially it's red with a thin yellow outline. But convention would dictate that for a 'B' Flight aircraft it would be blue rather than red.

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6 hours ago, Sabrejet said:

 

It's a moot point: officially it's red with a thin yellow outline. But convention would dictate that for a 'B' Flight aircraft it would be blue rather than red.

Thanks @Sabrejet

 

Ill get cracking on that one over the weekend. 

 

James

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Top stuff Sabrejet!!  I had no idea though that the lovely Roger Lindsay had died. I corresponded with him over 66 sqn Meteors and his 4 books are truly excellent.
Back to Zeke- here's a hopefully more colour balanced version of that shot. I could be persuaded that the name is dark blue, not black …

ed1GSvQ.jpg

cheers
Jonners

 

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33 minutes ago, Jon Kunac-Tabinor said:

Top stuff Sabrejet!!  I had no idea though that the lovely Roger Lindsay had died. I corresponded with him over 66 sqn Meteors and his 4 books are truly excellent.
Back to Zeke- here's a hopefully more colour balanced version of that shot. I could be persuaded that the name is dark blue, not black …



cheers
Jonners

 

 

I'd agree: I think it is dark blue.

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