Sabre bashing - Airfix/Academy F-86F

[Sabrejet]

1 hour ago, Winded Penguin said:

The research aspect brings the model to life. 

Can I ask which part you tend to  find more fulfilling - sleuthing out the historical details, or building the model?

 

Both I guess - it depends on my mood but does mean that when I'm having one of those 'mojo-free' days I have a choice.

[Sabrejet]

37 minutes ago, Space Ranger said:

Great job of research on that back story, and some clever modeling to boot!

 

Odd, though, to see a Sabre mis-identified by the late Dave Menard as to pilot Jabara. I knew Dave, and he was seldom wrong!

 

I knew Dave too (I used to send him photos for his 'triple digit' buzz number collection) and I doubt the error is his: often he'd contribute photos to publications but rely on the author to caption correctly. He is greatly missed.

[RidgeRunner]

3 hours ago, Sabrejet said:

 

I knew Dave too (I used to send him photos for his 'triple digit' buzz number collection) and I doubt the error is his: often he'd contribute photos to publications but rely on the author to caption correctly. He is greatly missed.

I remember him from a trip around Davis-Monthan in May 1979. We were lucky to have him and Geoff Rhodes "Mr Starfighter" as our guides. In fact Geoff took around for te second week of our trip :).

 

Martin

 

[RidgeRunner]

Great work, as always, Duncan. I like that photo of '113242' in arctic marking

 

Martin

[Biggles87]

Very informative reading and some great modelling, who could ask for anything more?

I liked the wing fence evolution sequence, I didn’t know it had been tried on the slatted wing, sort of belt and braces.

 

John.  

[Sabrejet]

Drop tanks next. The F-86F introduced a 200-gallon drop tank, which was usually carried on the outer pylon. For ferry missions, a 120-gal tank could be installed on the inner pylon, though this configuration was never planned for combat use since the inboard ferry tanks could not be jettisoned. Anyhow, the 200-gallon tanks were initially introduced as larger-capacity versions of the 120-gal tanks, with similar anhedral stabilizing fins at the aft end. These fins were found to be ineffective at creating a clean jettison path and NAA identified a solution, proposing the installation of small end plates on each fin ("Stuka fins" - named presumably because they were similar to the elevator end plates installed on the Ju-87). This July 1953 letter from the Wright Patterson Weapons System Division highlighted the issue:

 

 

NAA had used its bailed F-86E 50-579 to test the initial configuration with napalm tanks:

 

 

And then the Eglin AFB Proof Test Group validated the Stuka fin solution with F-86F 52-4347 (though in 6-3-wing configuration):

 

 

For the subject of this build, the early (non-Stuka fin) version of the tanks are required. Airfix provides the later version with end-plate, but conversion is simple by omitting the end-plate parts (C43, C44 etc) and cutting the fin (C41, C42 etc) along the dotted line shown below:

 

 

And with a little fettling we're back to a 1953-config 200-gallon drop tank:

 

 

 

 

[Sabrejet]

Since I'll be using the Airfix landing gear, there are a couple of items to correct, namely the over-done hinge on the forward nose door and the shock absorber gags featured on both main legs (arrowed below).

 

 

The gags were carved off and the nose door cut into two, the hinges removed and the two parts glued back together with wire reinforcement at the hinge points. Some detailing of the legs (lightening holes drilled in each torque link; brake hose & pipe added etc) was also done at this point.

 

 

Then painted and with Revell F-86D wheels/tyres installed.

 

 

 

I haven't yet painted the fescalised portion of each leg (the shiny bit), so will make a note to do so.

[opus999]

Those lading gears look very realistic!  The brake line additions are great.  I wish I could get wash to behave as well as that on my builds!

[SAT69]

Beautiful work thus far. I love the instrument panel.

[Biggles87]

Good work on the undercarriage, I would recommend a Molotow liquid chrome marker pen for the ‘ fescalised ‘  portions. What a great word, never heard it before but will now try to slip it into conversation whenever I can now.

 

John

 

🇺🇦

[Sabrejet]

56 minutes ago, Biggles87 said:

Good work on the undercarriage, I would recommend a Molotow liquid chrome marker pen for the ‘ fescalised ‘  portions. What a great word, never heard it before but will now try to slip it into conversation whenever I can now.

 

John

 

🇺🇦

 

Thanks - yes I have the Molotow pens in 3 sizes! They are worth their weight in gold

[billn53]

8 hours ago, Biggles87 said:

. . . ‘ fescalised ‘  . . . What a great word, never heard it before but will now try to slip it into conversation whenever I can now.

 

Never heard the word before, so of course I had to look it up. Here’s what I found:

 

”The fescalised portion on an undercarriage (or any actuator or jack) is the shiny machined bit. … It comes from the Greek word fescalise which basically means 'without cheese'. Greek shepherds used the phrase 'fescalised portion' to describe the 'shaft' of a goat's penis (a delicacy in Greece) which was held held between the thumb and forefinger while the 'helmet portion' was dipped in a jar of Feta (or Phillidelphia light) before being eaten........ ”

[Sabrejet]

1 minute ago, billn53 said:

Never heard the word before, so of course I had to look it up. Here’s what I found:

 

”The fescalised portion on an undercarriage (or any actuator or jack) is the shiny machined bit. … It comes from the Greek word fescalise which basically means 'without cheese'. Greek shepherds used the phrase 'fescalised portion' to describe the 'shaft' of a goat's penis (a delicacy in Greece) which was held held between the thumb and forefinger while the 'helmet portion' was dipped in a jar of Feta (or Phillidelphia light) before being eaten........ ”

 

Well there is thread drift and then there's thread that's been floating around in the South Pacific for many months, surviving only on a diet of raw fish and sea water. 😁

[RidgeRunner]

That is truly great work on those u/c leags and wheels, Duncan. I guess that in 1/48 it is managable but in my "chosen scale" I jus cant get the fingers to any where near the dexterity needed for such work. Well done.

 

Martin

  

 

[Sabrejet]

Eduard's decal sheet for this colour scheme is a real can of worms. Aside from the colour being incorrect, the nose band has too many stars (should be five per side and no star on top of the nose) - arrowed; but decal 37 (to the right) is also supposed to go underneath the nose where in reality there is no band at all. Moreover, if you place decal 46 where it supposed to go, it will not meet decal 37 anyway! 

 

 

 

Also above, there is no indication of coloured wingtips on these aircraft, and the colour treatment on the canopy does not cover the whole of the metallic area, as Eduard would have you do it.

 

Anyway, first paint is on! Compare the location of the nose band below compared to Eduard's instruction above.

 

 

And the tail markings going on: I used the kit decals to cut a mask, but did not extend the green onto the rudder, as I could not find any photos to indicate otherwise. I think Eduard has interpreted a shadow caused by the rudder mass balance as an area of colour on the rudder.

 

 

RFI next!

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

5 hours ago, Sabrejet said:

Well there is thread drift

Well thats the understatement of the year for me. 

[Terry1954]

Oooh! From what I can see above, the RFI is going to be good ........ but then yours always are Duncan!

 

Terry.

[Sabrejet]

Finished! RFI here:

 

 

[Biggles87]

That was quick!

 

John

[opus999]

Done already?  Wow!