From the USAF Museum web site.
Please visit that web site for more information including photographs and full specifications.
The F-86, the USAF's first swept-wing jet fighter, made its initial flight on October 1, 1947. The first
production model flew on May 20, 1948, and on September 15, 1948, an F-86A set a new world speed record of
670.9 mph. Originally designed as a high-altitude day-fighter, it was subsequently redesigned into an
all-weather interceptor (F-86D) and a fighter-bomber (F-86H).
As a day fighter, the airplane saw service in Korea in three successive series (F-86A, E, and F) where it
engaged the Russian-built MiG-15. By the end of hostilities, it had shot down 792 MiGs at a loss of
only 76 Sabres, a victory ratio of 10 to 1.
More than 5,500 Sabre day-fighters were built in the U.S. and Canada. The airplane was also used by the
air forces of 20 other nations, including West Germany, Japan, Spain, Britain, and Australia
For a very complete article on the development and history of the F-86 check out
This Web Site
This model carries the livery of aircraft 52-4350. It was assigned to the 67 Fighter Bomber Squadron
of the 18 Fighter Bomber Wing, and stationed at Osan (K-55), Korea in 1953. It was piloted by Lt.
Harvey L. Brown.
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INTAKE TRUNK -- The intake trunk has the cockpit molded on the top half and the nose gear well
molded on the bottom half. On the inside of the intake this leaves two large hollow areas that
are visible if anyone looks into the intake. I used some thin styrene sheet to cover the area
and it helped a lot. Alternatively, Cutting Edge has a seamless resin intake (catalog no.
CEC48217, available from Meteor Productions)to replace the original.
Here Is A Link To A Photo of it. It appears that it will be necessary to cut the cockpit
and nose gear well off of the original intake and put them on the resin intake, however that should
not be too difficult.
The kit comes with an intake plug that can be installed or omitted. At the front of the intake are
two small flanges used to prevent the intake plug from going too far into the intake trunk. If
you choose to omit the plug the flanges should be removed.
EXHAUST TRUNK -- The exhaust trunk is in two pieces, however they go together well and the
joint is minimal if you clean up the edges prior to assembly. There are a couple of ejection pin
marks that will most likely be visible so be sure to fill them prior to assembly.
EJECTION SEAT -- The
Eduard PE Set completely rebuilds the ejection seat and much of the cockpit. The original
parts are used only for the back of the seat, and everything else is included in the PE set. I
haven't completed it, so I don't have any photos of the completed seat yet.
ENGINE -- The engine is highly detailed and the builder has the option of displaying it or
not. The rear half of the fuselage can be cut off to show the engine in place, and a cart is
provided to hold the rear half of the fuselage. I haven't decided how I am going to do this yet.
PAINT -- I plan to use Alclad II Laquer for the finish
on this model. I haven't used this paint much, but from what I have seen and read it does a
fantastic job. I have painted the intake trunk (Polished Aluminum) and the engine (Stainless Steel)
so far and they worked out great. I'm planning on using the "Polished Aluminum" on the fuselage,
but I do have a bottle of "Chrome" as well. I'll have to do some comparisons to
see which one would look better.
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| Aircraft Type: |
North American Aviation F-86F-30 Saber |
| Wing Span: | 39'-1" |
| Overall Length: | 37'-0" |
| Height: | 14'-0" |
| Gross Weight: | 17,772 lbs |
| Engine: | General Electric J47-GE-27 Turbojet |
| Thrust: | 5,910 lbs |
| Speed: | 688 mph |
| Normal Range: | 463 mi |
| Maximum Range: | 1,317 mi |
| Ceiling: | 48,000 ft |
| REFERENCES AND MY THANKS TO ... |
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