RCAF Re-Finish - 1/48th Academy F-86F Sabre

The 1998 1/48th Academy F-86F Sabre kit release was a nice add-on to the offerings of the time. Some nice features not found in the other models were included in this Academy version. Additionally the kit was quite reasonably priced.

Notable Kit Features:

• Nice cockpit

• Finely recessed panel lines and details

• Deep Intake duct

• Decently detailed J47 engine (with engine stand) included

• Open gun bays option

• Bombs, Early AIM-9 Sidewinders, Two types of external fuel tanks

• Two pilot figures (standing and sitting)

• Academy's F-86F represents the non-slatted "6-3" wing Sabre.
  

Build Inspiration:

I noticed that my earlier build of this Korean War "Paper Tiger" bird was showing signs of rapid aging as the decals were silvering fairly heavily. The wing and fuselage FEAF markings were done in decals and also were not in the best shape, pretty much from the start. (I always paint these colour bands on now - More time consuming but far better results.) As I had started another RCAF Sabre build, that was due to be painted in the European camouflage scheme, I thought it would be a good time to include this re-finish into the paint mix. With a couple of Sabre builds on the slate in 2025 (a slatted Mk. 6 and a hard-wing Mk.5), I wanted something slightly different about this finish to differentiate it. I decided since the Mk. 6 was in Euro camo but had a checker tail with the ensign tail flag and the other Mk. 5 was to be a NMF with the current flag on the tail. This one would fill the gap as a freshly delivered (no squadron markings as yet) Mk. 5 in Euro camo, sporting the old RAF style fin flash. That took a bit of research to come up with reference photos for each, but now I had a well rounded multi-Sabre build project set to go for 2025.

Heads-Up Report:

• Poor original kit decals (thick and tend to silver - hence this kit was refinished ;)

• Watch the main gear mounts as mine seemed to get a bit buried in the wing resulting in the gear not fitting into the square slot without some sanding down of the gear leg

• Fortunately the Sabre Mk.5 wing is the same as the later "6-3" F-86F wing

• No "Sugar Scoops" were required over the lower vents just aft of the wings in this early Mk.5 example (these were added in the field around the end of 57 and into 1958

Note: If you want to build a Sabre in RCAF livery, there are a few (relatively minor) changes that you will need to make to stock F-86 kits:

• Sabre Mk.1 - 4 had the same (pre-"6-3) narrow-cord wing as the F-86A through early Fs

• Sabre Mk. 5 had the "Hard 6-3" wing (same as later F-86F & CAC /Avon Sabres)

• Sabre Mk. 6 (after the initial 230 production) had the later slatted "6-3" wing (the initial production units were eventually refitted as well)

• All Orenda engine Sabres (Mk. 5 & 6) had the aft-facing vents in both sides of the fuselage above the wings; were missing other vents present on F-86 kits; as well as having some slightly different panels around this area in particular

• A small section of the leading edge of the Mk. 5 & Mk. 6 wing by the ammunition bays were either separate or connected to the ammo bay door (Not a modelling problem until you decide to have the doors open)

• RCAF Orenda engine Sabres Mk. 5 & 6 had "Sugar Scoops" eventually retrofitted to the underside vents on the fuselage around the trailing edge of the wing. This retrofit started in the 1957-58 time frame. They were not on the 1 Canada Air Division Mk. 5s in Europe but were fitted sometime after the Mk. 6 replaced the Mk. 5 in Europe. As a general rule, if your building a Mk. 6 and it has only the two-letter codes you could opt for either, however once the RCAF showed up on the fuselage, the scoops had been retrofitted. As always, find a good reference photo to be sure

• The surface should be smooth where the vertical tail meets the fuselage (aside from the vent) Typical F-86 kits will have some raised area here

• An IPMS Canada membership provides some great articles regarding building these Canadian aircraft - Membership Recommended!

Kit Additions / Modifications:

• Added nose weight

• Made seatbelts from painted tape strips

• I had to file down the rear and side top-end of the main gear in order to get it to fit into the receiver square recesses in the wheel wells

• Added rear facing vents to each side of the fuselage, aft of the cockpit

• Removed other vents that were not present on the Mk.5

• Smoothed off the topside where the vertical tail meets the fuselage

• Sourced some aftermarket RCAF markings from the "Spares"
  

Finishing:

The refinish on this kit consisted of an initial scrape of the old decals to remove as much as I could without damaging the plastic, followed by a fine sand of the entire surface, paying close attention to where the decals were adhered. (I almost got it all, as I discovered later.) The new finish began (after blocking off the intake and exhaust) with the underside PRU Blue, which was faded out a bit for scale. I used the Vallejo Air paint for this. After that had cured, I masked off the blue and sprayed the upper Dark Sea Gray (using Tamiya Acrylic stock). After the gray had cured I masked that area off and sprayed the Dark Green camouflage colour (also Tamiya Acrylic). Weathering was kept to a minimum here as this aircraft was relatively new to the RCAF inventory. The fin-tip light gray was masked and sprayed on as a final airbrush detail. I decided to try utilizing an AK paint marker for the black anti-glare panel, which worked out quite well. I have been using these markers for the interior details as well as for de-icer boots and other smaller paint jobs on the exterior with good results. I had to do a couple of minor paint touch ups as the masking tape removed some paint (done over a sanded down NMF...) which would have been a nice effect had I not been modelling a newly painted aircraft. After the paint had cured, I did my gloss coat using Pledge (floor finish) in preparation for the decals and panel washes. The final matte coat was a Model Master water-base finish. With all that dry, I removed the canopy masks to reveal the final results. All done except for the re-attachment of the landing gear parts, fuel dump and a few other minor fixes (such as the pitot that I broke along the way).

The After-Build Report:

The 1/48th Academy F-86F Sabre followed the (highly respected) Hasegawa release by two years. I was suitably impressed by this Academy kit, as it was almost as nice and included details like an engine, with a stand, open gun bays and weapons not found in Hasegawa's example... at a lower price point. Both the Hasegawa and Academy products build up nicely, with some advantages to either kit, depending on what your focus is. Eduard have taken Hasegawa's plastic from their F-86F-30 kit and added two small sheets of Photo-etch, a sheet of masks, and a Brassin Ejection Seat to bring this kit up a notch. The (relatively) new Airfix 1/48 Sabre offerings, including one with a deployed slatted-wing, brings a true slatted wing option, however the surface panel lines and detailing falls short of both the Hasegawa and Academy kits. For an early Sabre, Clear Prop F-86A Sabre is now out and look great, however they are comparatively pricey in Canada. All in all, some nice options for Sabre builders to choose from (and if NMF scare you off, there are numerous camouflage finishes to select from).

Re-built of my #115 build- June 2025 using the 1/48th Academy F-86F Sabre kit (2183)

Feel free to comment or ask questions - Keep on building, gain experience, challenge yourself if you like, but try not to stress yourself out over the build - it is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby after all - Cheers