Hasagawa F-86F Sabre 1/48

[Navcom]

Well fellas, I have several projects on the bench currently...a 1/32 Tamiya Corsair, a 1/48 F-16C, a 1/48 Hellcat, and even another 1/48 Corsair.

So naturally....I'm going to start another build!

This one's meant to be a quickie and more of a motivator than a precision build, though I'm going to try my best! Plus, I've not seen this kit on the forum though that doesn't mean it hasn't been...just not seen it personally. It will be an out-of-the-box build with no purchased accessories.





First impressions are pretty good. The kit has great detail and the molds are of excellent quality. The pieces seem to fit together very nicely as well. This is a pretty simple kit...not very many parts and not a lot of complexity.

I started with the cockpit as is usually the case. Again, it's very basic and simple. Detail is not too bad but if this was a competition build, I'd definitely try to find some resin and PE to spice it up. Of course I sacrificed the throttle control stick to the carpet monster so it will have to go without as I'm not in the mood to fashion one.

The cockpit is designed to have a pilot but I really do not like doing figures...mostly because I totally suck at them...so I made it without. Since the kit was designed to have him in there, there is zero detail at the bottom of the seat assembly. To compensate, I fashioned a seat cushion out of rolled-up masking tape.

The cockpit was painted and dry brushed with steel enamel, followed by a white wash.

I assembled the forward intake assembly and attached the cockpit. I also assembled the aft exhaust at the same time. I used buffable metal paint for the interior of the air passages and the turbine "end" inserts...why, I'm not sure. You can't really see anything inside without a flashlight and a magnifying glass.










I then glued up the wing assembly and base coated the wheel wells and speed brake interiors (which will actually be covered as I will be displaying it with the brakes retracted)...




Next, I painted the left and right cockpit interior and gave it a steel enamel dry brushing. Then I detailed the interior of the nose wheel well...




Once all sub-assemblies were complete, I glued them inside the right fuselage...




...and then glued the fuselage halves together. THAT was a bit of a bugger. While the seams fit together very nicely, they did not come together without a lot of coaxing. Took lots of finger muscle and tape to make it happen. But once it was secure, the seams are pretty nice. Just a small bit of surfacer will be required in a couple spots...




And now my friends, it is time for a run. It's a gorgeous 70 degrees F, a fantastic blue sky with a bright orange orb, and a good stiff breeze. As much as I want to continue with the Sabre, the outdoors is calling. I'll do some more later this evening.

Jeff

[Navcom]

Grrrr!



The nose cone does not fit very well. As a matter of fact, it fits horribly. I've retraced my steps and looked at my assembly methods...everything appears as it should be. Everything is lined up and the fuselage halves are where they should be (albeit I'm never perfect by any stretch!). The nose cone is just not fitted well. Time to pull out the heavy grit sandpaper and get to it.



That's better. A little "abrasive" therapy and she looks as she should. Time to add the wings, horizontal stabilizers, and sand/fill the seams.

[Navcom]

I'm starting to second-guess the fit of this model. It seems a bit sloppy...not what I'm used to with Hasagawa. It's like an evil cross between a Tamiya kit and Revell. Don't get me wrong...it's not a bad kit...just not what I would expect.

Wings and stabs are on, dash is paint flat black, and cracks are filled...





You can see I had to use a lot of putty around the underside rear wing attachment area. It did not fit properly and created a large step along the sides, requiring a little leveling. Also, there is a light assembly panel that attaches just forward of the nose wheel well. It was not the proper shape to fit in the opening. I sanded it a bit to get it to fit in but it still had some gaps which required some more putty. Same deal along the underside of the tail near the exhaust.

I'm still not convinced I didn't somehow muck up the fuselage halves when I was gluing them together. It was TOUGH to hold them in place so the seams came together. Even so, all the interior alightment pins were visible from the wing opening and I could see there was no impingement occurring with any of the interior parts/assemblies. I just feel the fuselage halves may be a bit warped from the mold.

[shortCummins]

love the Sabre, I'm going to add this kit to my already extensive list

[Nige201980]

Great work so far.