The Historic Sabres of Alberta

Three of the most historic F-86 airframes are on display in Alberta.  

The first is the one and only Sabre 3.  The first F-86 built with an Orenda engine, it served with Canadair, the RCAF, and was a movie star ("The Last Chase" (1981)).  But its most famous turn was as the aircraft in which Jacqueline Cochran set a world speed record in 1953 and also became the first woman to break the sound barrier.  It is currently on display at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskawin.

The second aircraft is Canadair Sabre 1.  Basically a F-86A assembled in Canada, it was the first of a long line (1,815) of Canadair built Sabres. 19101 first flew in 1950.  A few days after its first flight,  it went supersonic as the first Canadian built aircraft to do so.  Used by Canadair and the RCAF for many test projects, it now is on display at the Alberta Aviation Museum in Edmonton.

The third aircraft is the most frustrating   Pretending to be just another RCAF Sabre is the second production F-86 built as P-86 47-606.  The aircraft was assigned to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards, was probably flown by some guy named Yeager (and Pete Everest), and may have participated in the X-1 and D-558 programs.  It later flew with the California ANG and then ended up as a parts donor for Ben Hall's F-86A restoration.  This aircraft should have the slotted gun ports, rather than more usual gun ports seen on almost every other Sabre.  Too bad it hasn't been traded to the USAFM for a real RCAF Sabre.  Until someone comes to their senses it is on display at the Hangar Flight Museum in Calgary.

It is interesting to note that all three of these aircraft have been retrofitted with Sabre 5 "hard" wings.  No wonder modelers get confused, apparently Museums do as well!

The Air Force Museum of Alberta in Calgary also has a Sabre 5, but this is just a typical RCAF line bird that served with CEPE, 416 Squadron, and 1 (F) OTU/STU.  23338 later was sold to the US and converted into a drone.  It was shot at nine times with nine misses and given the name "Black Cat."  It was repatriated to Canada in 2015.

Modeler's Note: There have been many 1/72 scale Sabres, but the best way to a Canadian Sabre 5 is the Airfix kit. It isn't perfect...the wing fences are in the wrong place, some of the fuselage scribing is wrong, and the wheels are pretty bad...but it is a nice build, has accurate shapes and is very reasonably priced. Oddly, many online love the Fujimi kit, but its fuselage is fat and bloated, not to mention the speed brakes are square. The Hobbycraft/ Academy kit is "derived" from the Fujimi kit and suffers the same deficiencies.  We need a new tool family of F-86s in 1/72!

Hobby Craft/Academy Sabre

The Academy/Hobbycraft 1/72 Sabre 5 done as the sole Canadair Sabre 3 used by Jackie Cochran to set a woman's speed record in 1953. Then her nemesis Jacqueline Auriol broke that record in both a Mystère and a Mirage and Jackie had to go trump her again in a TF-104. The model was built for a display at the Museum of Flight on women in aviation. 

And when I say, Academy/Hobbycraft it really was a combo. The HC kit was later slightly updated by Academy and I used the Academy fuselage and HC wings. The finish was Tamiya LP-11...awesome stuff...and the dayglo was a cheat with decals.

On display in the case with the Mirage used to represent Jacqueline Auriol's record breaker.  Note the tiny Jackie.

RCAF Sabre 5

Canadair Sabre 5 2304 "with accessories" on display at Rockcliffe, June 1955. (Photo courtesy of the Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada.)

Modeler's Note: There have been many 1/72 scale Sabres, but the best way to a Canadair Sabre 5 is the Airfix kit. It isn't perfect...the wing fences are in the wrong place, some of the fuselage scribing is wrong, and the wheels are pretty bad...but it is a nice build, has accurate shapes and is very reasonably priced. Oddly, many online love the Fujimi kit, but its fuselage is fat and bloated, not to mention the speed brakes are square. The Hobbycraft/ Academy kit is "derived" from the Fujimi kit and suffers the same deficiencies.

RMC Sabre 5

Now painted in camouflage, here is a nice photo my Dad took of the Royal Military College Sabre 5 23221 in 1968 at Kingston, Ontario.

Modeler's Note: There have been many 1/72 scale Sabres, but the best way to a Canadair Sabre 5 is the recently issued Airfix kit.  It isn't perfect...the wing fences are in the wrong place, some of the fuselage scribing is wrong, and the wheels are pretty bad...but it is a nice build, has accurate shapes and is very reasonably priced.  Oddly, many online love the Fujimi kit, but its fuselage is fat and bloated, not to mention the speed brakes are square.  The Hobbycraft/ Academy kit is "derived" from the Fujimi kit and suffers the same deficiencies.

Visually Impaired Model Project

A few months ago I got the opportunity to participate in a project lead by the NorthWest Scale Modelers to provide models to the Museum of Flight for their sight impaired program.  This program has volunteer docents that give tours of the Museum's Collection to visually impaired individuals and it was thought that 1/72 scale examples of the collection would allow a hands on experience, wherein the individuals could hold and feel the shape of different aircraft.  I thought it sounded like fun and would be a rare opportunity to use my modeling for some societal good, so I volunteered to build a Sabre 5 and MiG-21 for the project.  Thinking about the requirements, I was inspired by the World War Two ID models and decided that my two aircraft would ape the simple black finish of those models.  The focus was on shape, rather than detail, so they should have been simple easy builds with no cockpit or landing gear.  Of course, I procrastinated and was working on them until the last minute.  The Zvezda MiG-21 went together really well, but the Fujimi Sabre had quite a few fit issues.  This past weekend, I finally spraying them with Tamiya NATO black, and yesterday I actually finished them.  First finished models in years!  Hopefully, they are on their way to Seattle by mail to be turned over to the Museum on Thursday night.  The lessons of these builds are that I can find a way to stretch out even a simple project for months and that I may have finally found an audience that appreciates my rather indifferent modeling skills...the blind...

The Zvezda MiG-21PFM:

 The Fujimi F-86F Sabre:

RCAF Sabres Video

Here is a neat little video of some RCAF Sabre Squadron high jinx in Europe.  Look at those poor USAF F-86s zapped by 412 and 416 Squadrons.

Impaling and Some Bondage

Actual progress at the bench!

The Airfix Sabre 5 has been primed. I think I'm going to finish this up as Hawk One during its last stages of life with the RCAF. Might even experiment with SNJ polishing powder on my usual Tamiya spray can silver.

The Airfix Zero is moving swiftly. I've had more fun with this kit then anything I've build in quite a while. Maybe my new found interest in Japanese aircraft is a good thing, as it is a topic I know nothing about. Since it is not RCAF or RCN I'm not AMSing or obsessing over details and/or markings, so I can just get on enjoying the build. Plus it is a damn nice kit.

Louisville Aviation Sights

I spent last weekend in Louisville, Kentucky visiting the esteemed Mr. Knights. Here are a few of the aviation sights.

This sad old Lockheed 18 (N119J) is sitting derelict at Bowman Field.

A short trip across the border to Indiana found us at Clark County Airport. Sadly Vintage Fighters was closed, but we were able to see this strange Sabre. This is a CAC CA-27 Sabre, but it is painted up as FJ-3 Fury BuNo. 136049. Kinda odd.

Bates v. Knights decided by the Ohio Supreme Court

Some of you may have heard that last month I appeared before the Ohio Supreme Court. I'm sure most of you just assumed it had something to do with my day job, but it was actually a modeling case. Keen observers may have noticed that Kentucky Law Pirate David Knights has been posting pictures and commentary on my recent build of the Airfix Sabre. You also might notice that in the most recent post he has let slip that an injunction was placed against him from talking about my modeling. This case dates back to a post in which he referred to me as a "master modeler." Taken aback by this slander, I filed suit to have the post removed from his blog. Many attempts were made at a settlement, but it quickly worked its way up the court system and ended up before the Supreme Court. Thankfully I have prevailed in this case and Mr. Knights can never use the term "master modeler" with regard to my work, nor me as a modeler. But all is not lost for poor David...he may still use terms like "hack," "half assed assembly and painting job," and "a third grader could do better."

Oh, the Airfix Sabre? It is going together pretty well and I've really been enjoying it. Well until Sunday, when I dropped it. No damage was caused to the model, but one of the nose weights broke loose. So I decided to pour some super glue into the fuselage to secure it. Good idea, other then the Sabre is basically a tube and the glue decided to pour out of both ends. And just as I was ready for primer. Oh well, I'll break out the sanding sticks and hopefully remove all the CA. And, of course, even with super glue pouring from both ends...it didn't secure the nose weight and the model still rattles. Sabre maraca anyone?

So without further adieu, here are the pics:

RCAF Sabres in 1/72 (Draft)

I only deal with RCAF Sabres, so I don't know much about F-86Ds, Hs, and Ls, but I've seen lots of comments on 1/72 Sabres recently on some of the boards after the recent issue of the new Airfix kit. Much of it I find a little odd...so Sabres for discussion.

Fujimi: Issued as both a F-86F-30 and F-86F-40. Really nice kit with great scribing and good detail. However, it has always looked really fat in the nose and cockpit area to me, almost like a cross between a F-86F and F-86H. Speed brakes are square, which they aren't in real life. It also has a intake on the rear fuselage which I believe is a JASDF only addition, remember to remove it for a Korean War bird. Tanks and Sidewinders for under the wings. Closed slats only on the F-40 wing. Probably the best place to start for a F-86F even with the fat nose area.

Hobbycraft/Academy: This is the kit I get most frustrated about when it is discussed online. No matter what Hobbycraft or Academy say, or for that matter "the experts," neither of these kits can be built as any USAF F-86. These kits are Orenda engined Sabre 5s and Sabre 6s. When Canada changed engines, vents and panel lines were altered for the Orenda engines, and these kits capture most of those changes. Also, the slatted 6-3 wing was used on no USAF Sabre. Both kits are missing the sugar scoops that were retrofitted to RCAF Sabre 5s and 6s. As for the kits themselves, they are not quite as nice or as detailed as the Fujimi kit, and the scribing is a little less crisp. They also have those square airbrakes and at times seem "inspired" by the Fujimi kit. The slats are separate in the Sabre 6 boxing, but the area under the slats is not correct being recessed. Another interesting anomaly with this kit is that Academy modified it slightly when they started reboxing it. The canopy was retooled to include scribing for the ADF antenna, while the nose gear and cockpit assemblies were modified to make assembly easier. (Good.) Obviously the best place to start for a Sabre 5 or Sabre 6.

Hobbyboss: It appears from some online builds, that something is off with the shape, and it sits way too high on its landing gear. Issued as a F-86F-30 with the 6-3 hard wing and a F-86F-40 with the slatted 6-3 wing with extensions. Basic easy build kit. Looks like a fun weekend project kind of kit.

Heller: Old school with raised lines. I'm not sure what Heller was going for here, it is sold as a F-86F, but the kit is a mishmash of Sabre 6 and F-86F features. Oddly the wing chord is a little short, so while not 100% accurate, it is the closed we have out of the box to a Korean War F-86E. It also is much slimmer then the Fujimi kit, which I think is correct, but the tail is substantially shorter then the Fujimi and Hobbycraft/Academy kits. I'm not sure whose tail is correct. No underwing stores other then tanks. Detail is actually pretty good for a 70s kit, I've always believed that during this time period Heller's kits were way head of their time.

Airfix: Have one on the way, but the online sprue shots look promising. Bombs and pylons are included which is a first in 1/72. Another 6-3 hard winged F-86F-30. Arg. (It will also be issued in the new year as a 6-3 hard winged Sabre 4.) No matter how good this kit is, I feel this is a major missed opportunity for Airfix. I get why they want a Sabre in their line, but if they had done a slatted wing F-86E/Sabre 2/4 they could have cornered the market, rather then having just another 6-3 hard wing Sabre. And it doesn't make sense, as the F-86E would have allowed for a Korean war boxing, and the Sabre 2 would have allowed for a RAF boxing... But the good news is that it may be possible they tooled other wings based up on the breakdown of the parts... More comments when I get the kit.

Some Nice Vintage Golden Hawks Footage

I wish I got to see these guys in person.

While it won't be six Sabres in formation, look for the Hawk One Sabre to reappear in Golden Hawks paint in the next month or so in order to be ready for Canada's Centennial of Flight next year.

Maybe I need to finish the Hobby Boss Sabre...in gold...

You Are Not The (Hobby) Boss Of Me!

We were talking on one of the web modeling forums about these claims of models being built in a weekend. Since it usually takes me about 42 months to just take the parts out of the box, these claims are kind of like claims about the Lock Ness Monster. Cool things you hear about in hushed tones, with blurry pictures, but nothing that exists in your life. So I thought I would give it a try. I started this Saturday morning. It is the recent Hobby Boss 1/72 Sabre 5 ez-build kit. I got it ready for paint by Sunday night. Not done in a weekend...and it is a ez-build...but built in a weekend. It will soon turn gold. Maybe I can finish it in a week...