This all started with Airfix's wonderful 1/72 new-tool Canadair Sabre F.4/North American F-86F/E(M). Isn't that box art great? Airfix has certainly upped their game here.
Airfix has also upped their game with the magnificent molding of this kit which I think is one of the best Sabres in this scale even if the rivet counters disagree.
Of course, mine was going to be just a little bit different. Actually, the only mod was adding a spare set of wings from another Airfix Sabre which had this box art:
This was one of the smoothest kitbashes I've done yet.
To make the new upper wings work, I had to extend them by adding bits of wing roots from another fine Airfix product, their DeHavilland Comet racer.
Paint was applied by hand with the old hairy stick. I used some of that custom RAF PC-10 and another custom green acrylic along with Polly Scale Building Brown and Model Masters Sand with just a bit of a custom dark chocolate brown on the uppers. The canopy was tinted on the inside with Model Masters Insignia Blue and the burner can was done in Jet Exhaust.
Polly Scale Early Israeli "Gray" was used to approximate clear doped linen on the undersides.
This scheme was a slight variation on the famous one worn by SPAD XIIIs:
Granted this one's Italian, but it's my understanding the aircraft were painted at the factory in France and they were all done in a similar pattern.
I added the kit pitot to the upper wing, thinking Curtiss did this because he disliked uncouth ground crew. The notch for the pitot in the lower wing was converted into a landing light with a couple dabs of paint and a dollop of Liquitex acrylic gloss medium.
Decals were a mix from spares but the roundels came from an ancient Revell SPAD. The large 12s came from another Revell W.W. I aircraft, their Nieuport 29. I was chuffed by how they perfectly fit over the speed brakes.
Before I forget, here's the "money shots" (U.S. penny for scale):
While I had this one planned for ages, it only took four days to put it all together and I had a blast the whole time.
This is the second of three planned W.W. I Centenary builds. Next up,
the Armée de l'Air.
100 years on, the brave sacrifices made by those who fought in this terrible conflict have not been forgotten.
Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial:
Brian da Basher
