The German decal specialist has two interesting 1/48 sheets relevant for anyone building particular Sabre variants recently released.
Many modellers have great affection for the Sabre in its different forms, whether it’s a Korean War MiG-killer or an exotic export machine. And devotees of the type have been blessed with great releases of late. There’s Airfix’s reworking of its new-tool F-86F into a long-wing ‘Dash 40’ (highlighted here), and Revell’s reissue of the superb Promodeler F-86D Sabre Dog, reviewed here.
Hi-Decal Line has responded accordingly by re-releasing its item 48-014 first issued around 20 years ago (shown above), for the F-86D/L Sabre Dog. It offers markings for three bare-metal airframes and one camouflaged, and the liveries are:
• F-86D-36, 16171, 337 Squadron, Royal Hellenic Air Force, Elefsina, Air Base, Greece, 1965 (Dark Olive Green and Dark Sea Grey over Light Grey)
• F-86D-36, 18305, 343 Squadron, Royal Hellenic Air Force, Elefsina Air Base, 1963 (Grass Green vertical tail, black and yellow fuselage band)
• F-86D-36, 18406, 8th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 5th Fighter Wing, Philippines Air Force, Basa Air Base, 1965
• F-86L-60, 30848/1222, 12 Squadron, Royal Thai Air Force, Don Muang Air Base, Thailand, 1969
Long-wing Sabres
Hi-Decal has also released an all-new sheet, 48-034, for the F-86F-25/30 (F-40 Wing), offering four different schemes. Of these, just one aluminium jet appears and the others are camouflaged. These liveries are relevant to Airfix’s recent F-86F-40 kit, but also previous releases by Hasegawa/Revell, potentially with minor conversion work. Note that many export F-86F-25/-30 airframes were fitted with the -40 wing. They are:
• F-86F-25, 51-13244, 103rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Imperial Iranian Air Force, Kamina Air Base, Congo, 1963 (United Nations duties)
• F-86F-25, 51-13224/3140, 41st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Imperial Iranian Air Force, 4 TFB Vahdati, 1969
• F-86F-25, 51-13240/275, 1st Fighter Bomber Squadron, Imperial Ethiopian Air Force, Asmara Air Base, 1972
• F-85F-30, 52-4576 Dragon, 9th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 5th Tactical Fighter Wing, Philippines Air Force, Edwin Andrews Air Base, Zamboanga, Mindanao, 1974
Both sheets benefit from exceptional printing, the markings being thin and on gloss carrier film. Hi-Decal supplies Federal Standard paint codes, as well as equivalent Humbrol and Model Master references.
Both sheets are available via Hannants in the UK and cost £8.50 each.
