ACADEMY 1:48 F-86F-30 SABRE
Reviewer: Gene K. (rec.models.scale)
The North American F-86 Sabre lays claim to a number of feats and achievements alike and was the first USAF fully swept fighter to enter production. Renowned for its versatility and MiG kills in the Korean War it was one of the great planes of the 1950's and beyond. It served with a number of air forces across the globe.
Overall: Extremely similar to the Hasegawa kit in all respects, including quality, fit, and parts breakdown. However, Academy includes many extras which make this kit an outstanding value, especially considering that at 2500 yen it's 700yen less expensive than the Hasegawa kit. Of note in the kit is the complete front-to-back "air path " - full intake duct leading to the engine which has an attached tail pipe. Looks impressive sitting in one fuselage half. Other features include gun bays being open with tight fitting access covers, two different style fuel tanks, and ordnance. Decal sheet is super, with comprehensive and thin markings. Negatives include the ridiculous box art and the standard lack of any significant history or notations on the instruction sheets.
Box Art: By L.D. Yon, which is supposedly the nom-de-plume of one of the better Japanese (not Korean) aviation artists - if so, he was asleep at the brush and is definitely not a Koike!!! I pointed out the following to Minicraft boss Al Trendle last year, but he obviously didn't effect anything with Academy (this kit is the last joint Minicraft/Academy venture (but my box had no mention of Minicraft), and Al may not have had much influence at that point last year). The kit is an F-86F-30 with the 6-3 hardwing, but the illustration showsan aircraft that has the -40 extended wingtips. And it gets funnier since slats are shown in addition to the wing strakes! Other errors include showing the square reinforcing slab near the vertical stab fairing, a totally strange nose and canopy, and incorrect colors and markings. This cartoonish Sabre is shown shooting down an equally ill proportioned MiG. I wonder why the Sabre pilot hasn't jettisoned his wing tanks (which by the way are the long-range tanks (not included in the kit). Overall a real joke for box art which Academy should have fixed by firing the artist and commissioning someone else. Not at all representative of the well researched product inside.
Instruction sheet: A nice touch is the separate sheet showing decal placement and color guide. Main sheet has clear illustrations and includes a few FS color callouts. However, no notations are given, for example, to identify the 120 gal combat tanks vice the 165 gal Misawa tanks included in the kit. Similarly, one is left to research what the included bombs are - it looks like, judging from photo references, they are 750 pounders (although the noses are rather blunt).
Fuselage: Matches up almost exactly with the Hasegawa kit, and so is spot-on dimensionally with the plans I used last year. Strangely, the same panel lines that were missing on the Hasegawa kit are also absent on the Academy effort - namely, those where the ammo doors hinge (a simple matter to scribe two lines from the nose wheel well back to the fuselage wing line). Speed brake doors and wells have nice detail, and the instructions show the correct cut to make on the lower arm to establish the correct downward angle of the brakes when they are open.
Intake ducting will have to be worked if not using the kit supplied intake cover (exhaust cover is also included) since the molded-in wheel well creates a huge abyss that needs filling. As an alternative, the KMC seamless intake will fit but requires some sanding of the nose cone to match up with the slightly slimmer Academy fuselage (a small sliver of sheet styrene from the windscreen forward will help). Haven't tried the Seamless Sucker. Also attached to the Academy ducting is the cockpit tub, which is pretty decent and is complimented nicely by an accurate raised-detail instrument panel (no decals provided). The seat is a joke, having prominent ejector marks on the cushion and dinky raised lines representing seat belts - really weak. Fortunately the KMC seat fits -- or the entire KMC cockpit can be substituted, providing you use that trusty Dremel Mini Tool to grind away sufficient resin from under the consoles to clear the inside edges of the fuselage's molded-in gun bays. These bays are nice, housing individual 50 caliber guns and ammo belts...however, the front end of the wall through which the guns pass need to be reamed to correct the shape and size of the pass through holes.
Haven't fitted the Aires, Jaguar, or Verlinden cockpit sets yet, but looks like they're useable also (gave away the TD and Teknics sets...). Eduard 48-185 remains one of my favorites for detail parts, and the Verlinden set is excellent for the ammo compartments and "steps".
Canopy is "fairly" clear (not as sparkling bright as the Hasegawa) and reasonably thin, but requires fine sanding and Future to eliminate the mold line running along the top. Fortunately the antenna lines are molded on the inside of the canopy and so will not be effected by the sanding. A pet peeve, the area under the canopy, is bare, so you may have to or use the Aires set and a little detailing.
The GE J-47-GE-27 engine provides a good base for superdetailing, and if the fuselage is opened up on the scored cut lines, the back end can be displayed on the kit-provided support stand. The Model Art Special (#302) that I sent you last year has good engine detail pictures. Note the engine compressor face looks a little suspect compared to the photos in that there's no inlet guide in front of the compressor blades and the intake bullet looks a tad too small - likely because the -27 engine shown in the Model Art is of a later vintage.
Wings: Are the hardwing 6-3. Panel lines are dead on with the plans I have, and include some detail Hasegawa missed. The strakes/wing fences are a little on the thick side and best replaced by brass or thin styrene. I don't think we'll ever see the Meteor narrow chord wing with slats? Just more Meteor vaporware.
Stuff to hang on the wings: Standard 120 gal tanks and also the 165 gal Misawa tanks (based on the F-80 tanks developed at Misawa in response to the tank shortage that the Sabres had around 1952). Since the -30 had a new hard point on each wing, Academy provides 750 # bombs to hang there (Both wing stations had plumbing for the 120 gal tanks, the outboard station could carry the 200 gal tank, and the inboard station could lug up to a 1000# bomb). Parts in the kit not for use on this Korean bird include two nice early Sidewinders and associated rails, and alternate tank fins that had the small vertical stabilizers. Everything's there for a reissue with different decals.
Wheels: A nice touch is the inclusion of both a solid and a see-through nose wheel (which is, however, molded solid). Tires are non-weighted and accompanied by plain struts and nicely detailed wheel wells. Gear door detailing is excellent - marred only by a prominent ejector mark squarely in the middle of the small door on the nose strut… which will be hidden by the strut, so no problem there.
Decal Sheet: Very nice with markings for two aircraft: McSwain's "Mike's Bird" (Sylvester next to a vulture carrying a stick of dynamite) flown at Suwon in 1953, and an attractive 67FBW bird (large red/white/blue slash on tail) out of adjoining Osan AB operated during the same time period . McSwain's markings are correct (vice the botched up boxart), and in this regard, check out the gorgeous large color fold-out in the October 1996 Koku- Fan.
Finally, Academy has included two nice figures - a standing and sitting pilot, both with positionable heads and arms, and separate oxygen masks! As opposed to the modern (and incorrect) garb of the Hasegawa Korean pilot, these have the correct life preservers, helmets and parachute. The standing figure, however, needs putty steroid to bulk up his shoulders, and could use reduction surgery on his sagging Mae Wests!
And to top it all off, Academy even includes a tube of cement. Not one of those small wimpy tubes, mind you, but a hefty 12 foot tube (1/48 scale).To sum it up - an outstanding bargain which shouldn't take much to get ready for the SNJ and Flouquil Old Silver.
Related Reviews: Heller-Humbrol 1/72 F-86F Sabre : Airfix 1/72 F-86D Sabre Dog
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