1/48 Hasegawa RF-86F 

Recon Sabre, as Canadair CL-13B Sabre Mk 6

by Hal Marshman, Sr.

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    Can’t  think of the last time I did a “suck & blow” machine, but twas probably 25 or more years ago, and then a Me-262. At this year’s Bay Colony Show, Bob Don challenged anyone to beat his Sabre build. The list included Furies and Canadair types. I’ve always enjoyed the BundesLuftwaffe Sabre color schemes, particularly those adorned with the Hartmann black and white tulip petals.. The kit I purchased was for the Japanese JAASDF photo recon Sabre. For those interested in that version, the kit includes beautifully done resin parts for the camera bulges, and a very comprehensive decal sheet with US style numbers for many different individual aircraft. Well worth saving, if as I, you opt for a different bird. I made purchase of the Eagle Strike Luftwaffe’s Sabres Pt. II decal. The sheet had markings for 3 different Luftwaffe planes, with national markings and complete stenciling for 1. Ok, so how’s the kit?

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    Hasegawa’s Sabre Mk6 is cast in the usual medium gray, easy to work styrene. Surface detail is engraved panel lines, nicely done, and just prominent enough to show case your favorite panel line treatment. Cockpit is rather decent, with a relief cast instrument panel, stick, rudder pedals, detailed floor and side panels, and a very nice seat and rails, with separate head rest. The area inside the canopy just behind the seat is well executed, with separate details, including a clear cast beacon. (Instructions call for this to be painted “clear” orange.) I found the cockpit to be complete enough, in my case calling only for scratch built seatbelts and buckles, arm rests, and seat cushion. Altogether, the assembled and painted cockpit came off quite well. I’ll also mention here that the wheel wells, dive brake interiors, and all necessary covers are crisply and fully detailed. Such being the case, I was pleased to leave the dive brakes open. Gear struts, activators, and all covers are fully detailed and nicely cast. Hasegawa even includes FOD (Foreign object damage) covers for the intake and exhaust outlet. A nice touch, and well done. The glass parts are very clear, distortion free, and moderately thin. Separate windscreen and sliding bubble, along with lenses for the undernose landing lights, and the above mentioned beacon are included, as well as a glass reflector for the gun sight. By the way, the crisply cast wheels feature unflattened tires, so you may want to file them flat yourself. Far as the lights are concerned, I used MV lenses for nav lights, landing lights, and the tiny lights in the tail fairing.

    This kit went together with few problems, and I used no putty in the construction. I knew I was going to use the supplied nose intake FOD cover, so I filled the intake with bee bee sized ball bearings, cemented in with super glue, and that proved to be the trick as far as holding the nose down onto it’s gear. I would not hesitate to recommend this kit to all but perhaps the rank beginner. In the pictures supplied, I had not glued on the canopy as yet, as I wanted to show off the interior without it. As an aside, I think the Sabre series of airplanes are just about the prettiest of all the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s jet fighters, employing a genuine symmetry and purity of line. In my opinion, the esthetics of the bird belie it’s deadly purpose.        

Have fun, 

Hal

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Photos and text © by Hal Marshman, Sr.