Sabrejet

Just received a test shot and it looks awesome! Pretty much a scaled-down version of the 1/48 kit, so the detail is exquisite. Comparison of 1/48 and 1/72 sprues:

I seem to recall one of those pre-painted Japanese kits depicted this machine?

Incoming!!!! Final sprues: dare I say it, even better than the 1/48 kit?

The F-86A FOD screen subject is moot: they were often used for ground running but less so on-aircraft. Early in 1951, Far East Air Forces mandated their removal from aircraft but the 4th FGp responded that they'd never experienced the icing issues used as justification by FEAF. Sadly there's no evidence of a decision either way but there are plenty of reports of airmen sucked into intakes and succumbing to their injuries. Though there is mention of damage to the intake starter/generator fairing in these incidents I've never seen any mention of the screens. It's a sadly tragic way of assessing

Yes: CP has been pretty impressive in picking up on constructive comments made in respect of its 1/48 release. You still won't be able to see the centre body (starter/generator fairing) on the finished kit though 😉

Farley's ejection was covered in Flying Safety magazine at the time; it was quite an ordeal for him.

Not in USAF service however. I suspect the document is referring to a variant of an existing NAA seat among the three main versions.

I'd have said three also, if you only count NAA seats. Maybe they also counted automatically-opening harness as a variation?

Wayyyyyyyy off topic but you got my attention. I've built six or seven 1/43 MFH kits and they are IMHO the best value for my modelling money there is. Fortunately I still have one or two in the stash for a rainy month or so. But shock! horror! you have to do some work to make them. Dreadful ain't it? 😉

Or so you'd think. Many of the parts CP offer as aftermarket are not there to improve on detail of the kit but to provide options. So instead of the closed gun ports in the kit you have the option for a later configuration; similar with the ejection seat, which is an earlier and more unusual option. Not so long ago most people wouldn't have known there was a difference but now somehow it's VERY important. Pleasing everyone with the right balance of 'all options/very expensive' and fewer 'options/affordable' is difficult. Not so long ago we were begging for a 1/48 F-86A: now it seem

Thanks Jeffrey. It's always a lose-lose situation. You offer resin and folks complain that the kit parts are OK, they're paying more for parts they won't use, and that they don't like resin; or you don't include them....

I knew it! I did a search but couldn't find it 😞

Coming soon: note THREE configurations of machine gun blast panel and two different intake versions.

No snarkiness: I just don't see the difference between a single-piece wing and a two (or three) part wing, assembled to be physically the same as a single-piece. Wingnut Wings did both with various kits and if I ever found any unwanted holes, I filled them. My method is generally Bob's Buckles Eyelets with various hardware and Uschi van der Rosten rigging. Maybe others are adopting methods that create problems elsewhere.

Aha! Thanks 🙂