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I see there are few inaccuracies in the Special Hobby 1/72 F-86H.  Was wondering if the Rareplanes vac. conversion fuselage is MORE accurate?  Anyone compare the two??

 

Perhaps the canopy in the Rareplanes is better too??   Also know the intake just isnt right on SH kit???

 

 

Steve

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Posted (edited)

There is a whole thread on Britmodeler about the canopy being wrong--swapping one out with a Hasegaw D canopy....and the intake is wrong shape profile??  I think not deep enough  reminds me of the FJ Fury talk///

 

I know the intakes well since I am finishing up a 1/72 CAC Avon Sabre conversion & yes the intakes are different but the F-86H & CAC Avon Sabre are NOT the same.  I am not exaclty seeing it either so I may just live with the SH kit.  Was wondering about the Rareplanes vac. conversion in comparison?? ..maybe that is better shape??  Also Dont know what references they are pulling from either??   I bet Tommy Thompson would know???

 

 

Steve,

Edited by scorvi
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The SH F-86H is a caricature: the canopy is too tall and the windscreen too steep. Easiest fix is to use the aftermarket F-86D vac canopy (the Hasegawa kit is becoming rare and so I'd be reluctant to sacrifice its canopy). The SH nose section forward to the windshield is too long and the intake is the wrong shape both in front aspect and side view.

 

While not so much of an issue, the drop tanks are also of strange proportion. The 200-gallon NAA tank with stuka fin endplates is included in some 1/72 kits (Heller for example), so should be easy to source.

 

I have one in the stash but have yet to work out how to put it all right. The nose section in particular will need a lot of filling and fettling. I don't have the Rareplanes fuselage so can't comment, though the accuracy of these kits was always pretty good.

Edited by Sabrejet
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Here's a quick comparison, which shows the kit intake issue (kit is lighter coloured, overlaid with an F-86H side view). The nose top line is used as a datum, but highlights that the aft fuselage upper extremity is too high. We can also see that bottom line of the intake is way too low.

 

Then you can see that the windshield is too steep and high, and that's the start of the strange look there. Then the canopy aft section is wayyyyy too tall and long plus it is excessively curved in profile at the rear. 

 

Finally the too-low nose section is allied to a fuselage aft section which is too high and gives it that fat, hunch-backed look of the SH kit.

 

Don't get me started on the drop tanks: they are even more weirdly-shaped than I'd remembered.

 

So I'm not sure it can be easily fixed with a new canopy. OK this is a rough-and-ready comparison but I think does at least demonstrate the basic issues.

 

006.jpg

Edited by Sabrejet
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10 hours ago, Sabrejet said:

(the Hasegawa kit is becoming rare and so I'd be reluctant to sacrifice its canopy)

This should be fixed pretty soon since Hasegawa re-released their F-86D as a standard "white box" 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/hasegawa-01579-f-86d-sabre-dog-jasdf--1510281

The price should be reasonable too.

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Posted (edited)

Thank you very helpful pics. 

 

I have a Rareplanes F-86H coming...Found on on ebay for a song.  I will compare the nose sections between the SH & Rareplanes kits. It also comes with a vac. canopy and perhaps the windshield area is better shaped too??

 

Perhaps a cross kitting may get a better result?!

 

 

 

Steve,

Edited by scorvi
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1 hour ago, scorvi said:

Perhaps a cross kitting may get a better result?!

 

Steve,

 

I'd agree. If push came to shove, I'd suggest Fujimi F-40 wings (the SH wings are the rare, early-standard 6-3 wing with fence on my kit) or even the Hobbycraft Sabre 6 wings but with added extensions; insert Hasegawa F-86D cockpit area and then either use the Rareplanes fuselage if it has better proportions, or modify the SH kit in the fuselage and nose areas. In fact looking at the intake, I think a lateral slice out of the fuselage might sort it all out because that whole canopy area is what really jars the eye.

 

The F-86H seat is similar to (but not the same as) the F-86D seat and in 1/72 I think you'd get away with using whichever kit (SH or Hasegawa) gives you the better option. I have an old resin aftermarket set for the F-86D so I might use that when the time comes. I also have a vac F-86D canopy, which I think was either a Ventura item or even a spare from the old Tauro F-86K kit.

 

And those drop tanks really do need to be replaced because they are just weird! My source for the larger finned 200-gallon tanks used to be the Heller kit and I can't recall what other kits they might be in.

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I have the Fujimi F-40 kit, but please mind I have next to nil knowledge on this matter. In this kit the manual says the droptanks are also 200 Gal. However the shape between my SH H and Fujimi's is nowhere similar. Are they usable too for the H (with the idea that they are shapewise correct?) or only for earlier versions?

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The Fujimi 200-gal tanks are the version with no fins. These were officially "USAF Standard" tanks and were used with a forced-ejection pylon. These are the only tanks used on the Sabre series whereby when the tank was jettisoned the pylon stayed with the aircraft. Sadly these weren't commonly used on the F-86H, though they were trialled.

 

The 200-gallon tank that you need are the large 'banana' tanks (officially "NAA Tank"), which had anhedral fins at their aft end. This tank had an integral pylon which jettisoned with the tank and later versions had vertical end-plates on the anhedral fins.

 

They're definitely in the Heller kit but I'd need to see what other kits use them. From memory the 1/72 Academy and Fujimi kits have the USAF Standard tanks.

 

I did a run-down of the different tanks here:

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235025280-f-86-sabre-drop-tanks-type-review/#comment-2793316

Edited by Sabrejet
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YA I think Heller is the only one that has them in 1/72.    I believe Hasegawa has the NAA tanks in their 1/48 Sabre too...but thta doesnt help you.

 

The Academy-HC F-86 kits in 1/72 have the same tanks as the Fujimi...just checked physically/   Now It would be  good to get a Heller kit and cast up some tanks ??

 

Sabrejet has a great posting on Britmodeler that may help everyone:

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235025280-f-86-sabre-drop-tanks-type-review/

 

 

 

Steve

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Posted (edited)

You did the very nice post!!

 

I looked through all my sabre kits  It seems in 1/72 we are in a dearth---Just the Heller kit has the NAA tanks unless there is a version I am missing??

 

When the Rareplanes F-86H arrives I will post up some pics to see if it is really better than the SH kit.  Your pics will help point out exactly what I am looking for!!

 

 

Checked  in 1/32 too.......The Hasegawa 1/32 F-86 has the Banana tanks-w/o fins and the Stuka fin tanks.    Kinetic 1/32 kit has the 120 gallon banana tank with inboard sway brace. & some other strange looking tank  kinda of a morph.

Edited by scorvi
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To come back to the canopy issue, 

 

The Special Hobby F-86L (long wing) has 2 vacform canopies. Anyone know if the spare could be used for the 86H?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

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Saw this and thought I would drop this shot of the F-86H I got as I passed through China Lake for a fuel stop.  I was hovering in shooting with my Nikon F2A, with a motor.  Still have the camera collecting dust.  I was flying an OH-58A at the time out of Ft Carson.  I got really good at flying with my knees so I could take pictures.

 

I always loved the H.

 

Nikon F2A, 43-86mm Zoom Kodachrome 64

 

Bryan...

DF-86H_22090_ChinaLake_Sm.jpg

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Wow Bryan, what a nice picture!

 

I guess this is in the 70s? With the T-38A in the back.

 

What strikes me is how that Polish roundel got stuck on that Hog Sabre.

 

Thanks for sharing!

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7 hours ago, BWDenver said:

Saw this and thought I would drop this shot of the F-86H I got as I passed through China Lake for a fuel stop.  I was hovering in shooting with my Nikon F2A, with a motor.  Still have the camera collecting dust.  I was flying an OH-58A at the time out of Ft Carson.  I got really good at flying with my knees so I could take pictures.

 

I always loved the H.

 

Nikon F2A, 43-86mm Zoom Kodachrome 64

 

Bryan...

 

 

Thanks for sharing this - will definitely appear on a Caracal sheet if someone ever releases a 1/48 F-86H.

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1 hour ago, KursadA said:

 

Thanks for sharing this - will definitely appear on a Caracal sheet if someone ever releases a 1/48 F-86H.

 

Will you be doing the 'Snoopy' QF-86H or the prototype with the blue swooshes?

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