(bump)1/72 F-86A conversion from Academy F-86E

[TheRealMrEd]

I had no intention of posting this online but the query in the Jets forum by Orion Field on Oct 5, 2010 made me think it might be useful to some.

This project started as a simple desire to build a 1/72 F-86A. I was out of modeling when the Cutting Edge conversion was available, or I would have gone that route. The Matchbox F-86A is alright, but I wanted dropped flaps and leading edge, and doing the Matchbox kit would have been MUCH extra work.

In any event, this is one of the many projects I am working on concurrently, and this is how I've gone about converting the Academy F-86E into an F-86A.

The next two pics are the current status of the beast.

The project started by filling the soon-to-be-thinned-out fuselage areas ahead of the horizontal stabilizers on either side. After all, if I couldn't get the rear end right, why go any further? Fortuneatly, there are good F-86A walkaround photos online to help with this. By application of plenty of Xap-A-Gap ++ CA, and a lot of filing and sanding, this worked out okay. (see picture 1 and picture 4). Then, I added the horizontal stabilizers from the Matchbox kit, because thay already had the correct stabilizer lines scribed, and also, they were thicker in cross section, which seemed a little more accurate according to the photos I had.

Next, I worked on the wings:

The wings may or may not have been correct on the F-86E kit, but I decided to experiment and see how hard it would be to convert from a "6-3" wing to the earlier one. Using a steel ruler, I scribed the lines (shown as the thicker lines) in the photo with a needle in a vise, onto one of the upper wing halves. I first scribed the existing line (indicated by the ruler), and then measured a scale 6" at the root end and 3" at the wingtip end and scribed that line. I did NOT scribe thru the wing tip and root, instead, I used a razor saw and cut from the leading edge of the wing to the rearmost scribed line at both ends. Then I scribed the rearmost line over and over until it separated that section from the wing. Next, I scribed the more forward line (that I had previously scribed to mark) over and over until it separated from the leading edge of the wing ( the part with the slat rails attached). Using the now fore-shortened wing top half, I laid it over the wing bottom and scribed the first line as above, and repeated the whole process for the lower wing half. Then, I glued the slat rail parts onto their respective wing halves.

The thinner lines in the photo show approximately how much of the leading edge has to be removed from the root and tip ends of the wings, to match the new, chord-wise thinner wing. Also, the leading edge of the wing fillet at the fuselage as to be filed back a bit as well.

I had photos of this whole process, but lost them in a hard disk crash last April, so interested parties will have to make due with the explanation! Pics 1 and 2 show how the process worked out.

You can see the reshaped rear end here:

Next, for the life of me, I could NOT determine from all the photos and drawings I had what was the correct shape for the airbrake openings and doors. The ones on the kit looked a little square to me, so I experimented with how to make 'em longer and skinnier:

First, the fuselage openings. I took a dive and used the simple expedient of gluing a piece of platic card horizontally into the top of the opening. When the glue dried, I cut the excess off flush with the fuselage and sanded it smooth. The top plane in the picture is the mod; the lower plane is the stock part. Judge for yourself.

Next, it was time for the airbrake doors themselves. Not being a total scale freak, I was looking for a "look", so a certain amount of creative license was permitted. I cut a bit off the bottom of the door, thinning the profile, then glued on a bit of card to the end of the door to lengthen it. (The white bit in the door on the left in the next photo). Last, I filled the lightening holes in the door with CA. When dry, I sanded them with sandpaper on a round shape, and drilled new holes. I mis-located a little, as you can see, but as it will be almost impossible to see, I may not correct it by filling and re-drilling. Stock item on the right.

No, the door does not actually fit back into the opening, but it looks great, longer and thinner, and since I am modeling it open, it will be our little secret. Also going this route did not alter the mounting of the doors at all.

The correct earlier 6-hole wheel is provided in the Sword F-80C kit as an optional extra. Stock gear leg and multi-spoked later wheel on right.

Last, the remaing items for an F-86A conversion, the canopy and the gun ports. Since I was modeling an F-86A-1 from the 94th F.S., 1st F.G. and since they got the first operational Sabres, the flat gun port doors were not optional. ( I had originally decided to model a war-era A model, and a short time after being sent to Korea, the gun doors jammed frequently and were removed; I could have slid by...)

In any event, I was in a quandry, because I had already painted the model when I decided to switch paint schemes. What to do? Then -- BRILLIANCE!! I filled the kit gun ports with fine grain Milliput (because I could smooth it with water and not ruin the paint), and then took another dive and used silver decal strips! I think they came out great.

Last, the unique F-86A canopy. With the Cutting Edge conversion long gone and the Matchbox canopy also incorrect. What to do? I finally found that the Clear Vax USAF canopy set #43 had a correct F-86A canopy in the set. Problem solved.

Of course, getting the set shipped from Australia for $18.95 US (which did include postage!) was a little expensive, but since there were many other 50's canopies in the set that I will use later (if I live long enough), then it wasn't that bad. However, if you can find a source state-side go that route. (SQUADRON -- ARE YOU LISTENING?!!)

I didn't trim the fuselage as far down to fit the canopy as Clear VAX recommended, because I was trying to save the upper cockpit coaming and save a little work. As a result, I almost sanded through the thin canopy material while fairing it in, so maybe you should just follow the instructions.

Lastly, the markings. Since no on makes 94th F.S. markings for a 1/72 F-86A, I had to go it alone. There are two methods.

1)Get a copy of the Profiles Publication #20 "North American F-86A Sabre", and in the color profiles is the aircraft in question. You can scan the profile into your computer, massage to improve quality and the scale and print to a white decal sheet; or second, and the method I chose because I had the necessary goodies:

2)Scan profile as above, scale out and print to plain paper, the side "flash" shape. Cut out the shape and rubber cement to a piece of plastic card, abd trim and sand to the final outline to make a pattern. Use the pattern on a sheet of green decal paper (the upper stripe on the top of the vertcal stabilizer is the same color), and cut out the first side, flip the pattern and cut out a diametrically opposite one for the other side of the aircraft. I "just happened" to have an old sheet of Stoppel Decals #38 green stars, green and yellow squares with a larger section of just green decal sheet, circa 1972 or so, that was the perfect color.

(This is where it helps to be an "ancient" modeler.)

Next , using a circle guage, I cut out circles from a sheet of white decal paper. This will later be finished off by a "Hat-In-The-Ring" 94th F.S. emblem from an old WW I decal sheet, and the 1st F.G. emblem from the Microscale 72-273 sheet "Tactical Wing Badges." Other markings were scrounged here and there from the spares box. (Divorced in 1975, I sold out a 200-plane collection and all my modeling stuff, EXCEPT my trusty Binks airbrush and compressor, my reference books, and my decals! --- let a word to the wise be sufficient.)

Any way, I hope you enjoyed this saga, and maybe, along with me, learned something new. I will make a huge effort to finish this model in the next month or two, and post final pics, but -- you never know.

I have many other models going on and sometimes I get sidetacked.

Edited December 20, 2015 by TheRealMrEd

[TheRealMrEd]

Working -- for me -- like the wind, I just finished the F-86E to F-86A project. One correction to the previous info posted. The decal I thought was for the 1ST f.g. TURNED OUT TO BE FOR THE LATER 1ST f.i.s., an entirely different generation of the emblem. Found an inage on line, cleaned it up and scaled to size and printed onto white decal paper with inkjet. Problem solved.

There were some final issues. Some info on line has it that 48-158, the A/C I chose to model may have had the rounded front windscreen, as shown on the Matchbox F-86A. The only photo I could find of this aircraft show that it might had the later angled front screen. The shot is from an angle that makes it hard to tell. I decided to go with the more common angled screen that to modify the Matchbox part.

Next, the pitot tube. All photos of other F-86A - 5's had no tubes that Icould find, on either wings or rudder or underneath, so I didn't model one.

Lastly, the A's had the wingtip nav lights built into the leading edge of the wing, which I modeled with old Lite Brite pegs plastic. The Lite Brite pegs were also used for the little button nav lights at the tip of the fuselage tail end.

Pics of the finished beast ar as shown:

I enjoyed making this model. Alclad II and Testor's Model Master enamels were used throught. I learned some new techniques making this model, but the most important thing I learned was not

about the model -- but about the pilot.

While reasearching the plane I found that 1st Lt. Sabine L. Anderson had an accident on Feb 2, 1951 in this aircraft at George AFB. It does not say whether the aircraft survived, but Lt. Anderson did, showing up in Korea and eventually being credited with 2.5 kills flying an F-86E.

1st Lt. Sabin L. Anderson diD not make it home alive from Korea. He is buried in or near Quincy, MA and his name appears on a WAR memorial there.

I learned a little about this man, to whom we owe so much. I, for one, will not forget.

Edited December 20, 2015 by TheRealMrEd

[Jinxter13]

That is one very , very fine looking Sabre...and a very fitting tribute to a fallen warrior, and yes a hero; one who made the ultimate sacrifice and paid the highest price B) .

[TheRealMrEd]

Bump again just to re-add the photos. Websites keep getting shot out from under me!

[Snowbird3a]

those are nice pics of a fine looking F-86A. I recently did both a Matchbox improvement(conversion) and the HobbyCraft conversion to a 'A'models. Both were a piece of work to finish.

The only one things I would comment on is to droop the speed brakes a little, and bend the nose gear door to almost a 90 degree angle.

Love the job you did, though.

Cheers, Tony

PS. 48-158 was a F86A-5 and was equipped with the Vee shaped windscreen

Edited December 20, 2015 by Snowbird3a

[TheRealMrEd]

Snowbird3a,

Thanks for the heads up on the windscreen. I was working from the photo and it just never dawned on me to look at the s/n, even though I do it all the time.

Ed