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High Planes 1/72 CAC Avon Sabre Conversion
 

High Planes 1/72 CAC
Avon Sabre

By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

The Avon Sabre was an Australian development of the enormously successful North American F-86 Sabre. By taking a standard F-86 and re-engining it with a Rolls Royce Avon engine and rearming it with a pair of cannons instead of the six machine guns, the Avon Sabre was born. This improved Sabre served with the RAAF, and later the Malaysian Air Force, for many years, including several years as part of the Black Panther and Marksmen aerobatic teams.

The Conversion

This conversion is designed to use parts from the Hobbycraft F-86 Sabre kits, and requires the F-30 variant with the 6-3 extension and short wingtips, of which all the necessary parts are included in the kit. The conversion is simple, as it is nothing more than a new fuselage. The replacement fuselage comes split into right and left halves, with a separate nose piece. As these are direct replacements, they should match up with the Hobbycraft kit parts nicely. They feature recessed panel lines throughout, and while a bit rough around the edges, a quick swipe with some sandpaper should fix that nicely.

While the fuselage conversion is simple enough, the included decal sheet really makes this set shine. The decals include markings for both aerobatic teams, as well as a regular RAAF squadron machine and two Malaysian examples. For both of the aerobatic teams, the decals include two different styles of markings, denoting different years of operation. All of the RAAF examples are silver overall, as is one of the Malaysian examples. The remaining Malaysian option is camouflaged in dark green over duck egg blue. In addition to the unit markings, a set of stenciling is included, although only for the differences between the Avon Sabre and an F-86.

Conclusion

This is a simple conversion that requires no special skills. If you are interested in Sabres, this is one you should not pass up. Coupled with the great decal sheet, this conversion will round out a Sabre collection nicely. Now all we need is a nice F-86H conversion.