 Euro
Decals 1/72 & 1/48 Very Colorful Sabres
Well, here's definitely a case of the title accurately reflecting the
contents. This decal sheet definitely has what qualifies as colorful Sabres
on it! There are a total of six aircraft presented, ranging from all over
the world. To start off the collection, we'll travel to Nellis AFB in
1955.
The first aircraft is an F-86A, from the Montana Air National Guard.
This plane operated as a target tug at Nellis AFB, and as such it was
painted in such a way as to stand out. Apparently in 1955 this meant painting
the entire fuselage and tailplanes in bright yellow. As if that was not
enough, the plane also features blue stripes around the nose and vertical
tail, while the wingtips and horizontal stabilizer tips are also painted
blue. The fuselage star and bar, as well as the MONT ANG text, has been
carefully blocked off, leaving a silver border that was then outlined
in black. Definitely a scheme designed to stand out!
The second aircraft goes back a bit further, to 1951. This Sabre, an
F-86E, was one of the four aircraft that attempted to break the closed-circuit
speed record in that year. Flying out of Edwards AFB, the Sabres were
successful, holding onto the record for at least a short period of time.
This plane is finished in natural metal overall, with no markings other
than the serials and the national markings. Oh, and the entire nose is
painted in fluorescent dayglo orange up to the wing leading edge, and
curving back to include the entire canopy. A large black 4 is under the
windscreen on each side.
 The
third Sabre is probably the simplest one of the bunch to build, because
its colorfulness comes from the fact that it is finished in standard SEA
camouflage consisting of dark green, medium green and tan over light gray.
This plane, an RF-86F, served with the Hankook Kong Goon (Republic of
Korea Air Force) in the 1970s and has small South Korean insignias on
the fuselage and wings. The only other markings are the letters ROKAF
and the serial number on the tail.
Continuing the thread of foreign Sabre operators, the next choice calls
Canada home, which means that it is not an F-86 but rather a Canadair
Sabre, a Mk. 5 to be exact. This plane was apparently painted up special
for the 1955 air show circuit, as it was seen at the Toronto Air Show
in that year. Finishing this model will be very simple, as all you have
to do is paint the entire plane overall red. The thin outlines around
the fin flash and roundels are provided as decals, so no need to mask
those off.
If special schemes are not your particular cup of tea, the fifth option
provides a colorful Sabre in operational markings. This plane is an F-86F-40
of No. 1 Squadron in the JASDF during the 1970s. It has the usual squadron
tail band consisting of black and yellow checks, and it has a large red
fuselage band behind the cockpit as well as a red nose.
 The
final option is a very colorful F-86F of the Joker Aerobatic Team. This
plane, coded AH-Z, is from No. 332 Squadron of the Norwegian Air Force
in the 1970s, and has red, white and blue markings on the tail and wings,
and a bronze nose. The decals provide the white and blue markings, leaving
the modeler to paint the red bands on the tail and wings.
All of these Sabres are attractive in their own way, and all six would
make for an interesting and eclectic collection. The decals are very well
printed, with excellent register. If you are looking for some interesting
Sabres to build, this is a great sheet for both 1/72 and 1/48 modelers.
My thanks to Fantasy
Printshop and Euro Decals for the review sample.
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