Kinetic 1/32 F-86F-30 Sabre By Gerry Nilles

History

The design and development of North American’s F-86 is well documented to say the least. The first Sabre variant to become operational was F-86A-5, which the 1st Fighter Group transitioned into in February of 1949. However, it would be Sabres from the 4th Fighter Interceptor Group that would first see combat in Korea. In addition, the 4th FIG’s exploits would soon turn the F-86 into another North American Aviation legend like its WWII predecessor the P-51.

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As with all combat aircraft, as operational experience increased, modifications and improvements are made, and the F-86 was no exception. The early model “A” gave way initially to the “E” with its all-flying tail. However, it was the F-86F-25 and -30 that has the distinction of being the ultimate good weather, daylight fighter version of the Sabre. This variant incorporated two significant improvements, including a more powerful engine, and a much-improved wing. These changes allowed the Sabre to match or outclass the MiG-15 in all areas of performance except rate of climb (which was close), and service ceiling.

The engine used in the “F” model was the upgraded J47-GE-27, which provided additional 710 lbst, and a maximum speed increase to 693 mph. The wing improvement was the well-known 6-3 mod, where the chord of the wing increased by 6 inches at the root and 3 inches at the tip. The -25 and -30 models also had their leading edge slats removed and replaced with a fixed edge and a small airflow fence two thirds of the way down the wing. With these changes, not only could they out dive the MiG-15, but also turn inside it at speed and almost could climb with it.

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The Kit

What struck me first about the new Kinetic 1/32 F-86F-30 kit was the well-done engraved surface detail. As the scale of a model increases, the subtleties of the real aircraft start to stand out. Such is the case with the Kinetic F-86. The wings of this kit are especially nice and include not only a complete rivet pattern but also the subtle “stressed skin” effect caused by the constant strain of lift on the wings aluminum skin as it pulls against the stringers. Another initial observation is that this is not an overly complicated kit and as such model builders with less experience should have little problem following the very organized and well-illustrated assembly instruction booklet.

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The kit includes eight gray styrene trees (two each of “E”) and one in clear for the canopy, windscreen, as well as the other clear parts including an alternative for the instrument panel. Also provided is a pre-sized nose weight that fits into a box that is cast into the top of the intake trunk just forward of the instrument panel. As I noted above, this kit does not appear to be overly challenging to build, yet looks to have excellent exterior detail.

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However, and although looking to be fairly accurate, the cockpit as well as some of the other interior areas, such as the nose wheel and dive brake wells, are just a little on the basic side. The kit also includes a complete engine, but again, detailing is basic. Don’t get me wrong, if built straight out of the box, I am sure the finished results would be more than satisfactory, however, super detailers, as well as the aftermarket crowd will have a field day with additional goodies for this kit.

Markings

Two sheets of markings are provided including one with a choice of two aircraft schemes and the other with extensive stenciling. The first scheme is the well-known “Beautious Butch II” from the 39th FIS that was flown by the Korean War Ace of Aces Capt. Joseph McConnell Jr. The second is for another 39th FIS Sabre “Mike’s Bird” that operated out of Suwon in 1953. “Mike’s Bird” is one of two Korean War Sabres that have the distinction of being the most elaborately painted F-86s to fly combat, (the other of course being the dragon scheme of “The Huff”).

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The quality and completeness of the two decal sheets look to be good as does the registration. However, being a “First Look” of a kit from a new company I cannot fully assess their quality until actually applied.

Conclusion

This is a nicely done relatively easy to build large-scale kit that I would definitely recommend. While some of the areas such as the cockpit, nose wheel and dive brake wells, as well as the engine seem to be a little on the basic side detail wise, good results can still be obtained if build straight from the box. However, for those so inclined the potential for super-detailing is excellent.

I wish to thank Stevens for the sample copy.