Revell 1/48 F-86D Sabre Dog |  | Overview This is the same kit that was released by Revell-Germany a couple years ago and is the later drag chute-equipped Sabre Dog. The plastic is the same between both kits, so rather than rehash old news, I'll just refer you to the build articles on both versions of the F-86D kits back in 2001, and focus on the decal options in this kit. The Decals This new release comes with two options on the decal sheet, one from Europe and one from Asia. The boxtop example is an F-86D-50NA flown by Col. M. J. Quirk, the Commanding Officer of the 512th FIS, 405th FIW, at RAF Brentwood, England in 1958. This plane features commander stripes around the fuselage in addition to the standard 512th FIS markings of nose chevron  and tail bands. The second option is an F-86D-45NA, serialed 52-4020, of the 51st FIW out of Formosa in 1955. This plane is named "Sweet Sue" and has a black and white checkered tail trimmed on top with red, yellow and blue. In addition to the tail trim, the diagonal commander's stripes, the nose lighting bolts, and the chin stripes are also in blue, yellow and red. A complete set of stenciling is included as well. While the marking choices are quite nice and look to be accurate in design, the colors are unfortunately not accurate. The red is a very dull red rather than a true red, and the blue is so dark as to be almost black. In fact, compared to the black of the USAF, it is almost impossible to tell the two shades apart. Conclusion Even though the decals have poor color rendition, the retail price of $16.05 more than makes up for it. For that low of a price, you can buy an aftermarket decal set and still be well under $30. This is a great kit at a great price, so don't let the decals deter you from picking up two or three. | 
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