Authors note:
This is not to be considered a definitive article on the F-86. There is much yet to be said about F-86 kits, and much more about the aircraft itself.

F-86 Sabre Modeling

by Dennis Peltier, IPMS #2929

The main differences between the F-86A and other Sabres are the elevator section on the aft fuselage and the cockpit setup. (I will not go into the various and sundry internal changes between aircraft, being models, only the external differences are seen.) The F-86As also had the split/V shaped windscreen (AS did the early F-86Es). All F-86As, Ds, Es and early Fs had automatic operating leading edge slats (LES) the provided additional low speed lift to the wing. The LES are always deployed/extended/open when on the ground (unless they are safety pined for maintenance).

Kits of the F-86A are limited to two: 1/72 by Matchbox (kit #PK-32); and 1/48 by Lindberg (a very old kit). Neither kit is ‘state of the art’ and both may be hard to find. Both kits are acceptable for span and length, but will require a lot of time and effort to bring the model up to today's standards. In these kits the LES are molded in the closed position, as are the LES on most kits on the market. Neither of these F-86A kits have cockpit detail, so this is an after market or scratch build area. There are several pictures of the cockpit in various books and magazines. (See "References" at the end of this article.

Of these five F-86Ds, only the Hasegawa kit is readily available. It is a very good kit, fine scribed panel lines and excellent detail. The only problem with this kit is the LES are molded closed on the wing. With today's 'state of the art' they should be separate from the wing. (Puget Sound Scale Models has a resin replacement wing, with separate LES (kit #72002), designed for the Hasegawa 1/72 F-86D; this wing can be used to convert any 1/72 kit to a F-86 with the LES extended.) The F-86D kit I have is for a JASDF F-86D-26; -31 or -50, and some changes are required to return it to a USAF "Dog". Japan received their F-86Ds after they had been through avionics and communications upgrades, and these aircraft had different equipment than the USAF aircraft. By incorporating the Hasegawa F-86F wing (kit # JS-015), and extended 6-3 wing, the F-86D kit could be made into a F-86L. The F-86L had the extended 6-3 wing with LES.

The Marshan kit (1/50 scale) is old and hard to find. However it did have operating LES, ailerons, flaps, rudder and elevators that could be repositioned (they really worked well). The fuselage aft section could also be removed to expose the jet engine.

There are several F-86F kits on the market, both in 1/72 and 1/48 scale. Not being a 1/48 scale buff, I will not comment on those kits. (Anyone want to cover the 1/48 kits?) Of the 1/72 kits, all are acceptable. Most are older kits, and do not have separate LES, or cockpit detail. From the box art on the Hobby Craft 1/72 F-86F, it appears they have the 6-3 wing of the later F-86Fs.

Side note: I built Hobby Crafts Sabre Mark 6 (kit #HC1399) thinking I could make a F-86E or early F. However, this is a 6-3 wing with LES. The USAF did not have any Mark 6 aircraft. The Mark 6 is Canadian built and was also used by West Germany, and possibly other NATO nations.

From what I can determine, the F-86A, E and F had the same or similar type ejection seats. The F-86D and H also have similar seats. (Does any one have information on this?)

For years I have tried to find out what the cockpit area behind the seat, under the canopy and in/on the fuselage of the F-86A/E/F aircraft looks like. (The Hasegawa 1/32 Sabre has plenty of room for detail in this area.) Thanks to José Herculano I now have the information. He has supplied good photographs of an F-86F-35 of the Portuguese AF. He has a lot of detail photos. These can be found on the WWW at the F-86F Modeler's Detail Web Page. Overall the details for an F-86F should also work for any of the Sabres. The instrument panel and gun sight may change, but the wheel wells, speed brake interiors, etc. should be pretty much the same on all aircraft types.

6-3 WING - The original Sabre wing is extended 6" at the root and 3" at the tip, and deleted the LES. This wing also has a small wing air flow fence at 70% of the span.

EXTENDED WING - The F-86F-40, developed for the Japanese Air Self Defense Force, featured the 6-3 wing with leading edge slats and a one foot extension at the wing tips. This wing was also retro-fitted to some USAF aircraft. The F-86D with this wing and upgraded avionics became the F-86L. The F-86H also used this wing.