Overview
Following the end of the Second World War, the perceived threat of long-range Soviet bombers gave rise to the need for dedicated interceptors. With jet fighters quickly taking the forefront of aviation, it was only natural for these interceptors to be jet-based. Developing an interceptor from scratch took time, though, so the Air Force looked to converting existing jets into interim interceptors. The Lockheed T-33 and the North American F-86 were the ones chosen for these interim interceptors, and the F-86 became the most produced out of all the Air Defense Command interceptors.
Unlike the other interceptors of the time, the F-86D was distinctly different in that it was a single seat aircraft. That meant that the pilot was responsible for simultaneously flying the aircraft and establishing the radar intercept. To lessen the workload on the single pilot, the aircraft featured extensive automation, both in the radar and fire control systems and aircraft control systems. The success of the F-86D saw the aircraft serve in greater numbers than any other interceptor with ADC, and also extensive foreign nations, including Japan, Greece, Yugoslavia, and Korea.
Shameless plug time, for those who are interested in the colors and markings of the F-86D Sabre Dog, my book on the subject provides detailed information on all the squadrons that flew the aircraft, both US and foreign, with color profile illustrations documenting all the marking variations.
The Kit
Hasegawa's kit of the F-86D Sabre Dog has been out for a while, but it is still an excellent little kit. Molded in the usual gray plastic, the kit features recessed panel lines throughout, accurate shape, and plenty of fine details. This particular release comes with markings for a pair of colorful 498th FIS aircraft. The F-86D featured some of the most colorful markings of the 1950s, and the options here definitely rank near the top of the list.
Construction begins with all the fuselage innards, and there's a few bits in here. First off there is the cockpit. This is from the era of Hasegawa's decal interiors, so while there's a good tub, with a halfway decent seat and control column, the instrument panel and side consoles are flat and detailed via the decal sheet. With the addition of some seatbelts and the canopy closed, though, this could be good enough. For the more detail oriented, though, a bit of extra work, either through aftermarket sets or some scratchbuilding of extra details would really pay off here.
The other interior bits involve the intake and exhausts. The exhaust is portrayed with a short pipe in the rear fuselage. The intake is made from an upper and lower half, with the lower portion also incorporating the nose gear well. This provides a deep enough intake, but some filler work will be needed on the inside to smooth things out a bit. With the cockpit, exhaust, and intake in place, the only step left is to add some nose weight and glue the fuselage together.
With the fuselage together, attention turns to the wings, and here we find what is probably the most problematic feature of this kit. The wings have a one-piece lower section that includes a portion of the lower fuselage, with separate right and left upper halves. The problem comes from the fact that the kit parts feature the slats molded in the up position. These slats operate on aerodynamic forces, and when parked, gravity pulls them down. So Sabre Dogs that are on the ground always have these slats down, and modifying the kit parts, while possible, is a bit of work.
Moving beyond the wings, the tailplanes are solid right and left pieces, and the separate nose cone/intake lip round out the major assembly. The rest is the details, and here things are pretty good. The main gear legs and wheels accurately capture the look of the F-86D gear. The nose gear assembly is very busy, with separate door retraction arms and other nose well details. The rocket pack can be displayed extended or retracted, and there are two drop tanks for under the wings. The canopy can be displayed open or closed, with good detailing for under the canopy. With all the bits & pieces in place, it's time to turn towards painting.
As noted earlier, both marking options for this kit are from the 498th FIS from 1956. In 1956, the 498th took part in a competition at Yuma, and many of the aircraft that flew down to Arizona from Washington featured artwork on the fuselage in addition to the standard unit markings. Both of these options feature some of that artwork, but first, the unit markings. The 498th was one of the Sabre Dog units that took advantage of the appearance of the F-86D and gave their planes large sharkmouths around the intake. These differed from aircraft to aircraft, and the decals in this kit take that into account.
The other basic markings for the 498th feature a blue tail with nine stars arranged in a lightning bolt pattern, denoting the 9th Air Division. The canopy rail is painted blue and also features white stars. The drop tanks had blue noses with white stars, and those stars were different sizes (and in some cases, different numbers of stars) on different aircraft. Again, the decals accurately capture those differences.
Finally, the specific aircraft options. First up is "King's Queen", which features the name on the fuselage over the wing and a crossed mace and axe under a gold crown. This aircraft also features the Geiger Tiger squadron emblem on the tail. The second option is the well-known "Big Viv", which features a swimsuit-clad woman standing between the AIR and FORCE in the fuselage titles. This plane does not have the tiger on the tail, but it does feature blue wing stripes trimmed in white. Whichever option you choose, you'll have a colorful Sabre Dog on your shelf.
Conclusion
While an older kit, this is still a great one to pick up, and the inclusion of some great marking options makes this one even better to add to the collection. My thanks to Hasegawa USA for the review sample.