1/48 Academy F-86

Gallery Article by David Baird

 

SAAF Sabre A 350   1 Squadron

This is the Academy Sabre, straight out of the box. I have marked it as a SAAF Sabre of 1 Squadron in tribute to it being the first plane to break the sound barrier in South Africa. I paid a lot of attention to the cockpit interior, painting all the instruments by hand.  

The decals used are from Leading Edge and were a pleasure to use. 

 

Click on images below to see larger images

I drilled out the spoke spaces on the front wheel to give the plane a bit more realism, but I have not tried any further to weather or otherwise enhance the finish, mainly because I have never been able to get a hold of any pictures of the actual plane.

As is my normal practice, I emphasise that this is a tribute to the plane, rather than a competition standard model.  

David Baird

      

Photos and text © by David Baird