F-86A 'Advanced Kit'
This first release by ClearProp is an early F-86A-5 in the airplane's pre-Korean War configuration. Clear Prop has shown photos of the future releases which will be a pretty thorough coverage of the Early A & E models of the F-86 with the leading edge slats. The parts trees of the current release have two nose cones - one for the F-86A, and one that is scribed for the ranging radar positioned in the nose of the F-86E, which indicates a future E release! Clear Prop has declared their commitment to covering the early North American F-86 Sabre. The ‘Korean War’ F-86A-5 will be released by Christmas 2024, with an F-86E to follow in 2025, according to sources. The kit has delicate engraved surface detail, and the wing is correct for the slatted version since there is no “ledge” for the slats if retracted, like every Bf-109 kit or A-4 Skyhawk kit has. Decals are provided for three early F-86A-5s from the 1st FIW, the 4th FIW, and the 56th FIW, the first three units to operate the Sabre. Caveat--Modelers should be aware that this kit - like most other Ukrainian kits - is a “High-End/Limited Run” kit. Treat it like the limited run kit (test fit three times before gluing once) during assembly and the result will be a “high end” model that can sit next to all your other Sabres.
What is in the Box
- 13 gray injection molded plastic sprues
- 1 clear sprue
- 1 decal sheet with 3 markings options
- 1 instruction book
I incorporated a few modifications to make a much-coveted F-86A I wanted which was a later version which required the following modifications which does not reflect anyway on the kit. I drilled out the gun ports as they were later in the war without gun port doors, I also used decals from Cutting Edge 48-174 Sabres Part 2; ‘Lady Luck’ SN -49-1129, 334 FIS, 4th FIW. I followed the paint scheme as accurately I could portray her with the limited photo evidence available. The build process was not particularly hard BUT I want to give a few warnings about fit on this kit. The tolerances are very tight and I recommend you test fit ALL sequences to avoid any surprises. The nose area/fuselage fit is particularly tight and requires some trimming and fettling. If you are aware of it then it won’t surprise you as it did with me. This kit does NOT go together like the Hasegawa and Academy 1/48 kits of this F-86F30….But this kit has FAR more detail and accuracy than those kits. So the compromise for fit and ease of construction vs. detail & accuracy is the question here. This kit is aimed at a particular market and it reflects that. It is amazing we are getting these lesser variants by a manufacturer and this should always be appreciated. During my construction I wanted a tight fit and this required me to trim down the nose gear bay area and the internal tail pipe sequence. But I am confident that if time was not a factor these areas could be made to fit easier. The wing fit is good but again I recommend dry fits before committing to cement. The only other area that requires patience and skill is the fitting of the leading-edge slats and the etched brass parts that serve as the actuators. Careful alignment is required here to fit them, and following the instructions is required. Once the airframe was all assembled the next task was to assure a smooth surface for the Natural Metal scheme. So it is imperative to take care of any flaws in the plastic from construction. I primed the whole airframe with Gunze Black primer. I employed a new paint and was very impressive with the Gunze Mr. Color Super Metallics. I used SM208 Super Duralumin as the main metal finish and it went on very nicely. I then used a mixture of Super Metallics & Alclad II colors for the rest of the shading and panel color deviations. I applied minor weathering for an airframe from this era. The ID bands were painted on the fuselage, wings & tail area with a custom mixture of Gunze H24 Orange Yellow and H329 Yellow. The decals went on well since I used all the ClearProp stencils. They are thin and require care so they don’t fold not themselves. The Cutting Edge decals were excellent. All were snugged down with Micro-Set/Sol. I sealed everything in with Gunze Mr. Topcoat Semi-Gloss.
Overall this is a very nice kit and not a particularly arduous build but it took me about 27 hours in construction time and I do not recommend this for Novice builders due to some of the close tolerance in fitting & the etched brass work on the slats which add a level of complexity.
I wish to extend my sincere thanks to ClearProp for the review sample and to IPMS for the opportunity to review this kit.
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