Hasegawa 1/48 F-86F-30 Sabre "USAF"

The F-86 Sabre was the U.S. Air Force's successor to the legendary P-51 Mustang, and its first jet-powered fighter. The prototype XP-86 first flew on October 1st, 1947. The first production version, the F-86A, was armed with six .50 cal. (12.7mm) machine guns and could carry two 1,000 lb. bombs or sixteen 5-in. rockets. This armament configuration was essentially unchanged through all major models of the Sabre.
In December of 1950, the F-86A entered combat in Korea. At the same time, the F-86E was just entering production. This variant was powered by a J47-GE-27 engine delivering up to 2,760kg of thrust, and featured a new, moving tail. It entered service in Korea in May of 1951 and replaced the F-86A there by the end of 1952.

Combat against the MiG-15 showed that the Soviet fighter was somewhat superior, particularly at higher altitudes, though better pilots gave the U.S. the edge in the skies. Nevertheless, this combat experience was put to use in the F-86F, the definitive version of the Sabre. First flying in March of 1952, this version had the new "6-3" wing, so-called because it was lengthened 6-inches at the root, and 3-inches at the tip over the F-86E. The leading edge slats were also removed. These changes raised the stall speed of the aircraft, making for faster takeoffs and landings, but significantly improved the Sabre's high-altitude performance. Now with a firm upper hand over the Mig, the Sabre went on to rack up an impressive 14 to 1 kill-to-loss ratio over the Soviet fighter.

DATA: Crew: 1; Wingspan: 11.32m; Length: 11.45m; Height: 4.5m; Max Gross Weight: 9,219kg; Engine: J47-GE-27 turbojet (2,681kg thrust); Max Speed: 1,118km/h at sea level; Fixed armament: 7.7mm machine gun x 6

Decal Option:

1. North American F-86F-30 Sabre

    US Air Force (1947-now) 

   • 72 FBS, 21 FBW 52-5222/FU-222
     NM
   • 8 FBW 52-4877/FU-877
     NM