F-86F Sabre - Mikes Bird

Here’s my second Christmas F-86F Sabre, Capt. Charles McSwain’s “Mikes Bird”, which coincidentally flew in the same squadron as my first F-86, “The Huff”: 39th FIS / 51st FIW, Suwon (K-13), South Korea.

Although I can not find anything about the history of “Mike’s Bird”, I did learn an interesting fact relating to why it and its fellow squadron aircraft wore yellow bands and had checks on their tails. 

When the Americans arrived in Korea with their F-86 Sabre it became apparent that it looked dangerously similar in flight to that the Soviet MiG-15. Therefore, the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing (FIW) started to paint forward-slanting black-and-white stripes on their fuselages - similar to 'D-Day invasion stripes - to prevent F-86 Sabre pilots from mistaking each other for the MiGs. When in  November 1951, the 51st FIW Group transitioned to the F-86 Sabre, their commander, Lt Col George Jones, didn't want to just copy the 4th FIW stripes, so he asked Capt Ed Matczak, his group material officer and budding artist, to design something different. He came up with the rearward-slanting yellow band on the fuselage, and yellow bands on the wing and tail. Later, the wing also went on to add the black checkered markings copying the WW2 design used by 325 Fighter Group the 'Checkertails’.

In my build of “Mike’s Bird” I used Academy’s amazing 1998 moulding of their 2011 “The Huff” kit and while I used the kits “The Huff” decals on the 1:48 scale Airfix kit I shared earlier, these “Mike’s Bird” decals were gifted to me by a good friend from the original 2011 Academy kit that he had in his stash. However, while the moulding has stood the test of time the decals less so, but if you’ve been following you’ll know that I pressed on regardless!

If you were looking to build an F-86F Sabre and were undecided over whether to go 1998 Academy or 2022 Airfix, unless you wanted to show the earlier model’s extended leading edges, I’d have to recommend Academy every time. From quality of design to crisp moulding, detailing through out from interior to engine, guns to airbrakes and most surprising of all, two excellently crafted pilots!

Happy Christmas all! 

B-17F Flying Fortress

 What to do while the filler on my Airfix B-17G dries … yes, of course, make a start on my Academy B-17F 🤷‍♂️

This is a much simpler build than the new Airfix kit but then again it cost me less than half the price. As with all Academy kits, it still looks to be a good kit for a 24 year old release. 

I’m not, however,  going to finish this one as Memphis Bell but Piccadilly Lily as based at Thorpe Abbotts and as an older sister aircraft to my B-17G. 

Had a bit of time today to catch up on the Academy B-17 which I’m attempting to get to the same pre painting stage as my Airfix kit.

Interior completed, epic masking session done and first layer of primer applied

 

Yey! it's 27th March and finally my B-17s are in sync 

Academy’s 1/72 B-17F Flying Fortress. 

Inspired by one of ‘The Bloody Hundredths’ most famous aircraft, flown by 1st Lt Thomas E Murphy, “Piccadilly Lily” EP-A 351st BS 100th BG based at Thorpe Abbotts in 1943. 

This Academy kit is a far cry from the quality of Airfix’s B-17G which I’m also close to completing but being a 20+ year old moulding it’s good enough to join my B-24s hung from my workshop ceiling. One major issue pointed out to me before I started, is the exaggerated dihedral wing which would probably have only been overcome by adding plastic shims or a bucket of filler. 

P-47D Thunderbolt 'Razorback'

While I wait for a new canopy for the Me410 commission, I thought I’d make a start on one of the Academy P-47D Thunderbolts, I picked up at the Bovington show last weekend. 

Oh my, how lovely it is to have a kit on my bench which goes together so beautifully. I’ve made a few Academy kits over the years and they’ve never let me down. Interestingly Airfix used Academy for some of their early 1:35 scale AFVs … may be they can also learn something from their 1:72 scale aircraft too!

Did a quick bit of Olive Drab painting today. This is now going to be a 9th Airforce fighter bomber, inspired by an 8th Airforce project I have in plan but now steering towards an 80th D-Day anniversary theme! 

I’m just debating now as to what D-Day striping to do as Academy would have me finished with these having been removed at the end of 1944 but I’d really like some reminder of the event, even if just the later half stripe finish

That’s one side of decals applied. These are so thin it’s a real challenge sliding them into place! 

I’m going to paint the tail fin white stripe as I never find these decals work.

Academy’s 1/72 scale P-47D "Razorback" is a fabulous kit. Everything fits seamlessly with beautiful detail. You can tell, I loved building it! 

I was drawn to the P-47 after reading Donald L Miller’s 2006 book “Masters of the Air” in which B-17 Flying Fortress relied their P-47 “little friends” prior to the arrival of the long range P-51 Mustang. Academy include decals for the 9th Air Force’s 325514:A8-P ‘Anna Lousie’ as flown by Lt. Rainbow of 391 Fighter Squadron, 366 Fighter Group, when based at Laon, France, in late 1944. 

I love the research that accompanies all my builds and this one was no exception. In the first half of 1944 the P-47 units spent much of their time on bomber escort duties, in support of the 8th Air Force. In the run-up to D-Day they turned increasingly to their intended ground attack role, carrying two 1000 lb bombs to destroy the coastal batteries, leaving the Mustang to perform the bomber escort role. On D-Day the P-47s of the 9th Air Force were concentrated along the south coast, from where they flew regular patrols over the Normandy beaches, attacking German defensive positions. With this year being the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, I decided that this would now be the focus of my P-47 build.

The day prior to D-Day invasion stripes were added to the wing and fuselage surfaces. Two to three weeks after D-Day the stripes were removed on all upper surfaces, retaining those on the undersurfaces of the wings and fuselage. As operations continued through 1944 and into 1945 these stripes were gradually eliminated, and many new, replacement aircraft were put into service without them. The stripes did not completely disappear, however, and 366th Fighter Group was one that retained the recognition stripes on the undersurfaces of the fuselage, on almost all of its planes, until the end of the war. Although Academy did not include these in their decals or instructions, I thought I’d at least add them in recognition of the event. This certainly took some careful masking around the national markings and letters!