Kinetic 1:32 Scale Canadair Sabre MK. VI RCAF

[lcarroll]

    Like many of our Members I also enjoy modelling outside the WW.I Aircraft genre, my particular passion in that regard being aircraft of the Royal Canadian Air Force which I served in for almost 40 years.
This particular subject is one of my favorites and although I never flew Her her grace and beauty caught my eye from the age of six or seven years old when I told anyone who would listen I was going to be an Air Force pilot "when I grow up"! Sadly for me the "Sword" retired before my time by a few years.
    Back in the glory days when we had an aviation industry here Canadair licence built well over  1000 of these beauties selling hundreds of the eventual six versions to the US to augment their Korean War Units, the RAF as an interim Fighter while the Hunter was brought to maturity, the West German Luftwaffe, and numerous other nations. This version, the Mark 6, had a Canadian designed engine of nearly 30% more thrust then the earlier versions, leading edge manoeuvring slats and an extended wing span for increased high altitude air fighting. It was reputed to be the best fighter in NATO  skies until retired in 1960-61
   This particular Kit by Kinetic is a very enjoyable build and I added a lot of After Market bits to it. The resin cockpit upgrade is from AMS Resin, the landing gear struts white metal from Scale Aircraft Conversions, wheels and tires from Reskit and fabric belts from Czech Master were added as well and decals from three different suppliers were used. Some of the scratch built additions, the armament bay "step" in particular, were added to the project later in the build as I obsessed on the details as usual and pursued the elusive "perfect model" we all seem to strive for with only a few exceptions in vain!















    The model represents Canadair Sabre Mk. VI tail number 23473 of 422 "Tomahawk"  Squadron of 4 Wing RCAF based at Baden-Soellingen Germany in 1959-60.

Cheers,
Lance

[Davos522]

Wow! What a piece of work… absolutely beautiful! They look even better in camo than they do in silver.

I’ve always loved Sabres as well… one night many years ago at aviation artist Keith Ferris’s house in New Jersey he pulled out a big metal panel with three oblong openings in it, and asked me if I knew what it was. I told him it was the blast panel from an F-86, and, thinking it was aluminum I took it, and was so surprised at how heavy it was I almost dropped it on my foot... I never realized they had to be steel to withstand the muzzle flash from those big .50s.

Thanks for sharing this one, Lance.

Dutch
 

[Whiteknuckles]

Oooh, I do like a Sabre!
This is a beauty Lance, nicely done.
In fact I was just looking at one this morning, a CAC-27 Avon Sabre to be precise, at my local museum.
https://hars.org.au/cac-ca-27-sabre/
The CAC-27 was an Australian development of the original F-86 and improved on it in every way (only the wings were common to both).
It is claimed that the CAC-27 is/was superior to any other Sabre variant, so might have to arm wrestle you regarding which one was better

[pepperman42]

Very sharp Lance! Always love the Sabre in camo! Nice detail work.

Steve

[lone modeller]

Not being particularly interested in aeroplanes with holes in the back, I too have never seen a camouflaged example of this type.

That is another of your mini-masterpieces Lance. It may not be the "perfect" model but it is certainly an eye stopper. Your usual attention to detail can be seen in all of the photos - a truly splendid addition to your collection.

Stephen.

[lcarroll]

Thank you all for your comments which I really appreciate. The sabre is a design which most will find attractive, it looks it's part and was a true classic at introduction and remains so. Lovely lines and so "easy on the eyes" as the old saying goes!
Cheers,
Lance

[RAGIII]

That is a Beautiful build Lance! You have made a Good Kit look Great! Did you use the aftermarket Resin Sugar scoops or scratch build your own? either way this is one of the best conversions of the basic kit I have seen! You actually inspired Me to Dust off My built and almost painted JG71 build! Thanks for the Inspiration!!
RAGIII

PS: I still find it ODD that No One has made an Accurate rendition in kit form of this Important Aircraft!!

[lcarroll]

Thanks Rick. The "Sugar Scoops" are copies cast from the old AMS Resin ones by a fellow modeler here in our local IPMS Chapter. I'm not positive however I believe the product is no longer available,  mine were bought from Hannants some time ago. As you know there are a lot of easy mistakes you can be trapped by with this jet; the various wing configurations, dimensions and slats or not changed as different Marks were designed and there were exceptions. The Canadair Mark VI had  manoeuvring slats on the wing leading edges however there were some early in the production line with the "Hard" leading edge wing of the Mark V. Then there's the different vents and intakes like the scoops for the larger Canadian Orenda engine, the added span of the "6-3"wing and the beat goes on! Then of course the folks at North American were busy improving the design as well and then there's the Aussies building them with Avon engines etc. All this to say a great design and a very successful Fighter.
   Do restart that  JG 71 Build, it's a superb scheme and I'd enjoy seeing it here!
Cheers,
Lance

[KiwiZac]

This is a great build Lance, thanks so much for sharing!

In fact I was just looking at one this morning, a CAC-27 Avon Sabre to be precise, at my local museum.
https://hars.org.au/cac-ca-27-sabre/
The CAC-27 was an Australian development of the original F-86 and improved on it in every way (only the wings were common to both).
It is claimed that the CAC-27 is/was superior to any other Sabre variant, so might have to arm wrestle you regarding which one was better

I've wanted to build one particular CA-27 for a while now. Such a pretty aeroplane but purposeful too in this form.

[NigelR]

Jets are far too modern for me but you have done a lovely job on this Lance, it looks superb. A lovely build!

[AngryJazz]

Wow what a stunning build! I too really like the Sabre  :)Just something about the sleek look 

[lcarroll]

   Thanks so much for the kind comments Guys, they are very much appreciated. It's not common to hear from aviation enthusiasts that they aren't fans of this design. For my money , like the Spitfire, it never ceases to attract the eye!
Cheers,
Lance

[dr 1 ace]

Nicely Done Lance !  I agree with you the Sabre is truely a classic design, although I'm partial to NM finishes, it looks good in any scheme!

Ed

[gedmundson]

Beautifully modelled Lance! And lovely to see what you've been doing during these long winter spells. I'll be sending my brother Tony a link to this one as he is very much a fan of RCAF Sabre jets.
Cheers,
Gary

[macsporran]

Lovely model, Lance. Looks great in Camo too.
There are some aircraft - Spitfire, Sabre, Hunter - that just look absolutely right, look as if they are in motion even when standing still. You might've tempted me to one too!
Cracker!
Sandy