Gotta agree with others here, Tex. Great looking F-86! I’d snap up the Monogram F-86 any day of the week and twice on Sunday. They’re fun builds and, as you proved, the make for a great looking F-86.
For the record, I’ve build a number of Monogram ones and one Academy F-86. I will admit that I love the Monogram F-86s because of their simplicity, cost and nostalgia. The Academy offering was great fitting but the decals stunk to high Heaven. If I could ever find an Academy kit but at the Monogram price, I’d snap up a bunch of those, too, along with some aftermarket decals.
Nathan, the best I recall, the decals are a mix of kit and after-market; it’s been quite a while since the build was done. I know that Monogram provided the yellow ID bands but I didn’t use those and painted the yellow areas instead.
(Scratching my head here…) Well, I don’t remember them as being bad. I guess I’ll put it that way. I just remember using the Academy decals and they were like stiff plastic. No amount of decal setting solution would make them conform to the slightest bump or recess. I can’t say I’ve ever had that happen with my Monogram decals.
That is a great looking model. Really nice finish. Revell sent me an e-mail today indicating that the replacement lower main wing is in the mail. The wing in my kit was severly warped.
I have a question. What did you do about the raised panel lines?
Thanks Johnny! The paint was SnJ aluminum, some panels polished more than others. As for the raised panel lines, why, I just painted right over those bad boys! Never gave them more than a passing thought as I recall. They were the nature of that beast.[:D]
Good news about the Revell service too, they treated you right.
Great build there! In regards to Academy’s decals… I still have nightmares about those! I’ve seen some Monogram F-86’s at the store nearby, definitely going to have to pick one up.
Johnny, that’s a scrap piece of 1/4" Masonite board that was painted with a can of car trunk spray paint. It does look quite a bit like pavement doesn’t it? It is stained with drops and splatters of highly thinned enamel to simulate oil stains. The “tar strips” are fine drafting tape and the yellow lines were masked off and sprayed with an airbrush.
The board is placed on a card table with the tripod-mounted camera set at scale “eye height”. The model and the board can be moved and turned to get a variety of perspectives and poses. I think photographing my models in natural light, and in a natural setting really helps.
Congratulations on your achievements. I’ve beaten out Academy Sabres with my Hasegawa Sabres. Your preference is Academy. Mine is Hasegawa. Nobody is right or wrong we just have different opinions. I guess it has to do with the skill and aptitude of the modeller - and what kind of a mood the judges are in on any given day.
Good luck with your future builds! No slight intended, only sincerity.
