1/18 F-86 Question

[Coreyeagle48]

Greetings

Finally thinking of getting one of these.

I know the 21c planes did not have the yellow/black id bands painted on the bottom of the wings. How hard is this to fix and to match the paint? what colors did any of you use to match the paint?

Thanks

Corey

[Axis Nightmare]

Corey,

The 21st C versions also have that annoying hump and slot just ahead of the verticle fin. Nothing like that on real ones. There is a panel there but not raised and no big notch. Not sure the purpose unless it was something for the manufacturing or packing process The Admiral examples don't have that but I love the markings on the 21st C. Have both and side by side, you see the subtle and not so subtle differences. Both do very well otherwise on the general outline and to me 21st C's worst reputation, landing gear. They were really getting it right with the jets near the end as their final offerings. The F-104 is awesome. Too bad.

21st C



Admiral


21st C hump back


Admiral flush back

The negative on the Admiral is the thicker vertical fin. So I guess it's about even overall.

[tmanthegreat]

Never did try to paint my own stripes on the underside of the 21c F-86's wings... I would imagine a yellow color like insignia yellow or perhaps goldenrod would work. I recall using insignia yellow (the Testors paint variety) on an F-86 model I made 15-16 years ago... But that may be a shade too bright and would require some paint mixing to achieve the correct shade. If you can obtain Tamiya paints, they seem to have the closest colors that match the 21c base colors without mixing, at least in my experience. You would want to get a couple colors that appear close, then dab a dot somewhere, let the paint dry, and see how it looks.

Another alternative is to get an F-86 and take the wing piece to the paint center at a Lowes or Home Depot store. They have a computerized paint matching system that can get a very close, though not quite exact, match to the 21c color. The "small" bottle costs about $3 and will give you more paint than you'll ever need. The paint will be acrylic paint and heavy, so you would want to thin it before painting on.

Ideally, you would want to use an airbrush to achieve a smooth and even finish.

[Folkwulfe]

I gotta jump in here for a minute. To help straighten the "hump" question out, I offer this little tid-bit. Admiral Toys made their F-86 from the "A" model....hence the port and hatch in front of the vertical stab are missing....as it should be. Now 21C modeled their F-86 from the "F-30-25" version...and there were MAJOR differences between them. The most visible difference is the "6-3" wing introduced and the lack of "slats" on the leading edge. But lesser known is the increase in engine performance...and the associated heat buildup in the aft tailplane. The "hatch/hump" on the 21c is a little too pronounced, but it is supposed to represent the access hatch (where the front and rear fuselage seperates) AND an induction scoop (NACA designed) to force air into the tailplane and help keep the heat buildup down to acceptable levels. Okay...I'm putting the soapbox away guys....save the veggies for dinner. As for painting the ID bands under the wings, I re-did a "Mitch's Squitch" I had extra into a South African Air Force Number 2 Cheetah Squadron fighter/bomber (yes...the F-86 was used as an FB in Korea too) and the underside ID bands were added. Can't remember what color exactly, but I use Pactra and Tamiya acrylics almost exclusively....and an airbrush of coarse.

[Axis Nightmare]

But lesser known is the increase in engine performance...and the associated heat buildup in the aft tailplane. The "hatch/hump" on the 21c is a little too pronounced, but it is supposed to represent the access hatch (where the front and rear fuselage seperates) AND an induction scoop (NACA designed) to force air into the tailplane and help keep the heat buildup down to acceptable levels.[/quote]


Thank you Folkwulfe

I stand corrected.....

I went back through dozens of photos and FINALLY found one of an f-30 with the hatch showing this feature. This is about the only angle with the sun and shadows that will show the slightly raised hatch. The notch is obvious. Though it is way overdone and still annoying, I won't have to grind down that spot all the way after all! And the notch can stay. From the side, it is all but invisible.

Hardly a day goes by when I don't learn something from the people on this Board.

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