North American F-86F Sabre Jet "Skyblazers"

Afonso Braga
almost ready for decals 🙂

Oliver Petrosino
Looking very good to me!

Afonso Braga
Thanks 🙂 i think it will be finished by the weekend. More pictures to follow

Oliver Petrosino
Ok, i´m waiting for them!!

Afonso Braga
I'm trying to figure out if this is normal 🙁 would you believe that the decals are actually 2 or 3 mm longer than the wings ... and a nightmare to place but i won't let them defeat me

Oliver Petrosino
I think so! But normally, italeri decals are fine to work!

Afonso Braga
these ones are good but are too long and too thick so tghe panel lines just vanish and the decals go outside the wings and tail wings surface which will require precise placing and cutting

Afonso Braga
Specific marking decals applied, now off to apply common markings, still maintain that these decals are too big for the plastic surface which gave me a difficult task of cutting some decal pieces to fit properly

gorby
I've had that problem with Italeri decals. Their 1/48 Hawker Hunter has red and white striped decals for the wing tips. The decals should be 45mm, but are actually 30mm long! Probably the right size for 1/72, but not 1/48. So I had no option other than spraying, which was a real pain in the rear end.
Your Sabre is looking great so far.

gorby
Excellent and very colourful result Barkhorn - well done!

Afonso Braga
Thanks 🙂 i am happy with the final results for as long as i don't use a magnifying glass😉

To be honest i think Italeri is really good in cars and military kits but in some aircraft kits they can manage to be very poor indeed. A lot of work was required on this sabre. Luckily i only have 2 or 3 Italeri aircraft kits in my stash 🙂

I am now focusing on the 3 other aircraft that were already WIP so that i may be able to start the Jag.

Next updates will be on:

- 1:48 Academy Mirage III - Israel

- 1:48 OS2U Kingfisher - only a few parts missing and final coat of varnish

- 1:48 Academy HA1112 Bouchon wearing spanish insignia this was still in early stages but can be finished in a week or so

gorby
I've just completed an Italeri Ju-87 G-2 1/48 and it was an excellent kit, but as you say, some of them are pretty duff. I suppose a lot has to do with the original moulds, I've just had a look and this kit was originally 'ESCI', tooled in 1979, which would explain a lot. The Italeri Tornado I did was Hasegawa, and again that was an excellent kit.

Afonso Braga
Absolutely right, i agree with you on both terms and hasegawa kits are normally excellent but old cheap revell kits beat everything ...

gorby
Can't say I agree with you on that point Barkhorn – I'm not a fan of Revell kits. My absolute favourite kit companies are Eduard, followed quite closely, by Tamiya. But almost every manufacture has some good and some crap kits.

Afonso Braga
haha i was just saying that they are dreadful lol i've even thrown one against the wall so bad it was, imagine an airplane whose fuselage was all twisted ...

Afonso Braga
and after waisting weeks trying to fix i was so fed up and annoyed i just gave up and smashed it

gorby
I must admit that my dislike for Revell kits is completely irrational. When I returned to modelling in 2015, my third kid was Revell and I didn't enjoy the build at all. The only reason I continued modelling is that I had bought so much stuff, my wife would have been seriously unimpressed if it only had a couple of months use. But the kit was originally a Hasegawa mould, so I know I should be blaming Hasegawa and not Revell, but...
There is also an historic element to my opinion of Revell. Growing up in Britain in the 1970's, I was a little too obsessed with Airfix, and when relatives used to buy me Revell kits as presents, I would thank them, but I would be thinking 'IT'S NOT AIRFIX!'. And it appears that feeling has remained with me.
I'm curious to know which kit hit the wall?

Afonso Braga
Actually there were 2 kits flying straight against the wall ...

One Monogram 1:48 TBD-1 devastator, the main body fuselage was so twisted because of bad molds that it was impossible to place and glue properly so after a few weeks trying i just gave up. I still have another one of these Monogram Devastators and i'm thinking twice if i should give it another go ...

scalemates.com/kits/156092-m..575-douglas-devastator-tbd-1

And one ICM Ar 231 V-1, this one was impossible to place the wing, the supports and struts were always breaking or were bent or even weak to hold the wing weight so after i don't know how much time i just quit and threw it against the wall.
I had expectations on this kit because i love seaplanes or flying boats and it simply annoyed and frustrated me

scalemates.com/kits/112144-m..ction-48047-arado-ar-231-v-1

Afonso Braga
Oh and a monogram 1:48 UH-1 huey hog barely escaped, i managed to salvage the kit on one last attemp, same issue with a twisted body ...