Lindberg F-86D Sabre

sorry for the second post but I forgot to mention that we need more manufacturers in the U.S.A. that would produce high quality models. I have been building Lindberg model since I was a kid which is a long, long time ago. Lindberg has improved a little because before if you place too much glue, kiss your model bye, bye, it would melt the plastic.

I bought this model by mistake, ordered wrong plane on internet. But since I have it I thought of modifying the model completed with addons and scratch built parts. I have modified a modern ejection into a 1950's seat for the Sabre, added a tail from another model (came out really good, better than a large hole there), covered the hole under the vertical stabilizer. I will be modifying the landing gear (scratch built again parts). I hope to produce a model that is better than original.

I'm not complaining, or trying start an argument, but...when Revell was in Venice, California, Monogram was in Morton Grove, Illinois, AMT was in Troy, Michigan, MPC was in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, and Jo-Han was in Detroit, Michigan, whether or not they were union made was never an issue, even though ALL of them were union made!

Even if there was an upcharge, would the prices really be a lot different than a similar Tamigawa product of the same quality? Or a kit from China where the labor is getting around $0.25 an hour yet the retail prices are nearly the same as kits made elsewhere?

I got the latest release of the 1/48 Revellogram Typhoon and it says molded in USA, packaged in USA, printed in China.

The "Made in U.S.A." dilema is easy to cure Hawkeye, just put your manufacturing facilities in non-union states. That's not hard. It works for Toyota, Honda, Kia, and others.....

raptordriver

Great job! I was dissappointed when I found out REvell outsourced to China.

I love the F-86, cannot wait to see the finished model.

What isn't made in China besides these kits from Lindberg? Just about everything you purchase at the grocery store comes from outside the border. Your shoes, clothes, and much of your homes interior. They refer to this a global economy.

Think plastic kits are expensive now...just imagine the upcharge if they were made by US (union) laborers. Some estimate the price would increase 30%. The URCLPWA would demand top wages and benefits. That affordable $30 model just became not so affordable. It doesn't end there either...

This kit is more like the F-86D prototype.

Well, with another round of snow on the way--actually we are under a blizzard warning- could get up to 20", still can't paint on the Phantom GB build, so I dug out the Sabre and did some test fitting.

Looks like it might be pretty fun. I will add the  landing gear bays and a few details to the cockpit.

I did some test fitting, and not bad at all. The cockpit wont take much to liven it up, and will show well since it has a 2-piece canopy that is poseable open or closed,  and if one should decide to use a pilot figure, the one in the kit is a little soft in detail, so a spares box figure would probably be best.

It has underwing ordinance.

And the decals are nicely printed, spot-on in register, and look like they have a decently thin backing film, so they should lay down nicely.

 

I think I'm gonna have fun.

 

Oh, ikar01 mentioned something I didn't, this kit does have a full 5-piece basic cockpit and the detail, while a little soft, is passable with the paint it and dry-brush the highlights technique. Just gotta give it wheel wells in the fuselage and engineer something for the exhaust.

 

At $15 dollars it was a good price. I think...

Great job! I was dissappointed when I found out REvell outsourced to China.

I love the F-86, cannot wait to see the finished model.

It is an old kit, probably issued while the Sabredog was still in operational service.  With work and some inventive scratch building and parts scrounging you should be able to to a good job on it.  I havent seen an open one in years but I built the Thunderceptor and added a cockpit, engine and rocket exhausts as well as intake and gear detail.  It's about the same level of model technology as the dog.

Good old dog sabre. Ill be watching this with interest.

I know what you mean about pride in things manufactured in your country. Theres a model of the Britten V-1000 in 1/12th scale, every time i see that it makes me proud to be a kiwi. Both the original and the model, proudly produced in NZ. Sorry, off topic lol.