It's looking pretty good so far. =]  I'm not currently familiar with the panel configuration for the Sabre, but from what I see so far you look to be in pretty good shape.  The landing gear doors may bother you a bit once you see that coat of Alclad go down.  The littlest things seem to stand out a whole lot more than you hoped they would...  They might not be too bad in the long run.  I left a pair in a similar fashion on a Zero a while back and it didn't bother me too much.  I will mention to take care of seams around the wings if they do not belong.  That WILL go a long way to help out your Sabre especially in NMF.  I found a seam on my Mustang I was so proud of and now I'm aching to do another one to avenge it.  =]

After several sessions of sanding and priming, I went ahead and sprayed the black undercoat for the NMF.  It's coming along, just waiting for the black to dry fully before I start the sanding.  Maybe in another couple of days.

Wet-sanded the black with 1500, 2000, and 4000 grit sandpaper.  Might have taken a little too much off.  Will be wiping off the streaks later, then off to apply the Alclad.  Following some of the tips from this months FineScale article.  That particular build dealt with the P-51, pretty good tips.  Hoping the NMF comes out better this go around.

Wet-sanded the black with 1500, 2000, and 4000 grit sandpaper.  Might have taken a little too much off.  Will be wiping off the streaks later, then off to apply the Alclad.  Following some of the tips from this months FineScale article.  That particular build dealt with the P-51, pretty good tips.  Hoping the NMF comes out better this go around.

Applied the NMF over the weekend.  Not as blotchy looking as these pictures may make it look.  I added a couple more thin layers plus I have taped it up in preparation for some of the other colors.  Currently running into an issue with needing to add yellow to the nose.  I am thinking of using acrylic for it, but would I need to add a white base to it?

More work completed last night.

Was concerned with the gunmetal being too dark and the yellow because of the layers of white I had to spray, but everything came out better than I expected.

Slight bleed under:

Comparison between my first attempt(right) and what I am working on now:

Was able to start applying the decals last night. It is slowly but surely coming along, even with some of the fit issues of the decals, 1000% better than the kit supplied decals.

Completed some more decaling last night. 

Started on the stencil decals.  Bottom is completed, working on the top then the sides.

Applied the last of the decals and sprayed a couple of coats of Future. Uncertain as to how many coats to apply or if I should hit it with some Testors Dullcote (which I get a feeling is a bad idea)  On the homestretch now, just add the wing pitot tube and the drop tanks!

Still trying to work on this.  trying to figure out how to do a wash so I've been practicing on the first F-86 attempt.  I am not feeling it, but I wanted to show to see if anyone can help point me in the right direction.  Using oil paint in mineral spirit for the wash.

The wash:

Man, that's a beautiful looking bird !

Looks like you have the right idea on the wash.   Me i just use a pin wash because I'm afraid to smear the oils all over the model.just to accent the panel lines etc.   I use 60% oderless turpentine  (with a mix of raw umber and pitch black oils)  

A tip from your Uncle Jay;  you might want to use micro sol ( or similar ) on your decals to set them into the panel lines.  I apologize if you have but it just doesn't apper so on the pics.

Way ahead of you.  I tested the wash on the first F-86 attempt, which also has the decals supplied by Academy.  The actual model is still waiting for the wash once I am comfortable with it.  Worse comes to worse, I will just leave it clean as a display bird inflight. :)

Tried to work on a pin wash last night using craft acrylic paint and water.   I have issues seeing a difference, but I wanted to see anyone else notices.

With the wash Without the wash

Seems to be light on the bottom

With the test model! :)

Yes, I can see the difference some or most are ever so subtle.  But that's what makes weathering a aircraft so tedious.  It brings out the character of the plane.  You've done a phenomenal and inspiring job on this build.

Toshi

Looks good to me, glad to see you still plugging away on her.

I generally just use a sludge wash, FSM has covered it before. Basically you mix acrylic paint with some dishwashing detergent, lay it down, and when dry wipe it off the flat areas with a moist cotton swab.

Was about to give up on the weathering this bird.  In fact sealed it last night.  I will try to do a sludge was and give it another try.  Have to love this group, I totally forgot about it.  After this then it is time to work on the display.

Sorry I'm just catching up to this.  Some times it just depends on the mineral spirit or whatever medium you're using.  Different brands seem to treat these NMF surfaces differently...I've gotten away with one that plays well with Alclad.  I'll look it up in the morning.  Also, it depends on the tool you use when removing your wash.  Different brush types will affect how the wash is removed.  I've even had a lot of luck with Q-tips.  Just be patient.

Gamera's mention of dish soap works well too.  You can make a wash out of practically anything if you know what you're doing. =]  That Alclad is pretty durable so don't worry too much about ruining your finish. If you're not happy with the way your wash is coming out, just start over.  It'll come. =]

Wow, watching these transform from built kit to paint and decals to washes and details is simply amazing. They really are something to be proud of. Nice work here. I really enjoyed following the build.

Thanks everyone.  Currently I am testing out a somewhat messy sludge and seeing how it works. *finger crossed*  Plus I am working on the base and the brass rod to display the finished model. Almost there! :)

Even without those additions, the fighter looks awesome!  Superb job.

Toshi

The first 5 or 6 planes I've done were put gear up and attached to a wooden base I cut and stained and set up with a brass rod. I really like seeing these old planes back "up and flying."  I'm not aware if you normally do your bases this way, but I can throw you some links if you're interested in seeing something different.

I started working on shaping the brass rod and the plaque last night.  I hope to start staining it tonight and maybe even put a shine to the brass rod.  

I would definitely be interested in the links bvallot.  I am always interested in seeing what else can be done.  

No problem.  =]

I'm hoping it takes you to the page and not just the beginning...

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/158668.aspx?sort=ASC&pi240=7

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/155345.aspx?sort=ASC&pi240=4

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/157735.aspx?sort=ASC&pi240=4

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/154882.aspx?sort=ASC&pi240=4

That last one also has two others on it that I never posted on here. It was before I was on the forum.  Well, the corsair I started but never finished posting is what I think happened.  It's all pretty much the same format.  A brass rod that I've bent into the shape I want, a brass tube that accepts it into the plane, and the same for the base.  The tube also helps to lend itself at providing a step and moves the eye around.  Lifts it up a bit! =] I mostly arrived at this by looking for something minimal so as not to distract from the plane itself.  I didn't want a big clunky piece coming straight up out of the base.  I think this is a bit more graceful.

Hope that helps.

Ah well.  It just jumps you to the first page.  Oh well.  The pictures are usually the second to last page or so in each thread.  

Preparing for the final push.  The base is being as it will look.  just need to shine the brass rod and fit the plane to the wood dowel.

She looks about ready to take that masking off the canopy.  I love and fear that moment.  =P

OH MY That came out beautifully !!!

I'm gonna use your posts as a referance for my F-86 and I thank you so much for posting all this..  keeping my fingers crossed hoping mine comes out near as good.