[STARMAN 352ND]

This is the new Franklin Mint F-86 Skyblazers in 1:48 scale.
This is the first F-86 that i have seen with no water slide decals...It's all pad printed which is a plus because i for one don't like the decals that they have used in the past on some of there planes.
This is by far the best F-86 that i have seen Franklin Mint make..These colors are so rich...Job well done guys.
Enjoy the pictures.
JP

[aeroeng]

Looks great. I'm glad they're using more and more pad printing.

[mustangdriver]

Great looking F-86.

[flyXwire]

That's a spiffy looking scheme there, JP.

I have the FM/Armour Joe McConnell's F-86 "Beautious Butch II" and my only complaint with this model are the tail slab - the upsweep angle is over-exagerated on mine, but yours appears to be correctly angled. The 'kill markings' and nose art are decals intead of pad printed.

[STARMAN 352ND]

Only reason i got this was because it looks like Corgi might cancel their 1/72nd USAF SkyBlazer F-86.
I wanted this to go with my USAF Thunderbird F-16 i have so this worked out ok. I have both Witty F-16 and FM F-16 Thunderbirds.
Better then i thought it would be ...Really happy to see FM pad printing the aircrafts now at least for the new releases i have seen so far.
JP

[Elmer]

JP...

Great pics! Are those black dots in the nose gun ports recessed holes or paint?

I have never seen an FM/A F-86 in the flesh. What do the engine details look like from intake and exhaust positions?

Are there exposed screw heads in the underside?

[STARMAN 352ND]

Originally Posted by Elmer

JP...

Great pics! Are those black dots in the nose gun ports recessed holes or paint?

I have never seen an FM/A F-86 in the flesh. What do the engine details look like from intake and exhaust positions?

Are there exposed screw heads in the underside?

They are not painted on that's for sure.
JP

[Elmer]

Are there any exposed screw heads (in wheel wells or anywhere else)?

[FormerViperDriver]

Originally Posted by Elmer

Are there any exposed screw heads (in wheel wells or anywhere else)?

Yes, there are two exposed screw heads on the bottom. They are small, recessed, and not dirctly visible, but you can see the small holes where they are located. No exposed screws in the wheel wells.

The machine gun ports do not have actual holes, but still are pretty well rendered.

There is NO engine detail. Just recessed black "plate" in the nose intake (about an inch from the intake lip) and sliver equivalent at the exhaust end. This is typical FM/Armour practice. Doesn't distract from model appearance IMHO, but some may prefer more detail in those areas (on the F-86, you wouldn't see much anyway, but they could have made the intake and exhaust ducts a bit deeper in my opinion).

FVD

[Elmer]

Originally Posted by FormerViperDriver

Yes, there are two exposed screw heads on the bottom. They are small, recessed, and not dirctly visible, but you can see the small holes where they are located. No exposed screws in the wheel wells.

The machine gun ports do not have actual holes, but still are pretty well rendered.

There is NO engine detail. Just recessed black "plate" in the nose intake (about an inch from the intake lip) and sliver equivalent at the exhaust end. This is typical FM/Armour practice. Doesn't distract from model appearance IMHO, but some may prefer more detail in those areas (on the F-86, you wouldn't see much anyway, but they could have made the intake and exhaust ducts a bit deeper in my opinion).

FVD

Thanks FVD. It's nice to know that they are recessed... at least they can be filled in and touched up with paint, but I do wish there was engine detail.

Despite lack of engine detail on this model (and others), it appears FM/A provided better detail on the MiG 15 and 17 (at least from pictures I have seen of the models). Hopefully this is a sign that FM will start detailing their models more than it has in the past. What does the intake look like on the MiG 15 -- similar to the F-86 with a shallow plate, or more deeply recessed?