JNordgren42
Sr Member
When I finished my Final Countdown Tomcat this summer, I sent some pics to my brother and he showed them to my nephew. Who promptly said "I wish I had that!" So, being the awesome uncle that I am, I decided to build him a fighter jet of his own. I wanted something with undeniable cool factor that also didn't have too many small bits to break off (he's 10, and I don't expect any 10 year old NOT to fly a jet around and make "woosh!" noises. ). I also wanted to pay homage to both his Japanese and American heritage (my brother and I are from the U.S. and my sister in law is from Japan). I found the perfect subject in the 1:48 Hasegawa F-86F-40 Sabre from the Japanese Blue Impulse demonstration team. It's a classic jet with gorgeous lines, and the bright white, blue, and orange paint scheme with a touch of bare metal is a head turner. As a bonus, our grandfather worked for North American Aviation, and later Rockwell International when they merged, so there is a family connection there too. I painted all the markings except for the lettering and stencils, and I had to pull out every trick I had to get it done, using Tamiya tape, flexible tape, vinyl mask, and even liquid mask for some spots. I used Mr. Color and Alclad II throughout. I also fabricated a custom stand out of 1/4 clear acrylic. I don't like drilling holes in a model, so I came up with a scheme using some stainless steel rod to clip it in.
It's not perfect, but I'm really happy with how it came out, and more importantly, I think it's going to make a little boy extremely happy.
It's not perfect, but I'm really happy with how it came out, and more importantly, I think it's going to make a little boy extremely happy.
