Canadair & CAC Sabres

1/48 scale

Model Alliance Decals

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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MA-48120 is the latest release from Model Alliance Decals in their On-Target Range.  It provides markings for eight different machines.  Perhaps the title really should be "Eight Canadair Sabres and a CAC-27 Sabre" as that is what you get! 

The individual aircraft are: 

• Canadair Sabre Mk F.4 XB855 of 66 Squadron, RAF.  The machine is in dark sea grey and dark green upper surfaces over PRU Blue under sides with a black anti-glare.  Apart from the standard national insignia it wears distinctive blue and white squadron markings to the fuselage sides and a red letter H to the vertical stabilizer.

• Canadair Sabre Mk F.4 XD753 also of 66 Squadron.  This machine also wears the same camouflage finish of the previous machine including the distinctive blue and white squadron markings.  It also wears a blue intake with a white border and a blue vertical stabilizer.

• Canadair Sabre Mk F.2 19241 of 421 Squadron, 2 Wing, RCAF.  19241 is in overall natural metal finish with black and yellow bands to its nose and vertical stabilizer  It also carries a large distinctive squadron insignia on the fuselage sides.

• Canadair Sabre Mk F.4 19632 of 422 Squadron RCAF.  Also in natural metal finish, 19632 sports red and white stripes on the vertical stabilizer, red horizontal stabilizers, red and white bands to the intake and even louder squadron insignia.

• Canadair Sabre Mk F.4 19584 of 414 Squadron RCAF.  Back to camouflage finish with this one.  It wears the RAF finish of dark sea grey and dark green upper surfaces over PRU Blue under sides with a black anti-glare.  A little colour creeps back in though as the vertical stabilizer wears a chord-wise blue band with its squadron insignia on a red diamond in the centre of the blue band.

• Canadair Sabre Mk F.5 23210 of 1 OTU, RCAF.  Natural metal finish here as well as a red band around the nose and red squadron markings to the fuselage sides.  This machine also sports rather large and complex nose art in the form of two running pilot figures. 

• Well, you have waited long enough for it so here it is!  This option is the sole Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) machine on the sheet.  FM1901 is an 11 Squadron TDUM machine.  Camouflage finish is dark green over blue-grey undersides.  By the way, it is not a "North American (CAC) Sabre Mk 27" as the placement guide would have you believe!

• The final option is a rather drab Canadair Mk 6 777 of the Pakistani Air Force.  Camouflage finish is dark green and dark grey over medium grey undersides.

Whilst each option gets its own individual markings, there are two sets of RCAF roundels and a single set of RAF ones.  The RAF and RCAF options share the same fin flashes.  The Pakistani and TDUM machines get their own sets of national insignia.  Two of the RCAF options also share a single set of flag markings.  Stencil data is limited to ejection seat triangles and rescue information. 

The red stipe markings for the fourth and six options are given as decals.  These are provided as a continuous one-piece decal so that you will have to trim it to size.  The red and white stripes of the fourth option are provided in a similar fashion as are the black bands of the third machine but you will have to paint the yellow of this option yourself. 

The decals are of the silk screen type.  The detail of the images is very sharp, evidence the RCAF insignia, the points to the edges of maple leaf are all there, just like the one-to-one-scale versions.  Unfortunately, there is a problem with register, at lest on my sheet there is.  This is unfortunate as Model Alliance have gone to great lengths to avoid this by printing all the "likely suspects" as two-part decals  To be fair, out of all the designs on my sheet, only the Union Jack portions of the two flags and the white borders to the 414 Squadron insignia are out of register, the rest are fine.  It is a very full sheet too with very little space between the designs! 

The placement guide runs to five out of six sides of A-4 sized paper.  Each option is treated to a side profile and each of the different camouflage finishes gets its own upper and lower plan views.  All illustrations are in colour.  The placement guide also supplies a list of readily available model paint matches to each of the called for colours worn by the depicted machines. 

The recommended kits in 1/48 scale are the Hasegawa and Academy ones and the High Planes conversion to depict the CAC option. 

The decals have been designed to be used in conjunction with the Aviation Workshop Publications On-Target Profiles 6 and a list of further suggested references is also included on the placement guide. 

The placement guides and decals come packed in a plastic zip-loc bag. 

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Nice stuff from Model Alliance.  This sheet provides fairly comprehensive markings for some colourful machines.  It also gives you an alternative to natural metal finishes! 

Recommended. 
 

Postscript

As alluded to above, a CAC Conversion is offered by High Planes Models as an all-in package with the Academy kit.  Go to their website and see for yourself http://www.corryongcec.net.au/~hiplanes/4805.htm 

If you want to know even more about the Canadair Sabre go to the IPMS Canada website where there is a thread on the subject http://www.ipmscanada.com/threads/th10-RCAF%20Sabre%204.html

Thanks to Aviation Workshop / Model Alliance (UK)  for the review sample

Model Alliance products are available online from the Aviation Workshop.

Review Copyright © 2005 by Rodger Kelly
Page Created 16 May, 2005
Last updated 16 May, 2005

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