Here's my rendition of the Hasegawa F-86D.  It's a great kit!  Detailing is superb.  It goes together pretty easily.  I had no need to use filler anywhere on the model.

   It was painted in component form, and then assembled.  With careful sanding and fitting, I was able to attach the wings and tailplanes to the fuselage after painting with hardly any histrionic hysteria!

   I finished my Sabre Dog in the colors of the 13th FIS, which flew the 'D out of Sioux City, Iowa during 1955-57.  The orange (placed over a white) tail band, plus the black piping, are all made from decal strips.  This is one of several similar schemes that the 13th Fighter Squadron used.  I picked the livery kinda out of a sense of nostalgia.  I live in Illinois.  It's not out of the question that these jets could've flown over my home, on occasion, when I was a little kid.

   The natural metal finish was achieved with SnJ, accessorized with various homemade shades of Testors Metalizer, plus strips and bits of Tauro and Superscale metallic decals.  I live in a somewhat drafty farmhouse, and SnJ is an ideal metal paint to work with in such an environment.  The panels were accented with an acrylic wash.

   This model placed 2nd in the "Non-Vietnam Jets" category at the IPMS Region V convention, held in Davenport, Iowa on the last weekend in April 2005.  The 2nd Place plaque is shown in one of the photos here.  It's a fitting testament to Hasegawa's wonderful kit and SnJ's equally-wonderful paint system, rather than to my dubious modelling "skills", believe me!

   I thank Duncan Curtis for his valuable help.  If you're a Sabre Dog fan, do check out his marvy books: "USAF F-86D/L" (Air Force Legends #207) and "ANG & FOREIGN F-86D/L" (Air Force Legends #211).  Lotsa pix, lotsa info.

Bill