Corgi Aviation Archive Collector Series AA35812
North American F-86 Sabre Diecast Model
RAF No.2 TAF Conversion Unit, RAF Wildenrath, Germany, 1953

1:72 Scale		Length		Width
North American F-86 Sabre		6.75"		6.25"

It is not widely known, but the Canadair Sabre served with Britain's Royal Air Force for a brief time. During the early 1950s, the Sabres of the RCAF were actually the only swept-wing fighters available for the defense of Western Europe. At that time, the Royal Air Force was still flying such straight-winged types as the Gloster Meteor and the DeHavilland Vampire while they waited for the swept-wing Supermarine Swift and Hawker Hunter to reach production status. Early in 1953 the RAF somewhat reluctantly decided to acquire the Canadair Sabre to fill in the gap. United States MDAP funds helped to provide 430 Sabre Mk 2 and Mk 4 fighters for the RAF. Britain obtained three Mk 2 Sabres for the RAF in October 1952. These were loaned in preparation for the delivery of no less than 428 Sabre Mk 4s. Deliveries of Sabre Mk 4s continued from December 1952 to December 1953. They were supplied to the Royal Air Force for use in Germany as Britain's contribution to the NATO effort. The first RAF Squadron to take delivery of the Sabre was No 67 Tactical Air Force Squadron, which became operational in May of 1953. In December No.66 Squadron became the first RAF Fighter Command Sabre unit. RAF Tactical Air Force Squadrons Nos. 3,4,20,26,67,71,93,112,130,and 234 reequipped with Sabres and were based in Germany. Fighter Command Squadrons No. 66 and 92 remained in Britain with their Sabres. RAF Sabre XB982 (the 773rd Canadair-built Sabre) was used as a test bed for the Bristol Siddeley Orpheus 801 engine in 1958. It made its first flight on July 3, 1958, and made subsequent flights with upgraded versions of that non-afterburning engine, which produced 6810 pounds of thrust. Had this engine become available earlier, the Orpheus engine may well have been adopted for the RAF Sabre, but by this time the Sabre had reached the end of the line and more advanced aircraft were already entering service. The service of the Sabre with the RAF was rather brief, the aircraft being seen only as an interim type. By June of 1956, all RAF Sabres based in Germany had been replaced by Hawker Hunters. The ex-RAF Sabres were then transferred to other European air forces, notably Italy (180 aircraft) and Yugoslavia (121 aircraft). Between 1956 and 1958, 302 ex-RAF Sabres were returned to the USAF. These planes were painted in camouflage, provided with USAF national markings and even given spurious USAF serial numbers (actually their original RCAF serials). These were assigned the designation F-86E (M) for record-keeping purposes, where the M stood for *Modified*.2 TAF Saber Conversion Unit were based at Wildenrath in Germany from 10th March 1953 until 30th June 1954.

North American F-86 Sabre

© Copyright 2003-2024 The Flying Mule, Inc.

Corgi's 1:72 scale F-86 Sabrejet series salutes this classic Cold War era jet. The large canopy slides open to reveal the detailed cockpit interior and pilot figure. The nose of the model is correctly rendered with machine gun ports surrounded by simulated heat shielding, and there are detailed turbofan blades inside the engine's intake. The model features an easily configurable speed brake at the rear that, when configured in the deployed position, locks in place revealing details inside the airframe and actuator arm. Each release includes fixed fuel tanks mounted to the model's solid metal swept wings.

© Copyright 2003-2013 The Flying Mule, Inc.

Corgi Aviation Archive Collector Series

The Corgi "Aviation Archive" range presents highly-detailed, ready-made diecast models of military and civilian aircraft. The vast Aviation Archive range has become the standard by which all other diecast airplane ranges are judged. Each Corgi model is based on a specific aircraft from an important historical or modern era of flight, and has been authentically detailed from original documents and archival library material. Famous airplanes and aviators from both military and commercial airline aviation are all honored.

Corgi "Aviation Archive" diecast airplanes feature:

• Diecast metal construction with some plastic components.
• Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
• Pad printed markings and placards that won't fade or peel like decals.
• Interchangeable extended/retracted landing gear with rotating wheels.
• Poseable presention stand to display the aircraft "in flight".
• Many limited editions with numbered certificate of authenticity.
• Detailed, hand-painted pilot and crew member figures.
• Authentic detachable ordnance loads complete with placards.
• Selected interchangeable features such as speed-brakes, opened canopies and access panels.
• Selected moving parts such as gun turrets, control surfaces and swing-wings.