Our first F-86 tag was released nearly 3 years ago and it was a huge hit - more so than our first F-14 tag in fact. When we processed that material (cut from the tail section off aircraft 51-6139), one of the large "FU-139" stencils was saved. This special second edition F-86L tag was cut from that stencil and the remaining skin from that tail section. We teased a vintage fighter a few weeks ago, and this is it! Our first edition has long been sold out, and we’ve looked forward to releasing this second edition for a while.
The Sabre Dog:
Renowned for its role as an all-weather, radar-equipped interceptor specifically designed to counter the Soviet bomber threat during the Cold War, the F-86L "Sabre Dog" was a highly advanced variant of the original F-86 Saber. With extensive modifications, it featured a broadened mission scope, upgraded electronics, a redesigned wing with extended wingtips & leading edges, superior anti-bomber firepower, enhanced handling, and significantly improved performance compared to its predecessors.
Equipped with a sophisticated Fire Control System, the single-crew Sabre Dog could automatically engage targets within 500 yards, deploying its "Mighty Mouse" air-to-air Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets from the retractable ventral rocket pack without the need for direct pilot control. The airframe was powered by the General Electric J47-GE-17 afterburning turbojet engine, delivering 7,500 pounds of thrust, and reaching speeds of up to 715 miles per hour with a range of 836 miles.
The Tags:
Like our first Sabre Dog tag, this one is all about the colors and character. Aircraft 51-6139 was constructed as an F-86D and upgraded to an F-86L. These tags are offered in 10 variants: White, Day-Glo Orange, Raw, FU-139, Blue, White/Raw, Tri-Color, Stainless Steel, Exhaust Shroud, and High Temp.
The White tags are extremely textured, and have a lot of character with hints of orange and yellows.
The Day-Glo Orange tags feature bright day-glo orange paint; some have full coverage and some are partial. There are not many Day-Glo Orange tags with this release as most was used for the first release.
The Raw tags are very clean printed tags and feature no or very little paint.
The FU-139 tags were cut from the FU-139 stencil, and all feature the blue lettering and raw metal.
The Blue tags are our favorite variant this week and range from solid blue to a very interesting blue/green (due to fading).
The White/Raw feature original white paint and raw metal.
The Tri-Color tags feature Blue and White paint along with raw aircraft skin.
The Stainless Steel tags were cut from skin near the exhaust. They feature a pink etching and are unlike anything we've released.
The Exhaust Shroud tags were cut from the exhaust shroud INSIDE the tailpipe. These are super interesting tags that have a wood-like finish/look.
The High-Temp tags are the most unique tags going this week. They were cut from a portion of fuselage near the tailpipe that is a high-temp alloy that is painted green. The gun-metal etch compliments these tags perfectly.
**Due to very limited availability, Tri-color, Exhaust Shroud, and Blue tags are limited to 1 per customer**
This run is limited to 350 tags. All tags come on a card by Ryan Quickfall. We also have a handful of the original cards from the first edition by Tim Steiner. These will accompany every tag ordered while supplies last. Max of 2 per customer.