1:48 FJ-2 Fury - Part 1

The Sabre that learned to land on a deck

The FJ-2 Fury is a direct descendant of the famous F-86E Sabre. The US Navy wanted a machine with a swept wing like the one the land-based squadrons had, and so a version arose with a folding wing, an arrestor hook, a longer nose leg and four 20 mm cannons instead of machine guns. The finished aircraft was too heavy for the straight decks of the day and too demanding to land, though, and so almost the whole production run ended up with Marine Corps squadrons ashore. Historically it is an interesting intermediate step between the Sabre and the later FJ-3, which received a stronger engine and returned to sea.

What is on the sheet

The seven variants start with two test airframes, one in prototype configuration and one pre-production. Four machines of Marine Corps combat squadrons follow, among them units designated 232, 334 and 122, plus an aircraft of a headquarters unit. The set closes with a machine of a naval reserve unit from the base near St. Louis. Every variant has a serial number given in the documentation, so the subject can be looked up in the photographic literature and details such as the placing of the lettering or the color of the nose checked.

A practical note

The package holds decals only; the plastic model you have to have of your own. In the 1950s the markings were applied to polished metal, so the surface of the model has to be smooth and glossy before they go on, or every trace of sanding will show through the thin film. It works well to varnish the area with gloss varnish, seat the decal into a setting solution and, once it is dry, even the whole model out with a matte or semi-gloss overcoat.