North American XP-86 45-59597 United States Air Force

These are 1/72 scale decals for the North American XP-86, serial 45-59597, United States Air Force — the original prototype of what would become one of the most iconic and consequential fighter aircraft in aviation history, the F-86 Sabre.

The XP-86 first flew on 1 October 1947 at Muroc Army Air Field — the same legendary California desert test site that would become Edwards Air Force Base — and almost immediately demonstrated performance that exceeded all expectations. Crucially, North American's engineers had made the bold decision to incorporate swept wings based on captured German aeronautical research, abandoning an earlier straight-wing design in favor of the 35-degree sweep that would define the Sabre's silhouette. On 26 April 1948, the XP-86 became the first U.S. aircraft to exceed the speed of sound in level flight — a landmark achievement that validated the swept-wing concept and pointed the way forward for American fighter design.

The lessons embodied in serial 45-59597 flowed directly into the production F-86A Sabre, which entered service in 1949 and went on to achieve air superiority over the MiG-15 in the skies of Korea — one of the most celebrated fighter-versus-fighter contests in the history of air combat. Without the XP-86 and the engineering decisions made during its development, the story of American jet aviation would have been very different.

The ultimate origin story of the Sabre family — an essential subject for any serious collection of American prototype and experimental aviation. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.