Mirage GB (September 2006 to April 2007)

Ah !

I've just started my 1/48 Italeri mirage 111/O and as I've got another project due for christmas I don't think I could delay it till your start date.

What a disappointment, I love the Mirage and my Dad told me that the best time of his life in the RAAF was when he was flying them.

I remember a a kid when dad was flying F-111's from Amberley. Every time there were visiting Mirages, he'd take us down to the ring road around the runway of an evening to watch them take off.

The Mirage had the most beautiful afterburner plume with fantastic shock diamonds. When I think of Mirages it thakes me straight back to those days. Mmmm.... I can smell the jet exhaust now.

Hmmm, it would be a shame to not have a Mirage lover in the GB, and I'd love to see your pics.  Could always change the start date (someone can always jump in later)?

PanzerWulff wrote:

Is the Super Etandard a variant of the Mirage F-1 ??? I would be interested in building either if they are acceptable

A Mirage F-1 is fine!  Glad to have you on board!

osher wrote:

Hmmm, it would be a shame to not have a Mirage lover in the GB, and I'd love to see your pics.  Could always change the start date (someone can always jump in later)?

Thanks osher!

I'll post some as soon as the batteries are charged!

Mark

Mark T Gold Coast wrote:

Thanks osher! I'll post some as soon as the batteries are charged! Mark

Looking forward to it!  Nice that you have personal memories of this aircraft.  I just like it's looks

I've been trying to decide which Mirage to build.  I've got in my stash the Academy Mirage III, in both C & R varients; the Esci and later Ertl Esci Mirage III C/CJ/CZ; 2x Italeri Kfir, and the Tamiya Kfir, plus the Eduard Mirage III CJ, and the Eduard Royal Mirage III CJ.  I've 'built' the PM Dagger/Nesher/Mirage III (two different boxings), and I have to say it's the worst kit I've ever touched!

As for the others:

The 1/72 Italeri Kfir is a lovely kit, and quite cheap.  New it's about £5, but I picked up one of mine for just £2 second hand.  There are no seatsbelts, but else, really nice, with decals for either a 3+1 colour scheme, or a 2 shades of grey scheme.

The 1/72 Tamiya Kfir looks a lot like the Italeri kit.  In fact, it is the Italeri kit, but re-boxed for the Japanese market.  It's not designed for the rest of the world, and hence, no English.  Funnily enough, having the same sealed packet inside as the Italeri, it also has the same decals, but only a colour callout for the 3+1 scheme.  Peculiar that.  However, being more expensive than the Italeri, best stick to that!

The 1/48 Esci or Ertl Esci kit is lovely, with some conversion kits for it.  There's even a reasonable amount of cockpit.  The colour scheme is the famous silver with red flashes.  However, it does have one major failing: raised panel lines.

The 1/48 Academy kits look to be dogs.  Yes, they recessed panel lines, but the cockpit is a joke, and the seat, well, hmmm, a slab of plastic.  It'll probably look OK, if the cockpit is junked, but somehow, the Esci kit just feels better.

Finally (from my stash), the Eduard CJ is taking kit technology and detail to a whole new level.  Yes, it's £26, but trust me, the amount of plastic you get makes it worth while!  The detail is amazing, the quality is top notch, and there are loads of little extras (like masks).

Well...looks like I'm going to be kept busy for the time being! 

Osher,

Sounds like you have an entire airforce in your cupboard!

Seeing as you live in the world of the Pound, and you pocket change converts to roughly 15 thousand Australian Dollars, you should check out these resin parts.

http://www.hiplanes.dragnet.com.au/new/images/AC4803_large.jpg

http://www.hiplanes.dragnet.com.au/new/images/AC4804_large.jpg

or try this guy

http://search.ebay.com.au/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZleeroyofoz

He sells the High Planes resin cockpit tub and wheel well  plugs. He also sells the ejection seats.

The cockpit tub is pretty good, the detail is rather fine and there is a bit of sanding/shaping required but it is a huge improvement over the std kit offering.

Mark

Hey Osher howabout I help you make your decision and take you Eduard's off your hand so the others will start looking more pleasing to the eye. I'll even let you give it to me for free since we're freinds and whatnot. 

Seriously though I was thinking about getting the Academy seeing as it was so cheap but now I'm thinking Fonderie Minatures but it's just so expensive. I'm still TBA

ygmodeler4 wrote:

Hey Osher howabout I help you make your decision and take you Eduard's off your hand so the others will start looking more pleasing to the eye. I'll even let you give it to me for free since we're freinds and whatnot.  Seriously though I was thinking about getting the Academy seeing as it was so cheap but now I'm thinking Fonderie Minatures but it's just so expensive. I'm still TBA

That's a very kind offer, and if I decide to accept, I'll let you know!  If you're on a budget, and don't mind raised panel lines, then the Esci/ Esci Ertl kit would be a great second hand buy, or the other Italian, the Italeri Kfir.  The Academy kit might be nice (I'll be contributing to the group about it), but I suspect it will need a new cockpit.  The exterior looks simplified, but I could be wrong.  An FM kit?  Wow, you do like sleepness nights?  Never built one, but they do require a good degree of modeller input.  If you feel like a laugh, try a PM kit.  If you can make one of those into a decent model, then I take my hat off to a genuine master modeller!

Mark T Gold Coast wrote:

Osher, Sounds like you have an entire airforce in your cupboard! Seeing as you live in the world of the Pound, and you pocket change converts to roughly 15 thousand Australian Dollars, you should check out these resin parts. He sells the High Planes resin cockpit tub and wheel well  plugs. He also sells the ejection seats. The cockpit tub is pretty good, the detail is rather fine and there is a bit of sanding/shaping required but it is a huge improvement over the std kit offering. Mark

I'm not sure how many kits I've got in my little stash.  At least 300, probably a lot more.  Enough to keep me going until I'm 6' under!  I'm thinking about some Aeroclub/Airwaves/Pavla seats.  They vary a bit, but mostly around £2/seat from Hannants.  The High Planes stuff is nice, but expensive, especially once shipped in from down under.

So FM's fit isn't that good? I would have thought since it was $65 it would be alright. It sounds good.

"detailed exterior w/ engraved panel lines, good cockpit, rockets, white metal landing gear, vacu-formed canopy, resin parts, and photo-etched parts. Mkgs for 1 a/c"

I need to get money before I buy anything though.

The Italeri III/E is a good kit for the money.

Dry fitting the parts and they all seem to fit rather well. Raised panel lines though, good time to get some scribing practice.

The cockpit is not that great.

One thing I really like about it is that the gear doors have the interior detail. They have the right lumps and bumps.

I think it'll make a nice kit.

I wonder if the Italeri kit is the Esci then Ertl Esci kit?  It has raised panel lines, but is generally a nice kit, with a useable, if highly simplified cockpit.

Was at Hannants yesterday, and bought a second hand ancient Fujimi 1/48 Mirage IIIC (they also had a IIIR, and another one).  Well, at least I now know where that weird 'seat' in the Academy kit comes from - it's a knock off of the Fujimi kit!  I'd read that older Academy kits were copies of others and this is an early kit.  The Fujimi kit still looks like a better kit though, but with raised panel lines.  As it seems that someone has sold Hannants a load of Mirage/Kfir stuff, I also picked up a 1/72 Kfir C2 by Hasegawa.  Looks like a nice kit.  One thing about both kits: whoever sold them to Hannants allowed them to get damp, so the decals are ruined...should have checked before buying.  Darn!

I'll throw some toghether for you....

Here's some ideas:

rudy_102 wrote:

I can't join this GB yet as I don't have any Mirages yet. But when I get one, I'll enter. Put me down as TBA. And I'll do the changes you requested, and I'll look for some silver Mirages.

Here's the modified Kfir badge and the silver Israeli Mirage badge:

And all you have to do to use the badge is right click on it, click "Copy Shortcut", then paste that into your sig. The add [ img ] to the front and [ /img ] to the back (without the spaces, though).