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MIrage 5AD, HPM 1/72


Giorgio N

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As promised here's my Aby Dhabi Mirage 5AD ! Considering the problems I'm hitting with the Esci F1 it's likely that this model will be completed first, let's also say that this time I really want a relaxing OOB build ! Hopefully the quality of the HPM kit will help me here.

Hi Planes did several Mirage IIIs and the kit I'm building here is their second attempt and their first "mainstream" kit ever. Their first attempt was a very interesting short run kit, that I also have in the stash. Hi Planes recently issued a revised mainstream kit that addressed some of the issues modellers found in their previous one, mainly the heavy panel lines.

The box is quite large for an aircraft that is not really that big

 

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My box is for a Dagger, that is simply an Israeli built (or should I say assembled...) Nesher. The Nesher is in itself simply a "copy" of the Mirage 5, a simplified and lighter variant of the Mirage III-E that Dassault developed for Israel in the mid '60s. The aircrafts built for Israel were embargoed after the 1967 war and the legend tells that Israel copied the Mirage 5 as the Nesher. Later some researchers found proof that these aircrafts actually carried Dassault construction numbers and the truth seems to be that the French built all the parts and sent them to Israel where these were locally assembled. Oh well, it was a cool legend... :D

 

Having a box for the Dagger is not a problem as parts for a lot of variants are included in all HPM Mirage boxes on 3 dark grey plastic sprues, plus one for replacement flap actuators, and one of clear parts

 

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This is a kit that has been thoroughly analysed and the excessively wide panel lines are a well known issue. There are a few accuracy issues as well but nothing that would prevent a modeller from building a good replica. The level of detail is pretty good and the amount of options included is impressive. HPM even included the Mirage 50 intakes and a Kfir style nose !

I should mention that some parts are missing from the pictures but only because I had cut them to check the accuracy of the standard III-E radome. They are all in the box !

Speaking of radomes, we can see that a number of different noses are supplied, including the Mirage 5/Nesher/Dagger style. There's however one type of nose missing, and this is the one used by a number of Mirage 5 users...

Small summary of Mirage 5 noses: the original variant had a sharp nose with no radar. This was quite rounded and had the pitot tube under the tip. Then there's the style used by Belgium and others, pointed with a pitot on the tip. This is also included in the box (the top one in the picture above). Then there's another variant that retains the undernose pitot of the original but has a more sharply pointed tip. This is not included in the box but HPM offers this as a resin part designed for this same kit. Of course the 5AD had this pointier nose. I could simply buy the resin part but looking at the plastic parts I noticed how HPM didn't really capture the original nose rounded nature and the result is a halfway between the original and the one I need. Fine for me, I can simply use some abrasive paper to sharpen the tip on this nose and get the style I require !

To complete the digression on the Mirage 5 noses, a number of variants carried the same avionic fit of the III-E and therefore retained the proper radome of this variant. These are really Mirage 5 in name only. Then there's the Mirage F1 nose used on a number of Mirage 5 updated to the 50 standard.

 

I didnt' show the decals as I'll not be using the ones in the box. The markings for my model will come from a Carpena sheet

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Nice one Giorgio and a good review of the kit and I'm glad a little setback like the correct nose not being provided won't be a setback.  I've got one of these kits too and it really needs a camouflage finish to hide those panel lines.

 

Good to see an Abu Dhabi Mirage in the GB!

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37 minutes ago, Antoine said:

Thanks for putting the story straight, Giorgio.

 

Yes, years of smoke and mirrors overcome in one post.

 

Meanwhile, the Wezlette has reported the PJ Kit which represents one of the aircraft which helped in the grand deception has been delivered to Wez Towers, so that's my 5F sorted.

Edited by Wez
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2 hours ago, Antoine said:

Wezlette?

 

And about a boring 5F, you still have time to change your mind for a more exotic bird.

:penguin:

 

Yes Wezlette is my grown up daughter who is house sitting, Wezling is her older brother - what did you expect the Wez offspring to be called?

 

As for the 5F, not a chance mate! I've been trying to make that for over 30 years but there is an FCM sheet I'm trying to track down...

 

Anyway this is Giorgio's 5AD thread.

 

Giorgio, apologies for the thread drift.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not to worry folks, it's good to have a chat on all kind of things in a modelling thread... isn't this one of Britmodeller specialties of the house we all enjoy ? :DFre

Speaking of deception and the 5F, I have to admit being also very attracted to the original aircrafts in their French markings. Really when I look at the many schemes I'd like to show on Mirages I realise that I need many more kits. With both the RV and the HPM kits not being exactly cheap, this is going to be a problem fro my finances...

 

Speaking of the old HPM kit, it took only a couple of days with very little modelling done to get a set of sub-assemblies ready to be glued together

 

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The well known heavy panel lines of this kit are very visible in this picture. I'm a bit concerned because I'm sure that I'll have to rescribe a few of them in areas where I had to sand the plastic to sort a few joints, the scribers I have are meant to give very different panel lines, I'll have to find a way to reproduce this side and soft style.

A few gaps are also visible at the wing-fuselage joint, I tried to prepare all parts carefully before gluing them but I couldn't avoid problems. Of course nothing that a little filler can't sort, but other modellers seem to have done much better. I have to understand if I'm doing something wrong before building my next one.

 

As mentioned above, the 5AD has a pointier nose compared to the original 5F, my solution was simply to try and make the kit part sharper with some sanding. Not sure the result is perfect but I'm quite satisfied with it

 

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Ok, pretty bad picture... will replace later

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Nice one Giorgio, good to see some progress!

 

I too have had the large gap between the fuselage and upper wing, still umming and ahhing as to what to do about it (shims or fuselage spreader), I know I don't really want to be using too much filler there.

 

I've found the plastic very soft and unforgiving, I'll post some pictures to show what I mean on my 5F thread later.

 

Absolutely have the same problem regarding being able to afford my Mirage addiction.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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