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MDF Scaled Down #8 - The Dassault Mirage 2000 (9781999661625) 2000B/C/D/N & International versions[/b] MA Publications The Mirage was developed as a replacement for the Mirage III in the 70s, and after some changes to the project, including the French withdrawal from what was to become the Panavia Tornado and the consideration of variable geometry flight, the Mirage 2000 was born. There were several variants of the type, plus some overseas sales that increased the number of airframes in existence to just under 600, seeing active service in Armée de l'air as well as Egypt, Greek, Indian and Peruvian service and a number of others. The final Mirage came off the production line in 2007 and was delivered soon after to the Greek Air Force. Although the earlier versions have been in service for a some substantial length of time, the later variants are relatively new, and the overall design is considered to be 4th generation, so there is plenty of life left in the Mirage 2000 family yet. The Rafale was intended to be its replacement in some roles due to its wider range of capabilities, but the two types fly side-by-side in French service, with the beefed-up Rafale M launched from French carriers, which was a role that the Mirage 2000 could never perform. This book is the 8th in the Modeller’s Datafile Scaledown series, and arrives as a perfect-bound A4+ book in portrait format with 100 pages within the card cover. If you’re familiar with the series, you’ll know the content is split between the real aircraft and modelling them, but here’s a more thorough breakdown: Forward Chapter I Development – the Delta returns Chapter II In French service – the Mirage 2000B/C/D/N and the Mirage 2000 at war Chapter III Mirages for export – Egypt, Greece, India, Peru, Taiwan, UAE, Brazil and Qatar Colour Side Views Four pages of colour side profiles of various types and operators Modelling the Mirage 2000 in popular scales Mirage 2000C Greek Ghost - 1:48 Kinetic (Jezz Coleman) Mirage 2000C Sting in the Tail - 1:48 Kinetic (James Ashton) Mirage 2000D Desert Striker - 1:48 Kinetic (George Roidis) Mirage 2000D Multi-role Mirage - 1:48 Kinetic (James Ashton) Mirage 2000 Delta Blues - 1:72 Tamiya (Mario Serelle) Mirage 2000B École de Chasse Fighter School - 1:48 Kinetic (René Van Der Hart) Appendix I - Walk arounds Mirage 2000B ‘12-KO’ of the Armée de L’air (Luc Colin) Mirage 2000 ‘4940’ of the Brazilian Air Force (Mario Serelle) Mirage 2000C ‘12-YM’ of the Armée de L’air (Luc Colin) Mirage 2000D ‘3-IU’ of the Armée de L’air (Luc Colin) Mirage 2000N ‘4-AG’ of the Armée de L’air (Luc Colin) Appendix II - Mirage 2000 variants 3 pages with pictures Appendix III - Colourful Mirages 8 pages of colour photos of special schemes Appendix IV - Kitography Available accessories, kits & decals at time of writing There is a lot of text on the type during the first half of the book that cover the airframe beginning through prototype, the initial in-service Mirage 2000, the subsequent upgrades to capabilities required by the native and overseas operators, as well as details of the sales to those operators. After the discussion of the airframe comes 12 pages of side profiles of various marks and operators with some varied schemes on display, including camouflage for desert and temperate climates, plus the ever-present grey jets of various forces. The modelling side of the book begins now, and extends to six builds of mostly 1:48 Kinetic kits, and a 1:72 Tamiya kit for a little variation, that are carried out by various modellers, the names of whom you can see in brackets in the list above. I have laid out the list as per the book, not the index page, as there are some differences in layout and titles, with mine being totally representative of the contents. There are lots of different modelling techniques on display to accomplish the sometimes weathered and dilapidated look of the Mirage 2000, especially when on deployment or in foreign service, with plenty of pictures and text to guide us along, we can all learn something from the builds here. The next section consists of a number of walk around photos printed on a cream background that shows the airframes in close-up detail, all of which is grist for the mill for us modellers, and includes some nice photos of the landing gear, airframe and sensors all in suitable sizes that won’t tax ageing eyes like mine, with credits to the photographers, which you can again see in brackets above. The short “Mirage 2000 Variants” section covers the differences between the types in short text summaries with a photo of most types next door for a quick visual cue. The “Colourful Mirages” extends to eight pages and shows lovely side-on photos of special schemes, many of which are for the Tigermeets that they often attend. Some colourful tails are also picked out in close-up photos, along with fuel tank and underside details for a few. The final section is the Kitography, which I’ve always felt is a tiny bit redundant as things change so quickly in our hobby, as we now have helpful sites like Scalemates that are updated constantly. It’s only three pages though, so nothing to fret about if that’s not your thing. Conclusion It’s a good reference for the Mirage 2000, and is a handy one-stop source of information for anyone wanting to improve their knowledge of the type. There is a lot of information within and a lot of excellent photos in full colour, which one of the bonuses of a book about a modern fast jet over a WWII type. Well worth a read, and it will be good source of reference down the line. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of