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Mirage F.1 EQ/ED (72386) 1:72 Special Hobby The Dassault Mirage F.1 has been a successful point defence fighter for over thirty years, and was developed initially as a private venture by Dassault as a replacement to their ageing Mirage III fighters. It is a single-engined, single-seat fighter aircraft with a high-mounted delta wing and capability of reaching mach 2.2 in short order. Power was provided by a single SNECMA Atar turbojet providing about 7 tonnes-force (69 kN; 15,000 lbf) of thrust. Dassault soon found an eager customer in the shape of the French Armée de l'air, who bought various versions over the years starting on 1974. The French retired the Mirage F.1 in 2014. The ED is the export version for Qatar, and the EQ the version for Iraq. Its worth noting that private military contractors in the US are buying large surplus stocks of Mirage F.1s to use in the adversary role. The Kit This is a reworking of the superb new tool kit from Special Hobby. This boxing has extra plastic parts for this version being the tail and large centre line tank. There is also some small resin parts for the "lumps & bums", and a resin Exocet Missile for the Iraqi version. The parts are crisp with engraved panel lines deep enough not to disappear under a coat of paint, but not trench like. From the parts break down on the sprues it is evident more versions are on there way. Construction starts conventionally enough in the cockpit area. The instrument panel and coaming is built up and attached to the front of the cockpit, the rear bulkhead is attached, and the control stick added in. For some strange reason step 3 in the instructions has you placing the cockpit inside the fuselage and closing it up; and step 4 has you adding the front wheel well and exhaust into the fuselage. I would safely say that it's best to reverse these. On the subject of the exhaust, it is a three part affair and the quality of the kit parts is very good. Once the exhaust, front wheel bay, and cockpit are in the main fuselage can indeed be closed up. Once the main fuselage is together the correct nose can be added for your chose decal option. Various nose antenna are added along with the front airbrakes which are moulded in the closed position. The engine intakes are also added at this stage. Next the main wings are added which are of conventional upper/lower construction. Once these are on the rudder, tail planes, and ventral strakes are all added as well. Once the main aircraft is built it is time to switch to the landing gear. All three units are built up and added along with their respective doors. The undercarriage is quite detailed but has been moulded to be in as few parts as possible. The main legs along with their retraction struts are one part, with only a single small section needed for each of the mains. The wheels are one part each and have nice relief for painting. It is then a quick re-visit to the cockpit to build the ejection seat. For the scale this is quite detailed with 4 parts making up the seat. There is a choice of seat back/cushion however no indication of which to use for which option. It is suspected these options are time frame based, and the modeller should check their references. The penultimate step is to add the pylons. A single centre line pylon is added along with wing pylons, &chaff dispensers. Thankfully this time the instructions show which should be added for each decal option. The instructions show only fuel tanks to be attached, although the sprues do contain a nice selection of French weapons to be deployed as the modeller sees fit,. Lastly the canopy and front screen are attached. Markings There are four decal options on a sheet from Cartograf so there will be no issues there. 1. F.1EQ No.79 Sqn Iraqi Air Force (Sand / Grey scheme). 2. F.1EQ-5 No.81 Sqn Iraqi Air Force (Dark Sea Grey Scheme) - Fitted for Exocet. 3. F.1EQ-6 No.102 Sqn Republic Of Iran Air Force (Grey / Blue Scheme). 4. F.1ED Libyan Peoples Air Force (Aircraft which defected to Malta) Conclusion It is great to see more versions of this new tool from Special Hobby becoming available. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Here's my Special Hobby 1/72 Mirage F.1C built as the 1994 Tiger Meet aircraft of EC 1/12 using Syhart Decals. Nice little kit, and the decals were very nice to work with. thanks for looking Julian

Nothing to see here any more. I think I need to take a break. Thank you for the support! For a moment there I felt like Jamie Oliver when he presented his take on a paella! I didn't want to offend anyone, and I don't think I did, but such is the world these days - some people will get offended just because they want to. That's a hobby, I think, but not one that I would take on. Anyway, I like my Mirage and most importantly, so does my wife and my friends. I don't want to put the pictures up again - water under the bridge, but I'll just say this: I have 2 more Hasegawa 1/72 Mirage F.1 and a lot of decals, and I'm not afraid to use them! Will I put pictures of them up here? Perhaps, if I'm in the mood that day -there are somethings you just shouldn't do! Cheers Hans J

Another project this year is placed in the shelf. I started the Mirage series and here's the first one. The model is grateful for the work, the little decals are worse, but the end result is satisfied. Thanks to the pilots of the South African Aviation, who sent me books and a handful of photos, not only for Mirages but for their other planes. The colors are Humbrol, upper HU63 and HU75, and down HU65. Here's the picture.

Another project this year is placed in the shelf. I started the Mirage series and here's the first one. The model is grateful for the work, the little decals are worse, but the end result is satisfied. Thanks to the pilots of the South African Aviation, who sent me books and a handful of photos, not only for Mirages but for their other planes. The colors are Humbrol, upper HU63 and HU75, and down HU65. Here's the picture.

Mirage F.1 RPL-201 Centreline Tank CMK/Special Hobby 1:72 Special Hobby through their CMK line continue to increase their range of resin enhancement sets for various kits. This set if to provide the option of having a centreline tank for their new Mirage F.1 Kits (also will fit other kits). The main tank is one casting with the two gins as separate parts. The web attaching the tank is thin and on the surface you attach to the model. Review sample courtesy of Conclusion This is a great set that will enhance any of the F.1s available.

Hi! Here for your perusal is Special Hobby’s two-seat iteration of their new Mirage F.1 series of kits - which judging by the ridiculously fast sell-out times must be a successful investment for them. I’ll go into the kit below, but do have a look at the Work in Progress thread here for the build and excellent contributions from forum members to improve accuracy. For those who are not familiar with the type: it’s an interesting version of the Mirage, being the only one without the typical Mirage-esque delta-wing configuration. This is the specific ‘bac’ I’ve made to represent, the fourth AdlA F.1B built: number 505, or 5-AE: Dassault-Breguet constructed twenty F.1B (B for biplace) operational trainer versions for the Armée de l’Air between 1980 and 1984, entering service initially with the test squadron, CEAM (Le Centre d'Expériences Aériennes Militaires), at BA 118 Mont-de-Marsan, but subsequently all twenty served in 3/5 Comtat-Venaissin, based at BA 115 Orange-Caritat in the South of France, until 1988. My model depicts one from the latter unit *. The Special Hobby kit goes together well. It's excellent for having an accurate shape and for being generally accurate in detail, with some notable exceptions such as the panels on the spine behind the cockpit. So it’s not without faults, both in terms of fit and nitty-gritty accuracy. But still, all in all I was surprised how easy the build progressed; especially the cockpit tub deserves mention as that fits like a glove. Haven’t had that in a while. Also nice was how some other clever solutions for fitting parts together actually worked. And the excellent decals - they deserve mention too. A really nice kit. In plastic, fit and quality, I'd compare it to Italeri, maybe Esci. Things to watch out for: one area for particular concern during the build were the lower kit parts of the wings, which needs considerable thinning, particularly at the edges, to get it to sit flush with the rest of the wing. And it needs to sit flush - because the F.1’s wings were quite thin, and you want them to look thin otherwise the effect is lost. Another problematic thing was the windscreen. You kind of plop the transparency on the nose section, but fit - well it doesn’t really. I used Mr Surfacer to deal with that. I used no aftermarket stuff apart from bits of several Berna decal sheets. Also used: stretched sprue and wire. Thanks for looking, Jay *In case you’re not familiar with the French Air Force structure as used during the Cold war: ‘3/5 Comtat-Venaissin’ denotes: 3rd Escadron of the 5th Escadre de Chasse - Comtat and Venaissin are the two escadrilles which are historical units (flights) to which pilots belong - aircraft are maintained on escadron level - hence the differing symbols on each side of the aircraft’s fin.

(Edit: From all the suggestions for modifications on the kit later on in the thread, I made a continuously updated visual list here.) Hi all, Aaaaahhhh.... I've been looking forward to this moment. One of my favorite aircraft. Looks almost like it's designed by a science fiction artist - with the extreme pointed nose which contrasts nicely the bulbous curves of the two-seat canopy. In between several builds I received this kit. I gave it right of way over other builds, which I have put on hold for the moment. I'll finish them, but curiosity got the better of me so let's start! I'll be building as Out-of-the-Boxily as possible. I might seek out aftermarket decals, but I'll think about that later. I am gravitating tworards a standard Armée de l'Air line bird from the mid 1980s. But I am known to change my mind. Anyway... The kit! The kit's contents look as detailed and generally yummy as the single-seater versions, only now we get two sprues with the complete F.1B (B for Biplace) fuselage. I gave the plastic a lukewarm bath, and this is the Mirage-to-be drying, giving me a chance to look over the parts. Notice the two complete fuselages. Unfortunately the pitot tube came bent. As the part is essentially unprotected in the box, I can’t see how that could have been prevented. The two-seater retained the separate nose parts intended for the single-seater. The refuelling probe needs to be detached from part B61 if you want to build the colourful 50th anniversary version of 3/30 Lorraine of the Armée de l'Air in 1991. I'm not sure yet what I will be going for. Of note is the second cockpit tub plus instrument panel. On to a test fit - I was first of all happy with how well the fuselage halves fit. The wings are a little problematic, as the wing's lower half is slightly too thick and protrudes from the upper wing part. The left hand wing fits like a glove, but the right hand wing, at least on my example, and still with the lower wing part too thick, did not fit the fuselage. After an inordinate amount of pushing and squeezing I came this far: The wing's locator tabs are split lengthwise in a lower and upper half and considering the lower wing half is too thick as it is, one would easily assume that's the culprit. However the left-hand wing tabs fitted perfectly and even had a little play. I decided to open up the locator holes slightly (from the inside!). Even if I create a little too much room in the process - at least I'll know the wing will fit. That's better. The following isn't though: the wings are practically level. There should be very noticeable anhedral in the F.1's wings. Probably a result of the lower wing half being too thick. I'll try again after sanding the lower wing halves to manageable thickness. I first shaved off the edges on the inner area of lower wing half in an attempt to make it fit the top half better. To be continued! Jay

Turned Brass Aircraft Barrels/Probes 1:48 Master Master have an enviable reputation for superb turned metal gun barrels for aircraft, tanks and ships in various scales, but they also create pitot probes, angle-of-attack (AoA) probes, and include Photo-Etch (PE) brass parts with their sets as the need requires. This latest batch of new releases brings a number of new items for kits both new and old. They are all packaged in small flat packs with card headers that also protect the components in transit. The individual parts are often double-bagged in re-sealable packs, and recently the packs have been heat sealed into compartments to stop the parts getting jumbled together and avoid resulting damage. A-10 Thunderbolt II GAU-8 Barrel & Pitot Probe AM-48-081 A comprehensive set of parts to create the visible part of the seven-barrelled Avenger cannon that has been the saviour of many a ground unit, and the nemesis for armour and enemy troops alike. The fine barrel is protected by a small vacuum formed pot during transport to save it from being crushed, as it is rather delicate, having seven rows of four holes drilled into its length. The end-caps are supported by a central column in brass, and should be glued into place before inserting the seven 30mm barrels in from behind, each of which have a lip that prevents them being over-inserted and ensures that the hollow tipped barrels project the correct distance. The pitot probe is a simple replacement for the kit part and is inserted into a 1mm hole that you may have to drill or widen, depending on which manufacturer's kit you are using. Typhoon Mk.1b (Early) AM-48-082 The set includes four turned fairings in aluminium, the shorter two being the inner guns, so that their tips line up from overhead. A PE ring fits at the base of each fairing, and must be curved to fit in place, so annealing them under a flame and air cooling would be a wise step. The hollow tipped barrels then insert into the recesses in the fairings, and have a spiral cut into them to represent the recoil springs. Hurricane Mk.IIc (Flat Recoil Springs) AM-48-084 To install these replacement barrels, simply drill holes in the wing leading edges at 2.7mm for the inner fairings, and 2.9mm for the outer. Then insert the brass fairings, with the hollow tipped barrels fitting into recesses in the fairings. The recoil springs are cut into the barrel sides as a single groove. Hurricane Mk.IIc (Round Recoil Springs) AM-48-085 Essentially the same set, but instead of the engraved recoil springs, a set of very fine real springs are included that fit over a two-part barrel that is thinned to accept the springs that are held in place by the thicker sections of the barrel. The result should be highly realistic once painted. RA-5C Vigilante Pitot Probe & AoA Probe (for Trumpeter) AM-48-080 Two super-fine turned brass probes one long and slender to be mounted in a 0.8mm hole drilled at the tip of the radome, the other a small (and sharp) Angle of Attack probe that is mounted in a 1mm hole on the starboard side of the fuselage by the cockpit. The detail on the pitot is exceptional. Mirage F.1 Pitot Probe & AoA Probe AM-48-076 Two delicate probes for the Mirage, that would look as well on either the old ESCI kit, or the new Kitty Hawk kits that have recently come to market. The pitot probe fits into a 0.5mm hole on the tip of the radome, the other into a tiny 0.3mm hole on the port side of the cockpit. The AoA probe is truly miniscule, so take care during handling as it is likely to ping off and as you can see from the photo, you'll never find it again. The instructions also show which portion of the pitot probe should be metallic, and which part should be radome coloured, which is helpful. Conclusion These additional detail parts are superb, and bring realism to the parts they replace parts that are often oversized or poorly moulded on even modern kits. They also bring extra strength to parts that are easy to knock off, and we all know how easily styrene fatigues once bent. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of Piotr at