Jump to content

Mirage F1CK


Jabba

Recommended Posts

This is my entry for this GB. It will be a Mirage F1CK of the Kuwaiti Air Force that managed to escape from Kuwait to Saudi Arabia as the Iraqis invaded in 1990 and fought during the 1991 conflict. I will be using the Carpena decals for this build, which actually only has decals for a two seater aircraft. I have ordered another set of these decals so that I can do a bit of cut and shunting with the Serial No to get a single seat aircraft. I am not sure which colour scheme I will be doing at the moment, but I am looking towards the blue/grey one as the numbers that I can make with the decal sheet will be from this range and that the length of these aircraft was the same as a probed aircraft so I would not have to loose a bit off the nose to make it. From pictures that I have available I have found that some of these aircraft were fitted with Mk82 retarded bombs beneath the fuselage and ECM pods on the wings, whilst the desert coloured ones only have the Super 530Fs beneath the wings.

 

The kit

resized_1a0d165b-2a6b-4ed6-9d3a-a58a45ae

 

resized_93e85589-fde1-4db9-88b7-522e89fe

The decals

resized_78d2e108-976f-4e3f-b078-f1c409bf

Some info

resized_bf47292c-08b4-402c-b41c-e23c46b6

A picture taken at Ali Al Salem in 2003 when I was part of Op Telic. There were a few stories of why they were left in this state.

186d789d-3a1c-45e6-8325-685a3974d7b8.jpg

Edited by Jabba
Because Photobucket has changed.
  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Jabba,

 

Good to see this one on the blocks, I knew you'd do something Gulf War orientated.

 

Good luck with the build and of course, welcome!

 

Wez

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been planning a similar build for a long time and hit the same problem with the Carpena decals. I also bought some Superscale decals but I don't think these were particularly accurate. Will keep watching how you sort the problem with the numbers and if you don't mind I will at some point copy your solution :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎23‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 10:25 AM, Giorgio N said:

I have been planning a similar build for a long time and hit the same problem with the Carpena decals. I also bought some Superscale decals but I don't think these were particularly accurate. Will keep watching how you sort the problem with the numbers and if you don't mind I will at some point copy your solution :D

 

I am going to cut and shunt the numbers onto some clear decal sheet and then stick the whole lot onto the model.

On ‎23‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 11:18 AM, eclipse said:

AFAIK the Carpena sheet provides the '772' for a BK which can become '727', correct for a Mirage F1CK-2... No need of a second sheet...

 

Thanks for pointing that out I forgot about that until you mentioned it. The main reason I am going to try and do 722 is because I have photographic evidence in the weapons load that I am planning to do, which I do not have for 727. Another reason that I have got another decal sheet is because I have used some Carpena sheet before and had some trouble with some of the decals splitting after being placed in water and trying to piece them back together on the model was not really my idea of fun. So the newer decal sheet is a bit of insurance incase this happens and I can not get the decal back together again, plus it has arrived.

Edited by Jabba
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A quick update of where I am at the moment. Due to a lack of Matt Black at home and in the local model shops, I have not progressed as much as I would have liked. Anyway I now have some so the cockpit area and instrument panel have been painted. I have glued in the cockpit area and will do so soon with the instrument panel and coaming. The latter parts were not fitted as per the instructions due to me cutting off the mounting stub at the base of the panel as I thought that it was something to be removed from said part. So it will be glued into position and held there with the other fuselage sitting on to so that it sits correctly. With the lack of paint I have made up the engine parts and stuck them it the fuselage, plus the wing parts which have been filled and partially sanded. I only noticed that there are location dimples for the Chaff dispenser that would be fitted there but is not wanted on my version. Hopefully I will get more built in the coming week or so.

 

resized_f57967af-62cc-4144-942f-86a0d1cb

 

resized_748a1a02-6294-4972-915c-0d73b55c

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice one Jabba, glad you're finally making progress - fancy running out of matt black, you could get drummed out of the modellers guild for that!

 

I'm sure the instructions mentioned that but they're for cissies right?

 

Keep up the good work, at least you've started!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice to see, and the personal connection is great

 

As Wez says running out of Matt Black is a big no no, but I personally don't have much of it ever, I tend to use the darkest greys for black

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Wez said:

Nice one Jabba, glad you're finally making progress - fancy running out of matt black, you could get drummed out of the modellers guild for that!

 

I'm sure the instructions mentioned that but they're for cissies right?

 

Keep up the good work, at least you've started!

 

Yes I do know that it is a hanging offence for not having the paint but to my defence I did think that such a basic paint would have been available in 2 local shops, although one is non-hobby Hobbycraft.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A small update on my progress.  I have eventually got the nose to fit, but it will be with a bit of a push and some super glue, but it is definitely better than the original fit. As you can see from the photos I have added some more parts, and this is to see if I will need to add any weight to the nose before it is fitted. For some strange reason there is a rather big gap between the rudder and the fuselage. I did do several trial fits of the fin, and this was the best that I got even after some slight removal of plastic. 

 

I do have a question about the nose and the removal or not of 1mm of plastic. This aircraft although one that does not have a refuelling probe,  the length of the fuselage according to the Cocardes book is still the same as one that does as it is actually a 200 series airframe. I have been trying to read the thread that talks about this but I am just getting a bit confused as to what I am to do. (Yes Wez I know that it can be hard for a rigger to understand words that don't involve the one saying "use hammer here"). Having looked in the Cocardes book where in the modelling section the person building the Special Hobby one is making a non probed aircraft and he did remove the 1 mm of plastic. So do I remove or do I not remove the 1 mm of plastic?

 

resized_21f2ec81-1b58-4624-8ef8-28ae1cd8

 

resized_10a25144-a6ed-4182-9ebe-d2965ca7

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jabba, no need for a percussive adjustment, or removing any length, you do have to do a bit of scribing (like gouging but gentler)!

 

Look in Jay's thread for the post made on Monday at 1243, the first picture showing the RH fuselage shows you where you have to scribe the new line (the red line), 1mm forward of the current panel line that has the latches scribed onto it.

 

Does that make it easier for you?

 

Jay complicated matters for himself by adding an extra millimetre which he then had to take out.

 

Jay will tell us if I've got that right!

 

Wez

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Wez, I was getting myself all confused reading that thread, so cutting to the chase has made it much more simpler. I will get my trusty hammer and chisel ready to remake the line required.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Jabba said:

Thanks Wez, I was getting myself all confused reading that thread, so cutting to the chase has made it much more simpler. I will get my trusty hammer and chisel ready to remake the line required.

 

Glad to have helped.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Woo, another SH Mirage F1 - totally missed this build, but all eyes now. I'm positively falling in love with this plane.

 

Sorry for having made such a confusing mess with the 1 mm debate. Wez is right. Just leave the plastic as-is. Special Hobby did a great job with the length and shape of the nose.

 

Fascinating that you've seen these Kuwaiti Mirages in the flesh. I am really wondering why they were left in that state. 

 

Jay

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

37 minutes ago, Mountain goat said:

I am really wondering why they were left in that state.

After Gulf War, Kuwait decided to buy some F/A-18s... All surviving Mirage F1s were sent in France in 1992 for a complete revision with the purpose to trying to sell them. But the project was never achieved. I'm not sure, but I think Mirage F1 flew in Kuwait for the last time in march 1996... After that, they were stored waiting some buyer, but... he never came!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Mountain goat said:

Woo, another SH Mirage F1 - totally missed this build, but all eyes now. I'm positively falling in love with this plane.

 

Sorry for having made such a confusing mess with the 1 mm debate. Wez is right. Just leave the plastic as-is. Special Hobby did a great job with the length and shape of the nose.

 

Fascinating that you've seen these Kuwaiti Mirages in the flesh. I am really wondering why they were left in that state. 

 

Jay

 

 

 

No worries Jay, I shall get it all worked out in the end.

 

As for the real Kuwaiti Mirages, one of the reason that we ere told whilst I was at Ali Al Salem was that all the HASs that had been built on the base had been destroyed by the allies during the Gulf War. So when the French asked for payment for the work that they had done of the F1s the Kuwaitis said no as the French had built these HASs saying that they could withstand a 6000 lb bomb, but they had been destroyed by 1000 lbers. So when the F1s next came up for maintenance the French just refused to do any work on these aircraft and so when they ran out of hours they were just placed in this parking area.

 

How true this story is I do not know, but as they say do not let the truth get in the way of a good story.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A question about the Special Hobby kit. Are you able to fit the main U/C after fitting the doors at the front in the closed position, or do you have to fit the U/C and then the doors?

 

The reason I ask is because I would like to do the former soon and I have not seen this in any of the builds so far.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Jabba said:

A question about the Special Hobby kit. Are you able to fit the main U/C after fitting the doors at the front in the closed position, or do you have to fit the U/C and then the doors?

 

The reason I ask is because I would like to do the former soon and I have not seen this in any of the builds so far.

 

I think it's doable. There seems just enough room left to accurately aim the undercarriage drag strut into the locating hole. But if I were you I'd test that first by temporarily fixing the doors in place using blutack or tape and then try if it works.

 

Jay

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To answer my question the answer is yes you can fit the fwd main U/C doors and then the U/C leg afterwards. I do have some photos of this to show this, but for some reason they are not embedding here tonight. This is happening from any of the photo albums (old or new piccies) that I have in the new site that I am using so I do not know what is going on.

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some pictures of the trial that I carried out.

 

The main U/C doors closed with tape.

resized_c6db24b4-136c-4a5e-813c-95c80327

 

The main doors glued in place with the U/C in place.

resized_15f3e6c4-b7e6-4e9b-8d88-0edc0e42

 

The doors still in place and the U/C leg removed. It is a slight tussle to remove the leg, but it will come out.

resized_7d045a63-d8a2-48cf-a160-7d55231e

 

I have since glued the main U/C doors closed on the other side, but I did not try to fit the leg this time. If it does not go into position when I come to fit it, some of the plastic on the inside of the door can be removed.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A small amount of progress has been carried out since my last report on this build. I have added all the closed main U/C doors, filled them and then rescribed them after sanding down the filler. I have also sanded and rescribed the fuselage and now have added the wings. Their joints will need to be filled and sanded, put the tailplanes in place but not be fixed and then I will add the nose as I am still not sure if this is a tail sitter or not yet.

 

resized_b8aa6bee-ba9f-48de-a00d-7687170b

 

resized_ffefae2c-d35c-457c-ba41-6a56a56d

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Almost there just a few more spots to sand and then it will be on to paint. I have recently bought the correct colour for the upper surfaces, but for the lower ones I will have to do a bit of mixing. I will be honest and say that I was not to happy with the way that the nose is joined to the rest of the fuselage. It still did not seem to fit right and a bit of super glue was required to get it into place before running some liquid poly around the joint.

 

resized_8d77bdb1-5297-41c2-9342-07696208

 

resized_e1e28637-de5c-413b-be19-25b4368a

 

resized_bf9493eb-e1af-43e5-b2a3-9bca3c3a

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...