Biggles87 Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 Multiple builds seem to be fashionable at the moment, and having recently finished a couple of builds I started in the UK 15 + years ago, I decided to look for similar projects and found, amongst others these two Mirages, both from Italeri. The Mirage F1 was started for the last French Fancy STGB and I didn’t get around to finishing it in time which is often the case. As you can see the airframe is almost complete, with just a few ancillaries and stores to add. The cockpit is from the excellent Neomega set, which is really good value as it provides two different seats and two different radar screens, one with and one without a hood, from which I chose the latter; Strangely the Mk10 seat is too wide for the tub but fortunately I have another which does fit.The jet pipe came mostly out of the spares box ( the kit item is too shallow ) as did the second fuel tank, only one being supplied in the kit. The Presto reconnaissance pod comes from the french company Renaissance who produce some very nice resin accessories for mostly french aircraft, naturally. I started the Mirage 2000 about five years ago and stopped not very far into the build, I can’t remember why, but possibly to start on another GB which I probably didn’t finish anyway. The old Italeri kit, which itself was probably a re-boxing of another make, probably represents an early model although it says Mirage 2000C on the instructions, the box has long gone. I am not intending to make any major structural changes in the name of accuracy, I don’t have enough Mirage 2000 references for that, but will attempt to enhance what I’ve got with the aid of some aftermarket bits and pieces. The cockpit and control surfaces are Renaissance products and I have a jet pipe from Aires to replace the kit parts. You can see that I had already joined the wings and fitted the air intakes and used a .45 spent round for the nose weight fixed in place with some Bluetack and bits of sprue, and I have adapted the nose wheel well roof, which was part of the kit cockpit, to act as a support for the resin cockpit. If I’d planned it properly I would have left the rear bulkhead in place as the resin cockpit tub needs to sit forward of the fuselage spine rather than under it, so I had to make another rear bulkhead from Plasticard. Duh! The centreline fuel tank supplied in the kit had fins and end-plates, which I haven’t seen any evidence of in recent photos so the slots for these have been filled in with Plasticard and sanded So having stalled on my current build ( a Hunter ) I now have three ongoing builds and updates could be even more sporadic than usual from me but I hope you’ll stick with me. Stay safe everyone. John. 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme H Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 Very nice cockpits so far, Mirages, what's not to love 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 After your superb Spitfire duo I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with these and the Hunter Seat by the window taken Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyJammedKenny! Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 Wow! Love the Mirage F1, especially. Which kit are you using of the F1? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 Watching these with interest, I'm quite fond of a Mirage... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT7567 Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 9 hours ago, Biggles87 said: The old Italeri kit, which itself was probably a re-boxing of another make, probably represents an early model although it says Mirage 2000C on the instructions, the box has long gone. Assuming this is 1/48, I believe Italeri's 2000C is a rebox of ESCI (vs. the Italeri 2-seater, which is the Kinetic tooling). 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted August 23, 2020 Author Share Posted August 23, 2020 Welcome aboard everyone, I’ve now added a tag with the scale and make. There’s definitely a “Je ne sais quoie “ about the Mirage family, I think the single seat ‘2000 is the most aesthetically pleasing with the blended fuselage to wing join, but they all have that Gallic appeal. More soon I hope. John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 Mirages are always good! Sounds reasonable what you plan! Any ideas about markings? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share Posted August 24, 2020 Welcome exdraken. My original plan was to use the kit markings but I don’t thing that’s possible for the F1, so I will be looking for some aftermarket decals which don’t cost more than the kit itself! The Mirage 2000 kit decals look OK but I still haven’t made a final decision on that. John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsaircorp Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 Hello John !! Excellent !! 15 years ago !! Well, it's time for these ladies to get in RFI !! Super job on these cockpits !! Hey Gents !! One more multibuilder on here !! Welcome aboard !! I'll follow if you don't mind it ! CC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share Posted August 24, 2020 Not at all CC. You’re the daddy of multiple builds so I’m in good company, we just need @CedB and his gang to join in now. Hope you’re still enjoying your holiday. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filler Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 I'm in for this one too. I love Mirages and the F.1 is an absolute stunner. I guess you're building a CR with having the nice resin recce pod. I'd seen a nice set of decals on that auction site but unfortunately they are for the CT. Regards the 2000C. I think that whilst it is a bit of a vintage kit, it is still very nice and I don't think that it's lacking much unless you're really troubled by detail accuracy. One thing that is wrong that is quite easy to fix are some panel lines between the cockpit and nose that were only present on the prototype. I think I have some instructions on that somewhere. I can dig them out if you're interested in a little of the dreaded rescribing? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 @Filler is correct about the panel line on the nose. This should be a radar nose cone, so no panel lines. just fill them! If you want more accuracy, add the Spiral RWR at the wing root trailing edges. Only some early (80ies) planes did not have them. I think Renaissance-flight have them: https://www.renaissance-models.com/ter/index.php/avions-toutes-echelles/echelle-1-48/produits/955-mirage-2000-lance-leurres their parts are a treat by the way in case you want to dive deeper regarding markings, on Mirage F1 CRs, I guess you'd only need squadron markings and codes. let me know if you need anything specific... I could/ should have something suitable in my many kits/ decals.... on the M2000, markings depend on the base kit of course..... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share Posted August 24, 2020 5 hours ago, Filler said: Regards the 2000C. I think that whilst it is a bit of a vintage kit, it is still very nice and I don't think that it's lacking much unless you're really troubled by detail accuracy. One thing that is wrong that is quite easy to fix are some panel lines between the cockpit and nose that were only present on the prototype. I think I have some instructions on that somewhere. I can dig them out if you're interested in a little of the dreaded rescribing? Thanks Filler and welcome, I was aware that some of the nose panels were incorrect and had already started to fill them, but some instructions would be very welcome John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share Posted August 24, 2020 4 hours ago, exdraken said: regarding markings, on Mirage F1 CRs, I guess you'd only need squadron markings and codes. let me know if you need anything specific... I could/ should have something suitable in my many kits/ decals.... on the M2000, markings depend on the base kit of course..... You're correct, I should only need squadron markings and codes for the F1, so if you have anything to spare I would be very grateful. I have quite a few accessories from Renaissance-flight including the Spiral RWRs which I forgot to mention, and they are indeed very nice. Thanks for the offer. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbudde Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 22 hours ago, CT7567 said: Assuming this is 1/48, I believe Italeri's 2000C is a rebox of ESCI Yep it is as the F-1. Nice start on those John. I'm in for these. Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 6 hours ago, Biggles87 said: You're correct, I should only need squadron markings and codes for the F1, so if you have anything to spare I would be very grateful. I have quite a few accessories from Renaissance-flight including the Spiral RWRs which I forgot to mention, and they are indeed very nice. Thanks for the offer. John would those help? http://www.kitreview.com/reviews/miragef1reviewdw_1.htm or do you fancy something more advanced? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar side Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 The old ESCI F1 isn’t the worst. Seem to remember they were recessed panel lines, just the dodgy old brittle ESCI silver plastic 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 The Italeri sheet would be most acceptable if you don’t need it exdraken. Mine has dirty marks on it, especially the lower half, and I don’t think I will be able to remove them without damaging the markings. Thanks again, I will PM you with my address. John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filler Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 Sounds like you’ve got the nose panel corrections in hand John, but I did find where I’d seen the filling/scribing instructions. They are in an Eduard etch set. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 Thanks for that Filler, good to know that I’m on the right track. I can’t remember what I filled the panel lines with but I’ll go over them again with some Mr Surfacer 500, then all that will be left will be to scribe the new radome lines. Easy peasy. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted August 26, 2020 Author Share Posted August 26, 2020 I’m planning to start painting the seat today, it’s been quite a long time and I can’t remember what colour I used for the ‘ golden brown ‘ parts of the harness. I’m sure I’ve seen something here on BM but I can’t find it, does anyone have any suggestions please? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted September 2, 2020 Author Share Posted September 2, 2020 ( Very ) small update: As it’s much closer to completion I will concentrate on the F1 initially starting with the underside where I have adde two intakes, the ventral fins and the camera fairing under the nose. The fairing supplied has no representation of the camera apertures or the clear cover over the central area, so I have drilled a hole in the rear and filled it with some clear sprue, and another in the bottom which has been filled with a clear disc from the spares box. Probably not totally accurate but an improvement on the original I hope. I do not intend to fit the undercarriage until after painting but will temporarily attach the doors for the dual purposes of masking the wheel wells and painting the doors, there are several probes positioned around the nose which I will leave for later as they are eminently ‘ knock offable ‘. I’ve joined the tanks to their pylons and will attach them to the wings after painting, and in addition to the recce pod and tanks I have a Phimat chaff/flare dispenser and two ECM pods, a Barracuda and a Barrax but having studied several photos have decided that the Barrax seemed to be more frequently used. The Phimat looked a bit skinny to me initially so I compared it to others I have and it now looks OK so I’ll use that. After filling any imperfections in the joins with Mr Surfacer 500 the undersides were ready for painting, the F1 had metallic grey undersides and after trying a few options I settled for Humbrol 56 aluminium. The undersides of the tailplanes were brush painted with this and I’m satisfied that this gives the painted rather than natural metal finish I’m looking for. Unfortunately after a couple of days much needed rain the humidity in my man cave has risen to over 70% so yesterday I decided to try some brush painting. This is after one thin coat and it has dried slightly patchy with brush marks, so tomorrow I will give it another coat and if I’m not satisfied I will spray it. The finish is not as dark as I expected but some varnish and washes should eventually change that. That's it for now, I told you it was a small update. John. Rats! I forgot the mainwheel doors 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted September 25, 2020 Author Share Posted September 25, 2020 Sorry for the delay folks, life got in the way as usual. A second coat was brushed onto the undersides which still left it patchy so it has been sprayed with a thin coat of Humbrol 56 to even it out. I have invested in some Master brass pitot tubes for both Mirages ( and a Mirage III ) as the plastic ones don’t quite capture the subtle bulge unique to Mirage pitots so the radome area will remain unpainted for now. The undercarriage legs have been cleaned up and painted but will not be added until after the main airframe painting, some suitable sprue will be used to support the aircraft when necessary until then. The undersides have been masked and attention turned to the cockpit area which was also masked in preparation for painting the upper surfaces, the windscreen has been glued and the main canopy tacked on with white glue so that it can be removed after painting to put the seat in and then posed in the open position, there was a very small gap between the two parts which I have filled by sliding a piece of thin card into it. I brush painted the canopy frames with Xtracolour Gris/Bleu Foncé which was followed by Xtracolour Dark Compass Grey which I have seen described on other builds as a good match, it’s one of those colours that seems to change a lot and quite difficult to match from ‘photos. I have chosen Xtracolour because although it takes a little longer to dry ( I usually give it 48hrs ), it will save me a coat of gloss varnish before the decals, so it’s swings and roundabouts really. On Sunday I spent 2 hours covering the upper surfaces with Frisk film and drawing the demarcation lines in preparation for cutting out the areas to be painted green with my rotary cutter as the grey/green demarcations are hard edged. On Monday I started to remove areas of the masking and about three quarters of the way through I realised that I was removing the pieces over the areas which should be grey! Since then we’ve had lots of rain ( not complaining, we need it ) and the humidity is over 70% so no airbrushing, and as the rain is forecast to continue through next week I decided to brush paint the green before I lose interest completely. Here it is after one and a half coats, I’m hoping that after another coat it will be reasonable and that eventually, after some tidying up, a coat of airbrushed semi-gloss varnish will cover up any remaining brush marks, we’ll see. The seat is nearly finished now, I still have to paint the buckles, but here it is accompanied by the main undercarriage legs, one of which I’ve just spotted still has a mold release mark right in the middle! Having been unlucky in my search for a match for the ‘ golden brown ‘ of the harness I have mixed my own which consists of Middle Stone with a touch of Gold. I think I’ve probably overdone the gold a little so will try to tone it down before the seat goes in. The red blob at the front of the seat pan represents the canvas cover which is placed over the firing handle on the ground and the metallic green box on the left side is the PEC connector. That's it for now, the humidity is dropping slowly so I might try to spray inside some of the green areas over the next couple of days, if not, back to the hairy stick. Any comments/suggestions welcome. Stay safe everyone. John 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Crikey John 15 yrs, that is some break, I thought 2_3 yes for mine were long breaks !!! Great work so far coming on a treat now hope not to humid to paint. I used to love the old Esci box arts with the plane in the Cross hares. Chris 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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