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Dassault Mirage 2000C [FINISHED]


klr

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This is a placeholder for my second entry in this GB.

 

I have this kit both in an Airfix box (well, the box is long since disposed of), and a Heller 1990s boxing. I'm building the Airfix release, which I bought back in 1990:

af_mirage_2000_r_025.jpg

 

UPDATE: Box art from original Heller release (254? 354?):

157380-35173-89-720.jpg

 

I cannibalised the French roundels some years ago, so I'll build it as the Greek subject.

DSC01204_dr_025.jpg

 

For some reason, I've never, ever, ever built a Mirage 2000 before. The shame, the shame, etc.

 

Edited by klr
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Originally released in 1982 as catalogue number 254.  Looks likes somebody has nicked the roundels off of your decal sheet, probably for the best, they were probably out of register anyway.

 

Welcome and good luck.

 

My only foray into Mirage 2000ness is the Italeri kit, the less said about that the better...

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58 minutes ago, Wez said:

Originally released in 1982 as catalogue number 254.  Looks likes somebody has nicked the roundels off of your decal sheet, probably for the best, they were probably out of register anyway.

 

Welcome and good luck.

 

My only foray into Mirage 2000ness is the Italeri kit, the less said about that the better...

For some reason, Scalemates says 354, not 254 - did Heller amend it's product numbering system at some point?

 

Anyway, I have the Italeri kit (a D version), but I'm not inclined to build it. As well as another Heller 2000C, I also have the upgraded Heller 2000N, which I really like. But I don't think that's eligible for this build, given the way the mold was completely overhauled with scribed panel lines, in addition to the extra parts.

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29 minutes ago, klr said:

For some reason, Scalemates says 354, not 254 - did Heller amend it's product numbering system at some point?

Yes they did renumber it,this happens a lot with Heller kits

30 minutes ago, klr said:

I also have the upgraded Heller 2000N, which I really like. But I don't think that's eligible for this build, given the way the mold was completely overhauled with scribed panel lines, in addition to the extra parts.

I think that is stretching it a bit far.

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2 minutes ago, Wez said:

Yes they did renumber it,this happens a lot with Heller kits

I think that is stretching it a bit far.

There will be other opportunities to build the 2000N, hopefully the "French Fancy" GB, assuming that makes the cut for next year - and why wouldn't it?

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  • 1 month later...

I've decided to make a start on this, as it looks straightforward (famous last words!). The more instructions I find online for the 2000C, the more options I get for the cockpit colour.

 

Anyway, first things first. I had to attach the main nosewheel strut to get a better idea of exactly how the cockpit tub will be attached after painting:

DSC01386_dre_020.jpg

 

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2 minutes ago, exdraken said:

a start is a start! and a 2000 is a 2000! :)

 

great!

I've done a lot more work since. Actually, I've not had to do much, because the kit fits very well, More pics tomorrow morning.

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... or even this evening. That just means even more pics.

 

Nose weight added:

DSC01400_dr_020.jpg

 

The fuselage halves join was excellent, as was the join between the fuselage and upper wings:

DSC01401_dre_020.jpg

 

The canopy in place, but more on that later:

DSC01409_dr_020.jpg

 

As is often the case with one-piece lower wings, the front and rear joins to the fuselage need a bit of work, but it's not really that bad.

DSC01410_dr_015.jpg

 

Now the canopy. The fit on the port side was not quite good enough:

DSC01411_dr_020.jpg

 

... and it's going to look worse before it gets better. It's already looking much better than this, trust me.

DSC01413_dr_020.jpg

 

The fit on the starboard side was much better, at least along the base:

DSC01414_dr_020.jpg

 

... but not at the back, although I've always found these gaps easier to smooth over (literally!)

DSC01415_dr_020.jpg

 

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The intake fairings are a bit odd, being composed of two parts, the smaller of which has the canted strake (too small to be a true canard?) attached. The "obvious" sequence was to attach this to main part of the intake fairing, and then attach that to the fuselage/splitter plate. But the fit just wasn't good enough ...

DSC01426_dre_015.jpg

 

... so I had a cunning plan. I broke up the two sub-assemblies , and this time attached just the main part of the fairing, taking great care to get it in as good a position as possible. Even so, there was a small gap between the lower edge of the splitter plate and that of the fairing, but some scrap plastic fixed that.

DSC01427_dr_020.jpg

 

The smaller parts with the strake were not designed to be fitted in this way, so I had to angle the upper and lower edges to be able to slip them in place:

DSC01428_dr_030.jpg

 

Dry-fitting on the starboard side:

DSC01429_dr_025.jpg

 

"... and here's one I did earlier". The (nearly) finished port side:

DSC01431_dre_020.jpg

 

The canopy framing is also getting there. Humbrol 144 has a rough texture, which is exaggerated in this photograph - isn't everything?

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Hi,

 

20 or more years back my son was showing an (short lived) interest in modelling so we decided to do a batch of French jets. Bought this, the Mirage F1, and a Mirage 5 (could not find a III at the time). I did want an Etandard IV but could not find one of those either so ended up with a Super Etendard which has still to be built. As I recall both the F1 and the 2000 went together pretty well, but I was not altogether happy with the colour call out in the Airfix boxings. I have since repainted them closer to what I have seen in pics and they look good given how simple the kits were by today's standards.

 

Pete.

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10 minutes ago, PeterB said:

Hi,

 

20 or more years back my son was showing an (short lived) interest in modelling so we decided to do a batch of French jets. Bought this, the Mirage F1, and a Mirage 5 (could not find a III at the time). I did want an Etandard IV but could not find one of those either so ended up with a Super Etendard which has still to be built. As I recall both the F1 and the 2000 went together pretty well, but I was not altogether happy with the colour call out in the Airfix boxings. I have since repainted them closer to what I have seen in pics and they look good given how simple the kits were by today's standards.

 

Pete.

Well, I'd happily use different colours to what Airfix recommended (Hu 144/Hu 128), but I don't know what they ought to be. I have a Heller re-issue from a few years later which gives the exact same colours. I downloaded instructions for an Eduard 1/48 scale Mirage 2000, but frustratingly, the main paint guide has no colour keys matching back to the master colour table!

Edited by klr
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Well now ... 20 minutes or so later. Thanks to this thread from 2013:

 

... and some other useful pages on Ye Olde Interwebs, I have established the following:

 

The Eduard blue/grey camouflage colours are GS Mr. Hobby 42 and 308,  mapping to Hu 144 and Hu 127 respectively. Hu 145 is also quoted in the above thread as a possible option for the darker blue-grey instead of Hu 144. I had already been thinking about this before I even started the kit.

 

So I will probably switch to Hu 145/Hu 127. Like the Hu 144/Hu 128 combination, this is a mixture of matt and satin finishes, requiring the satin colour to be varnished to the exact same finish as the matt colour. The joys of painting by hand!

 

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Hmmmm ... First coat of paint on (except on the forward fuselage and the fin):

 

DSC01433_dr_020.jpg

 

Hu 145 is much lighter than Hu 144, and also a bit, well, greener. I left some of the previously applied Hu 144 around the cockpit for comparison, and I didn't brighten the photo using image manipulation software.

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Hi klr,

 

Like you I have no idea what the exact colours should be but I thought Intermediate blue was a bit dark so I lightened it I think. I see Hannants do some paint in their Xtracolour enamel range - Bleu de Mirage and also, Mirage 2000 Dark blue grey and Light blue grey but I have never tried them. Still trying to decide which grey and green to use on my Mirage IV!

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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3 hours ago, PeterB said:

Hi klr,

 

Like you I have no idea what the exact colours should be but I thought Intermediate blue was a bit dark so I lightened it I think. I see Hannants do some paint in their Xtracolour enamel range - Bleu de Mirage and also, Mirage 2000 Dark blue grey and Light blue grey but I have never tried them. Still trying to decide which grey and green to use on my Mirage IV!

 

Pete

Unfortunately, buying Xtracolor paints is not an option just now, not if I want to complete this kit in the near future. I'm thinking of lightening up Hu 144, just as you did. The tin I'm using is half-gone, and I have another tin unopened. I've also ordered a couple of more tins, and also of Hu 145 - both are important for early- and mid-war USN/USMC aircraft (say, 1941 to 1944). So I can experiment with with this tin. I applied a second coat of Hu 127 earlier this afternoon, and it's looking good. So this blue-grey conundrum is basically holding me up. If my mixing efforts bear fruit, I'll probably just apply a single coat over the Hu 145 coat. I don't want to go removing paint again, especially when it's one part of a nice, neat camouflage scheme.

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After adulterating Hu 144 with some matt white, this was the result - much better looking, although the Hu 144 part (which is most of the mix) had already degraded to the point where it was very difficult to work with.

DSC01434_dr_020.jpg

 

Next up came the main bulk of the decals. Most were OK, but the red broken lines along the wing routes and around the air brakes were a challenge. Some on the starboard side were silvered beyond redemption, so I had to remove them and raid the spares bag to complete the job. Somewhat ironically, a Heller re-box of the Airfix Mirage F1C (the other way around to this) was the donor.

DSC01435_dr_020.jpg

 

I've done very little work since Sunday evening, so I suppose I'd better get the finger out.

Edited by klr
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  • 2 weeks later...

I had to remove and reapply much of the walkway markings along the port wing, again using the spares bag.

DSC01437_dr_020.jpg

 

Missiles now painted and attached. The finish of the paint job is not as good as it appears in these photographs, so there is still more work required to knock some respectability into it:

DSC01441_dr_020.jpg

 

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  • 2 months later...

Well, after a looooong wait, I've finally pushed this over the line. To sum it up: The plastic was willing, but the decals and the paint were weak.

 

IMG_20210127_121105_dr_025.jpg

 

IMG_20210127_120951_dr_025.jpgG

 

Gallrey pics in 5 minutes.

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  • klr changed the title to Dassault Mirage 2000C [FINISHED]

I like that. :) I'm sorry to say I hadn't taken much notice of this before but with the release of the Modelsvit version, I've at long last discovered Mirage 2000s, especially cheaper ones & have recently bought a Mistercraft boxing of this kit. The Greek decals were an attraction so this one ticks several boxes very convincingly. 👍

Steve.

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