exdraken Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 African GB, so many options, such an interesting, bit also large geograhical area!  Originally I wanted to do a Cheetah based on the Heller Mirage III and Scaleworx conversion, or alternatively a Gripen D. 🇿🇦 I just build a Heller Mirage IIIB in the Heller GB.... but ok, but then surprisingly after 6 months in transit from South Africa, my F1AZ conversion arrived early February!    so I face a double F1 build now, together with a Quatari EDA in the Gulf War GB ...  so here we have my Africa GB contribution, hope you approve!  Mirage F1AZ SAAF - Italeri/ Scaleworx 1/48   you get a crisp resin front fuselage incl vacu canopy (that should correct Italeri's cross section) some PE, decals, a resin wheels, chaff/ flare dispenser fins, a adequate seat, resin nozzle etc... the full palette   cheers, Werner 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Kesterton Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 That resin looks really good. Is the Italeri kit using the old ESCI moulds, with some new parts? I have the Esci Mirage F1 kit hidden away for a future build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlamgat9 Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 5 hours ago, Anthony Kesterton said: That resin looks really good. Is the Italeri kit using the old ESCI moulds, with some new parts? I have the Esci Mirage F1 kit hidden away for a future build. Yes, it is the Esci moulds 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 8 hours ago, Anthony Kesterton said: That resin looks really good. Is the Italeri kit using the old ESCI moulds, with some new parts? I have the Esci Mirage F1 kit hidden away for a future build. exactly, as stated above it is the old ESCI kit, that was upgraded many year ago for this CR/ CT boxing with a load out representative of missions flown over the former Yugoslavia. You get some jamming pods, new pylons and twin bomb carriers for MAtra 250kgh bombs. quite a nice package actually. Still horrible Matra Magics, cockpit, wheels and nozzles though.  I think it still is the better F1 kit out there shape wise, although bested by far detail wise by the Kitty hawk kit. let's hope for a uptlimate Kinetic one   the crucial cut was done ,  fit is good (at least at one side .. ) the design of this conversion definitely looks very reasonable!   one thing that ESCI also got wrong is the air intake shock cones (or les sourris / mice! ) . they should be replaced by e.g. Pavla corrected ones  ESCIy moulded the double shock cones only found on the AZ and AD! so for this build no replacement is necessary! see the difference?  fit is also good here:    12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 I like this, Werner (apart from the scale )!  Martin   1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted March 16, 2021 Author Share Posted March 16, 2021 On 3/14/2021 at 1:36 PM, Anthony Kesterton said: the old ESCI moulds, with some new parts? just a quick photo of the additional sprue found in the CT / CR boxing. quite nice actuall!  the blue seat is from the scalewory conversion, the cream ones I actually have no idea any longer, but one of them will be the one! th right one may be a MKIV and the others MKVI?s  6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Great subject choice Werner, even if it'll take some work to get all the various disparate parts together, the result is going to look great 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted March 26, 2021 Author Share Posted March 26, 2021 what kind of big a.. bombs are those? https://preview.redd.it/3h3fjl6tz2v11.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=2431c19695949423dd88fe3113bcbec0efaef6f8   got to mate fuselages some more filler needed, but manly my fault overcorrectnig the first cut.. will be dealt with when adding the intakes  9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKirwan Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 Thats coming along nicely Werner. I did this conversion and finished it last year and it was a trouble free build. You will have to decide on which period the AZ dates from  as there are parts included which only became avialable late or at the end of the Border War. Using the MaV decals ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted March 29, 2021 Share Posted March 29, 2021 Looks fantastic Werner. Great job fitting the new nose to the ESCI fuselage, very smooth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted March 30, 2021 Author Share Posted March 30, 2021 I did not use the Scaleworx nozzle, because this one (Fonderie Miniature?) looks more detailed: maybe I will add some petal actuator rods 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted April 2, 2021 Author Share Posted April 2, 2021 and finally the intakes blended in    7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted April 3, 2021 Share Posted April 3, 2021 Coming together nicely Werner  I've no idea what those Big A.. Bombs are (ex-RAF 1,000lbs maybe?) but they do look cool! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKirwan Posted April 5, 2021 Share Posted April 5, 2021 With regard to the bombs I had a dig around and the only thing I came up with is 250kg but those look too big to fit the bill. Maybe the H2 ? I would link a reference into the old IPMS ZA site but I couldn't find it. There were extenisve articles about the F1Az. Anyhow I made up an ordance layout map based on info I git off it there    2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitchem Posted April 5, 2021 Share Posted April 5, 2021 List of weapons carried by the F1AZ can be found on the right hand side of this page (including 1000lb bombs and 400kg bombs) : http://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/aircraft/33/mirage-f1az  Each weapon has its own link. so if you click on the links, you can get a bit more info.  mike    3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 thanks everybody regarding the bomb load!  https://www.isradecal.com/product-page/iaf-vintage-500kg-gp-bombs-1-48  those supposedly 500kg perfectly fit the bill, no? tail unit again looks strange..  those 400 kg bombs are French Matra bombs, I think they look slightly different http://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/weapons/25/400-kg-bomb  the 1000lb bomb fits better.. is this a british bomb? http://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/weapons/29/1000-lb-bomb  strange strange strange...    1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bladerunner Posted April 10, 2021 Share Posted April 10, 2021 (edited) Hi Werner, Â Good going on the F-1AZ, and glad you are enjoying the build so far The bombs appear to be 460kg bombs, jokingly called a "Varkie" (that is Afrikaans for piggy) by the armorers. Â Â My boy always enjoyed playing on one at the Ysterplaat Air Force Base Museum. Â Â Cheers, John Edited April 10, 2021 by Bladerunner Typo 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boman Posted April 10, 2021 Share Posted April 10, 2021 Looks like M117's? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bladerunner Posted April 11, 2021 Share Posted April 11, 2021 (edited) On 4/10/2021 at 5:53 PM, Boman said: Looks like M117's? You might be right, the bomb on the outboard pylon looks like an M117. Interesting to see a mixed load out like this... Edited April 11, 2021 by Bladerunner Missing text 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted April 19, 2021 Author Share Posted April 19, 2021 On 4/11/2021 at 7:22 PM, Bladerunner said: You might be right, the bomb on the outboard pylon looks like an M117. Interesting to see a mixed load out like this... would those be used operationally like this?  https://www.eduard.com/Eduard/M-117-bomb-early-1-48.html?listtype=search&searchparam=M 117  very close to th eabove museum one indeed!  some crude pre-shading , the lower one is the one that counts, just in case   vacu canopy work!  th emost interesting thing is that it is different in saze and shape to the Italeri plastic one.... maybe I will not open it up, but use as one piece / closed instead..  4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 If the canopy is so clear as to display the cockpit detail closed it'll help showcase that and the nice lines of the Mirage F.1 at the same time  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthViper Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021  Hi Very good work SV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avgas Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 On 4/19/2021 at 11:14 PM, exdraken said: th emost interesting thing is that it is different in saze and shape to the Italeri plastic one.... If I remember correctly, the Esci/Italeri windscreen is too wide so perhaps Scaleworx addressed this?  Looking good so far! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bladerunner Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 (edited) 13 hours ago, Avgas said: If I remember correctly, the Esci/Italeri windscreen is too wide so perhaps Scaleworx addressed this? Quite right, the original ESCI main canopy (too short) and windshield (too long and too much outward taper in the front) proportions are way out. This is also the reason why the forward fuselage has to be replaced with the resin one, to accommodate the correct canopy, as well as the cockpit tub that was too shallow.  🙂  Cheers, John Edited April 24, 2021 by Bladerunner Correction 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avgas Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 4 minutes ago, Bladerunner said: Quite right, Greg. The original ESCI main canopy (too short) and windshield (too long and too much outward taper in the front) proportions are way out. This is also the reason why the forward fuselage has to be replaced with the resin one, to accommodate the correct canopy, as well as the cockpit tub that was too shallow.  🙂  Cheers, John Excellent.  Now I'm sure that Greg is a fine and upstanding fellow, but I am not he 😉   Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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