Mirage 2000EAD United Arab Emirates

[Jabba]

I started applying a coat of the darker colour, but as soon as I started it did not look right. I do not think that it is Brown enough, so I will have to have a look at something else.

 

 

[Jabba]

I have now applied a coat of a more Browner colour. Hopefully I can rememeber how I made it for a 2nd coat.

 

 

[Jabba]

I have now started applying coats of Klear for a gloss finish for the decals. As this is the first time that I have used FFSMC decals and they have instructions on how to apply I thought that I would have a read of them. Some of the instructions are very normal especially with the film over the decals being of the constant type, so having to cut out each decal individually. But then I read that rather than using water it stated to use screen washer liquid with a few drops of washing up liquid and to help the decals settle down a hairdryer can be used. I am a bit bemused by this, so can anyone help with this or better still has anyone used any decals from this manufacturer and how did they apply them?

[exdraken]

Great camo work!

 

I used the FFSMC Qatari roundels on my recent F1 build.  I used normal procedures, nothing fancy! ( water, Revell decal setting solution) 

Apart from having to cut around in an exact circle  what is rather difficult, no further issues. I would have wished for a bit more color density and shine the roundels though....

[Jabba]

Than you very much for your answer. I may try a decal that I am not going to use on a spare kit to see what happens.

[Jabba]

I applied the Roundels and fin flash last night and I am not that happy. As @exdraken said the colour density is not that good, indeed it is hard to tell that the outer ring is Green. So I am going to have to buy some different decals and I have found a sheet by Berna, which although fo a -9 Mirage it has what I am looking for Roundel wise. I have also taken the decision to use the kit stencild as again this sheet ones do not look that good and I do not fancy cutting around each one idividually. Hopefully I can apply some of these whilst waiting for the newer sheet.

 

 

 

[helios16v]

That's a shame about the decals.  Looking tidy otherwise.  

[exdraken]

you have similar issues indeed... I also had the problem of having to cut a perfect circle... that is not really feasible with a pair of scissors.... you'd need a cutting die of the correct diameter......

 

at least in the photos it looks green... 

[Jabba]

The new decal sheet arrived today and the Green on the Roundel is very much more prominent. I wll apply the National markings tonight.

 

 

[exdraken]

Let's see how they look applied and coated!

Also the red wedge seems to have a slightly different shape by the way! 

[Jabba]

I managed to get the newer roundels and fin flash on before I went away on holiday. The roundels are very slightly smaller than the originals, but I can live with that. As for the red section being smaller than the the originals I can again live with this as the colours are so much better.

 

 

 

[Jabba]

I have now finished decaling this model. The stencilling was a bit of a pain due to the fact that deals were all over the decal sheet rather than in one area and trying to find the one that Iwas going to use really started to hurt my eyes after a while. There are still quite a few to fit to the weapons and their respective pylons, but if I do fit any of them it will not be the complete set. Anyhow a coat of Klear now and then some matt varnish. I am also about to start the building of the U/C parts before painting them and adding them to the model.

 

 

 

[exdraken]

Great job on the decals as far as Ican see!

 

[Jabba]

Thank you for your comment.

 

I have started to build the U/C parts, the nose is alright but the main has I think a slight problem. This is that there is very little for the U/C leg spigot (what there is of it) and the Main wheel to be joined together as the photos below show. I am wondering if this was similar for the modellers that have been building the Modelsvit Mirage III. @TEMPESTMK5 (As I know that you have built the Mirage kit that I have mentioned) possibly look at these photos and comment?

 

 

 

[TEMPESTMK5]

Good morning Jabba

 I had the same problem for the UC of my Mirage IIIC , after several unsuccesful attempts with the Revell glue I finally managed to glue the wheel and the U/C leg by using a few drops of a cyanolite glue tube that I usually use to glue the photoetched and resin parts ...

 

Best regards 

Patrice 

[Jabba]

Thank you very much for your advice Patrice. I was looking at going that way myself with the super glue. I would have hoped that Modelsvit could have made a better way of getting the wheel to fit to the U/C.

[Jabba]

The undercarriage and wheels are now fitted. It was a bit of a struggle to get the main ones to fit especially as they are flat in one area. The nose wheels were slightly worse in that they were not moulded properly. I did try and scrape them levelish whist still one the sprue, but one is still not right, but will have to do now that it is fitted. I have closed all the bigger U/C doors as on most pictures that I found of these aircraft showed them so. I have also painted up and decalled the weapons load.

 

 

 

 

 

[Jabba]

    All finished now. When I went to fit the parts from the update set I found that one part had diappeared and then I lost the 2nd part. These were the black aerials that are just behind the cockpit and on the nose U/C door. So I made some up from some plastic rod that I had. Also when putting some of my models that I had exhibited last wee I looked in a boxand found the latest Itaeri kit which included the UAE markings in much better colours than the original ones that I fitted. So all in all he update set was a waste of money, but that is my fault for not remembering what I had in the stash. Thanks to all that followed the journey and offered advice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[exdraken]

Very nice and clean!

The Magics are looking good as well!

Glad you solved your decal issues!!

[stevehnz]

That looks impressively good, I'm a big fan of a desert scheme on these modern jets, at least on of mine is likely to end up in a similar scheme. Seeing yours has confirmed tome how good they can look.

Steve.

[Vultures1]

Very smart result! Looks great in its desert scheme - well done