Mirage F1.C

[Ian]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, a kit that first saw light in 1978 , back then it was one of the first Esci kits and after all its' re-issues including this 2002 one from Italeri, essentially it has remained unchanged. Biggest challenge in the build was blending (not filling) the wing roots into the fuselage, there's a h*ll of a step which was beyond my regular filler so I invested in Tamiya two-part epoxy putty which worked perfectly - a lot easier to 'manage' than Miliput IMO.

 

I've also removed various and inaccurate 'lumps & bumps' filled the gaping location recesses for the pylons added a NeoMega resin cockpit/seat. Decals (by Berna) are for an early EC 2/5 machine. I wanted a very early almost 'showroom' finish, so kept weathering to a bare minimum. Paints are Tamiya XF-18 for the blue/grey which I slightly lightened for some subtle post-shading and LP70 Gloss Aluminium for the undersides. Not too much else to say about this one except that was a joy to build something so 'simple' after a number of complex projects...

 

I have a definite soft-spot for all the Mirages but the F1 is definitely a favourite, maybe because I was lucky enough to see so many of them at various shows in the UK over the years. As ever all C C & Q's welcomed.

Cheers from Aotearoa/NZ.

 

Edited September 26 by Ian

[Phas3e]

Always good to see something a bit different, looking forward to seeing it in person

[Mattlow]

Nice work.

My memory of these old ESCI kits is that they weren't easy and getting a good clean finish as you have is a bit of a labour of love.

Nice.

Matt

[Mark V]

I also remember building this kit when it was "new."  I don't remember there being any major problems, but then my standards were a lot lower then.  I used the kit decals and I think it had a scorpion on the tail.  It was that darker blue-gray color over silver, like yours.  

In 1985 or 86, on one of our twice a year deployments from Spangdahlem to Zaragoza, we were cruising over western France southbound when a blue-gray F.1 pulled up alongside of our loose F-4 E/G squadron formation.  He was probably 3-4000 ft (1000m) off of our left wing.  Very cool to see a real one that looked just like the model I had built in college.

That model is long gone from my collection.  I had the Kitty Hawk kit to replace it but never got around to building it because of all of the bad reviews on the KH kit.  Maybe someday I will build the F.1 again and the ESCI/Italeri kit would do just fine as your example shows.

Well Done!

[noelh]

It looks great. I too built that kit back in the eighties. I painted it in the French scheme as well. It was a favourite of mine. It just go to show that even seventies kits can scrup up well. 

 

Good job. 

[exdraken]

What a fantastic and at the same time classical Mirage F1!

Classic kit and Classic scheme, with large roundels full size and color markings and even red intake trim!!😀

Great work!