This is the old ESCI
mold of the French delta jet Mirage IIIE . The ESCI kit was hard
to find before Italeri decided to re-release this model. I got this one on
eBay
a couple of years back. Now I can pick up one at my local hobby shop! Thank you
Italeri! ;-) To build this model I used a lot of putty on the bottom of the
wings. Since the plastic was very old, the upper halve of the wing cracked while
I was grabing without making much pressure. Nothing that some Cyanocrilate and a
bit of sanding couldn't solve!
The detalis on the
cockpit are scarce, so I decided to use a resin Martin Baker Mk.4 on it. Landing
gears are well detailed regarding the age the kit was tooled. I also modified the
afterburner, making some details from scratch, using a styrene tube and aluminum
sheet. Decals are from AZTEC Models for the Brazilian Mirages and some
weathering was made using light gray pastels.
The most special
attaction of this kit was the paint. I used the actual paint of plane!
I got a
small bottle of the gunship gray from a friend of mine who got it straight from
the paintshop at the Anapolis Air Base where those Mirages served since their
retirement in December 2005. It was not necessary to use a primer.
I just
thinned and airbrushed it!
Click on
images below to see larger images
In October 2005 a
two-seater Mirage IIIDBR came to the annual "Open House" at Brasília
Air Base. The model group I participate, "Ratos de Hangar"
(Hangar Rats), was invited and we were showing our models at a stand. At the end
of the event we asked permission to take some pictures of my model standing at
nothing but the REAL THING! Ok, My model is the single seat, but let´s consider
they are brothers ;-) We also took some pictures of other Mirages at 1/32 and
1/72 scale.
Special thanks to my
friend Henrique Matte for taking these wonderful photos.
Hope you enjoy!
Marcelo
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