Mirage IIIE & IIIR
Conversions
Ouragan, 1/48 scale
S u m m a r y
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Stock Number and Description |
N/A |
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Media and Contents: |
Approximately 15 resin pieces |
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Price: |
Approximately
40 Euros per conversion http://model25.free.fr/ |
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Scale: |
1/48 |
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Review Type: |
First Look |
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Advantages: |
Accurately cast resin pieces. |
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Disadvantages: |
Presence of some bubbles, resin has rough surface.
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Recommendation: |
Recommended |
Reviewed
by Sinuhe Hahn
Graphics by Piet van Schalkwyk
HyperScale is proudly supported by
Squadron.com
The release of the Eduard
Mirage IIIC in 1/48 was certainly a highlight in 2004, and the presence of
extra bits and pieces appeared to indicate that the release of more members
of this elegant Gallic delta were imminent. Great was the disappointment in
2006 when Eduard made no mention of any forthcoming Mirage releases.
This is truly a pity, as the Mirage IIIC is the member of the Mirage family
which was used in the smallest numbers and by only four air forces, namely
France, Israel, South Africa, and Switzerland (one solitary machine).
The Mirage IIIE which closely followed on the heels of the Mirage IIIC was
found to be a much more formidable aircraft, housing a much more powerful
Atar 9C engine, and by having an extended fuselage, also capable of carrying
more sophisticated electronic equipment e.g. Doppler range finder. The
modified fuselage also formed the basis of the reconnaissance versions of
the Mirage IIIR, which were widely used by numerous air forces. These
changes, which are quite large, can best be seen in the attached
illustrations kindly poached from Piet’s new book on the Mirage III in SAAF
service which will be released later this year.
Click the thumbnails below
to view larger images:
Further developments of the Mirage IIIE airframe include the Mirage V, 50,
as well as a host of indigenous developments such as the Cheetah and Pantera.
Users of this Mirage family in one or other form include: Australia,
Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Congo, Egypt, France, Gabon, Libya,
Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, Switzerland, UAR and Venezuela.
As many of these users had stunning schemes, which could provide decal
makers with a field day, it is really incomprehensible why so many plastic
kit manufacturers focus on the Mirage III version which saw the least
widespread service.
The French manufacturer Ouragan, located in Montbeliard close to the Swiss
border has attempted to redress this issue by releasing two resin
conversions which will permit the building of either a Mirage IIIE or Mirage
IIIR from a Mirage IIIC frame. Although these parts were originally intended
for the Heller I/48 Mirage IIIB/C kit, there is no reason why these cannot
be adapted for use on the Eduard kit.
The parts, which are cast in a pebbly gray resin typical of many French
resin producers, cover the essential items needed, such as a new nose and
fuselage extension. This can simply be slotted into the modified IIIC
fuselage. A bonus is that it contains a nice detailed wheel well. The set
also provides well as a new burner can, which captures the shape and depth
of this item quite well. A set of cockpit details is provided as well as a
very fine resin ejector seat from Pavla. In general parts appear accurate
and their fit to the Eduard kit should not pose any problem. Care will have
to be taken with the IIIR nose as no material is provided for the glazing
over the camera housing. This will require some initiative to obtain a
suitable finish – perhaps these can be filled with clear resin?
The release of these parts will certainly assist
those delta winged aficionados who desperately want to build either a IIIE
or IIIR variant. Of course, once you have finished this conversion Eduard
will proudly announce the release their extended Mirage III family. The
items can be ordered from Model 25 at:
http://model25.free.fr or at times from Meteor Productions:
www.meteorprod.com
Recommended.
Thanks to my wife for
indulging me with the review sample!
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