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Mirage IIIE & IIIR
Conversions

 

Ouragan, 1/48 scale

 

S u m m a r y

Stock Number and Description

N/A

Media and Contents:

Approximately 15 resin pieces

Price:

Approximately 40 Euros per conversion  http://model25.free.fr/

Scale:

1/48

Review Type:

First Look

Advantages:

Accurately cast resin pieces.

Disadvantages:

Presence of some bubbles, resin has rough surface.

Recommendation:

Recommended


Reviewed by Sinuhe Hahn

Graphics by Piet van Schalkwyk


HyperScale is proudly supported by Squadron.com

 

F i r s t L o o k

 

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?
 
 

 

Conclusion

 

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!


 

Israeli Mirage and Nesher Aces
(Aircraft of the Aces 59)
Author: Shlomo Aloni
Illustrator: Mark Styling
US Price: $19.95
UK Price: £12.99
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Publish Date: February 25, 2004
Details: 96 pages; ISBN: 1841766534
Shop cart
Buy it from Osprey Publishing

Review Copyright © 2006 by Sinuhe Hahn & Piet van Schalkwyk
Page Created 14 July, 2006
Last Updated 14 July, 2006

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