Mirage III Eduard kit 8103

Eduard Mirage III is old friend on my work bench and see it again is for sure pleasure for me. Scale is 1/48 with very nice content. I can talk a lot about this kit but I would like to ask you to visit this link, there is say enough and descriptions and photos are also useful for this kit too:

Mirage III C Eduard 1/48

This built is from 6th May 2008 and it is nice to see again what happen with parts eleven years later. Changes are not so big, some parts include some flush, which is normal but no other changes there can be observed. Kit still easy to built, parts good, all fit well. This kit is Dassault Mirage IIIC, stock number 8103, released as ProfiPACK Edition. Box art is top work, show two French machines in flight, one in natural metal and the another one in blue camouflage pattern. There is total of nine plastic fret with parts, one of those is transparent. Normal content is the etched set and this one include many elements painted. What is interesting to note is the protective mask, there are even two of then, and apart providing basic element protection, there is those for painting sections, like red intake and so on, what help in authentic look. Decals are excellent print and provide on one sheet all stencils as well national and unit insignia.

Kit is simple to built and it started with interior parts, and there is cockpit elements and engine. Take a care that there is options for ejecting handle on seat, there is two types, check out photos before go. Also don’t forget to add some weight into nose before cement fuselage halfs.

Wings are easy to build, there is wheel bay to assembly inside but also to drill holes in wings in regards what external ordnance will be used. Wheel bay have also options in painting, can be silver or white, depend from which country is Mirage.

Cockpit have options to be open or closed and there is also leaders, so diorama lovers would like this feature for sure.

Decals cover several operators of the Mirage III, and they are:

– Mirage IIIC, No. 87, EC 3/10 Vexin, Détachement Air 188, Armée de l´ Air, Djibouti, October 1984
– Mirage IIIC, No. 92, EC 2/10 Seine, Armée de l´ Air, BA 120 Cazaux, France, April 1976
– Mirage IIIC, No. 259 (ex 59), Tayeset 101, Hatzor Air Base, Israel, 1971
– Mirage IIIC, No. 31, EC 2/10 Seine, Armée de l´ Air, BA 110 Creil, France, May 1978
– Mirage IIICZ, No. 800, No. 2 Squadron SAAF, Waterkloof Air Base, Republic of South Africa, 1982

My choice was to do South African machine and here is info from Eduard instruction leaflet:

No. 2 squadron of the South African Air Force, unit with the rich history and with which SAAF airmen never missed any combat mission, was equipped with Mirage IIICZ aircraft in 1963. It operated them until 1990 when they were replaced by home-designed Atlas Cheetah, based on the Mirage III concept though.

Good thing is that I have photos of the no. 800 of the South African AF and it is interesting to note that it started as natural metal machine, then on same natural metal was add arrow on fuselage side and it end as camouflaged sample as I did. This is nice as well with same decals you can do natural metal and camouflaged sample and with some effort, option with arrow on fuselage.

Final result is so pleasant and attractive kit, I really like. Not so many of this kit left so please go here if you want one and my big thanks goes to Eduard for sample kit.

Srecko Bradic