Lancfan's Mirage IIIc ***FINISHED***

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lancfan
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Lancfan's Mirage IIIc ***FINISHED***

Post by lancfan »

My second kit will be a Mirage IIIc, the model will be this Airfix Mirage IIIc Starter set kit.
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David.
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Old_Tonto
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by Old_Tonto »

I look forward to seeing what you do with this one David. I fancy doing a Mirage IIIC to go with my two seater so am interested to see how this kit compares to the Matchbox one. Good luck.
2023 - A:0 B:0 C:0
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East German Air Force (1956-90)
South African Air Force (1958-93)
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lancfan
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by lancfan »

Here is the obligatory sprue shot, this build was held back so that I could complete the Swiss mustang builds.
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Moving on to this model, the first step was to paint and fit the air intake inner walls, when this had dried I then milled away the steps between the nose halves and the intakes and removed the locating pins for the ejection seat and I then lined the cockpit with thin plastic card. I also thinned the canopy sill (red arrow).
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The next step was to blank off the rear bulkhead of the cockpit, the easiest way to do this was to wall off the fuselage with plasticene and mark the bulkhead line with Tamiya tape, the fuselage around this was then filled with car filler and the halves banded together. This shot shows the model ready for the filler.
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When the filler was dry the fuselage was split open and the filler plug removed, the tape made a cutting line for the rear of the cockpit, it was next shaped to fit and the cockpit floor was made from plastic card. The nosewheel bay was opened up and a plastic card roof was made up and glued to one half of the fuselage.
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Moving forward to today, the ejection seat now has to be scratched up, I started by using a Das Clay impression taken from a Miliput mould of the modified Vampire seat I have prepped for the Aquilon build, the picture shows from left to right the kit master, a Das Clay moulding, the reshaped seat for this build which has also had plastic card sides added and finally the roughly shaped Miliput parachute pack and seat cushion.
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David.
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Jagewa
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by Jagewa »

Great skills there David.
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lancfan
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by lancfan »

Cheers Jagewa.
The basic cockpit has been made up from pieces of balsawood, it is crude but little will be seen through the canopy.
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The three stages in building the seat, this is all that will be clearly seen through the canopy and I have spent more time on this part that everything else so far.
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The fuselage has been assembled and the seat installed.
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The cannon troughs have been filed into the fuselage, Airfix missed these out altogether but it is an old kit.
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David.
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despondman
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by despondman »

Interesting, and instructive, to see how you created the seat.
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lancfan
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by lancfan »

Thanks despondman.

David.
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lancfan
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by lancfan »

A plastic card bridge has been fitted to form the roof of the mainwheel bays.
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The wing seating has been cut back around the wheel bays to level off the undercarriage bays.
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The wing has been fitted, some adjustments had to be made in places and shims were added to the rear of the wing seating. Deffinately a kit for careful dry fitting before assembly, filler was most neccessary.
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The gaps have been filled and rubbed down, the pitot and stores pylons have been glued on and two outer Sidewinder pylons have been added from the spares box - the model is now ready to be painted.
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David.
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PaulBradley
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by PaulBradley »

Nice work, David.
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lancfan
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by lancfan »

Thanks Paul.

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lancfan
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by lancfan »

The canopy has been dry fitted and narrow gaps were found along the sill line so this was glued in place and the gaps were filled with Glue N Glaze last night, the next step will be to mask the canopy off and painting can begin.
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David.
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by Molly-new »

Looking smart David.
Airfix WWII Aircraft Of The Aces.
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lancfan
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by lancfan »

Thanks Chip.

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lancfan
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by lancfan »

The Mirage has been primed and the underside has been airbrushed in Azure Blue, by checking against images of the real aircraft this is a far better match of the real colour than the kit call out of Humbrol 65.
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Old_Tonto
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Re: Lancfan's Mirage IIIc

Post by Old_Tonto »

This it turning into a first rate tutorial build David. Keep the images coming.
2023 - A:0 B:0 C:0
Current Projects:
East German Air Force (1956-90)
South African Air Force (1958-93)
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