Dassault Mirage III by R.V. Aircraft

1/72 scale
Kit No. 72053
Price: $29.99
Decals: Six versions – for Air Forces of Argentina (1), Brazil (1), Lebanon (1), Pakistan (2), and Venezuela (1)
Comments: Engraved panel lines and recessed rivet detail; detailed cockpit; drop tanks provided; boxed-in wheel wells; optional position canopy

History

The Mirage III is without a doubt one of the greatest combat aircraft ever produced; due to its success as an export, it was manufactured in greater numbers than any other European fighter. The first of the series to reach operational status with the Armee de l’Air, the Mirage IIIC, flew for the first time on October 9, 1960. After some refinements to its wing design, it became the first West European fighter to reach Mach 2 in level flight. It soon caught the attention of the military, with the Armee de l’Air placing an order for 100 aircraft before the flight test program was complete.

The Mirage IIIE was a long-range fighter bomber version dedicated primarily to the ground attack role, powered by the SNECMA Atar 9C turbojet (with increased power over the 9B which had been fitted to the Mirage IIIC). It flew for the first time on April 5, 1961 and began equipping French fighter squadrons in April 1965, replacing Mirage IIIC’s that had been pressed into the strike/attack role. While the IIIC was a dedicated interceptor, the IIIE was equipped for air defense as well as all-weather ground-attack; the French versions could also carry a nuclear weapon. For this reason it fulfilled a similar role as the MiG-27, although it had greater range than its Soviet counterpart ( a combat radius of 647 nautical miles/1198 km, compared to the MiG-27’s 292 nautical miles/540km).

The stunning performance of the Mirage III in the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli Wars led to a sustained increase in sales, although Israeli Mirage pilots reportedly admitted that it did not have great turning ability due to the aerodynamic idiosyncrasies of the delta wing. Three Israeli Mirages were shot down by Iraqi Hawker Hunters during the Six Day War of 1967, but in general the Mirage III provided many nations with a superb Mach 2-capable fighter, with many upgraded examples remaining in many Air Force inventories over the next 30 years, despite the fact that production of the type for the Armee de l’Air ended in 1973.

Argentine Service
Following an evaluation against the BAC Lightning and Northrop F-5A, Argentina placed an order for 10 Mirage IIIEA’s and two IIIDA trainers in October 1970. The IIIEA’s were slated for duty with the Fuerza Aerea Argentina (FAA). Deliveries began in September 1972 and in Argentine service the type would be equipped with Matra R.530 air-to-air missiles in addition to their 30mm cannon. The FAA stationed the Mirages at BAM Mariano Morena. In 1977, a further seven Mirage IIIEA’s were ordered. Operated by 1 Escaudron de Caza-Interceptora, these aircraft were armed with the Matra 550 Magic infra-red anti-aircraft missiles shortly before the April-June 1982 Falklands War.

During the conflict, several Argentine Mirages and Daggers over the Falkland Islands (the Malvinas to the Argentines) suffered heavy losses to a combination of British Sea Harriers and Royal Navy anti-aircraft missiles. This disappointing performance was attributed to both faulty tactics and the fact that nearly all of Argentina’s combat aircraft in the conflict were operating at the limit of their range, having taken off from bases on the mainland. Certainly the Harriers with their vectored thrust capability were more agile in combat than conventional fighters. The first air-to-air combat on May 1, 1982 proved a a disaster for Argentina. After an earlier inconclusive fight, Sea Harriers shot down one Mirage and damaged another (which was later finished off by friendly AA fire during an emergency landing). This was a shock to the FAA High Command, who had rated the Harriers as easy meat.  They thereafter withdrew the Mirages to defend the mainland (a need which never arose).

Both the Mirages and Harriers were operating at the limit of their combat radius when they met. The first attempts by the Mirages to dive on a Harrier combat air patrol from an altitude advantage did not turn out as planned; missiles were fired and missed, after which the Mirages, instead of climbing again for another attempt with an altitude advantage, engaged the Harriers at low altitude (arguably a mistake, since the Harrier’s performance is at its best at lower altitudes in denser air in which they can make the most of their vectored thrust capability).

The resulting loss of two Mirages bloodied the nose of the FAA, who thereafter restricted their operations to the mainland. In hindsight, one wonders why a re-evaluation of the Mirage tactics did not take place; admittedly the Harrier represented newer technology, appearing nearly a decade after the first Mirage IIIC, but the Mirage had repeatedly proven itself as an interceptor and might have fared better with a change of tactics. Despite its poor showing in the skies over the Falklands, the Mirage III will be remembered as a superb interceptor employed with devastating results in conflicts throughout the Middle East, notably the Indo-Pakistani and Arab-Israeli wars. More than any other factor, its success in export sales speaks to its high performance, for it has served in the Air Forces of France, Spain, Belgium, Argentina, Australia, Israel, Brazil, Lebanon, Pakistan, Venezuela, South Africa and Switzerland.

The Kit

R.V. Aircraft of the Czech Republic initially released the Mirage IIIE in 2016, providing a badly needed update to the Frog and Revell kits of the 1970’s. This kit shares many parts in common with this manufacturer’s earlier Mirage IIIC and CJ kits, released in 2015. The kit is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 91 parts, including two clear plastic parts for the canopy and windscreen, and a resin ejection seat. The exterior airframe is replete with engraved panel lines and flush rivet detail, although the latter is a bit soft in places, and the cockpit features both a tub and a main instrument panel with raised relief , as well as the aforementioned ejection seat. The instrument panel, separate hood, and control yoke round out the cockpit parts. The instrument panel in particular is meticulously detailed to an unusual degree for this scale, and may lead modelers to speculate on leaving the canopy open. Fortunately R.V. Aircraft provide that option with this kit.

The fuselage is a rather complex affair consisting of eight parts, two halves for the nose cone, two for the forward section, into which the completed cockpit assembly is cemented, two for everything aft, i.e. the entire rear fuselage, a separate part for the dorsal spine, and the vertical tail. There is a choice of forward fuselage sections, one for the Mirage IIIC or CJ, and one for the Mirage IIIE or V versions. There are likewise two different jet exhaust assemblies corresponding to the same choices. Curiously, the instructions refer to exterior resin tail pipes that are not included in the kit, although plastic versions are present.

The bottom half of the delta wing features detailed boxed-in wheel wells (a separate part for this is provided) and there are separately mounted flaps for the trailing edges of the wing, as well as separately mounted ventral strakes for the under surfaces of the wings and fuselage. The lone fuselage strake is mounted on the center line, and at the modeler’s option can be replaced with a fairing for a booster rocket that was fitted to the Mirage III/V. Parts are provided for two fuel tanks mounted on pylons beneath each wing. For the two 30mm DEFA cannon mounted in the wing roots below each intake, a bit of scratchbuilding will be required for the cannon barrels, as the instructions call upon the modeler to fashion two 1 x 4 mm rods. The landing gear are well detailed, particularly the gear doors. The instructions themselves contain no paint guide, but there are beautiful color plates depicting all versions for which decals are provided.

Markings

The instructions include a pull-out containing a four-view schematic of the Mirage IIIE showing the location of various stencils provided on the decal sheet. Also provided is an 8 1/2 x 11″ two-sided glossy sheet of color plates for the various versions for which decals are provided. The decals are crisp and fully in register with realistic color, with a good semi-gloss finish. They represent Mirage III’s flying with the Air Forces of Argentina, Brazil, Lebanon, Pakistan and Venezuela. A paint guide is provided for each version calling out Federal Standard paint numbers only. The details of each version are below.

The Argentinian machine, which is featured on the kit box art, appears in a camouflage scheme of Earth, Green and Dark Green over Light Grey under surfaces, and has a yellow rudder. It is a Mirage IIIEA, serial I-005 and was assigned to Grupo 8 de Caza, Rio Gallegos Air Base at the time of the Falklands War in May 1982. The Brazilian machine appears in a scheme of Azure Grey over Light Grey similar to the scheme for French Mirages. It is a Mirage IIIEBR, serial no. 4913, assigned to 1 Grupo de Defensa Area, Anapolis Air Base, 1985.

The Lebanese machine appears in a camouflage scheme of Dark Grey Blue and Dark Green over Light Grey, and a portion of the ventral surface of the tail is Zinc Chromate Green. It is a Mirage IIIEL, serial no. L504, assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron stationed at Kleiat Air Base, 1970. The Venezuelan machine appears in a camouflage scheme of Sand Brown, Green and Dark Green over Light Grey. It is a Mirage IIIEV, serial no. 2843, assigned to 12 Grupo de Caza, El Libertador Air Base during the late 1970’s.

Finally there are two Pakistani machines, the first one being a Mirage IIIEP appearing in a paint scheme of Dark Grey Blue and Dark Green over Light Grey (identical to that of the Lebanese Air Force), also with a portion of the ventral surface of the tail painted Zinc Chromate Green. It is a Mirage IIIEP, serial no. 109, assigned to No. 5 Squadron stationed at Sargadha Air Base during the 1970’s. The second Pakistani machine is a Mirage IIIO, serial no. 560, appearing in a somewhat elaborate scheme of Grey upper surfaces on the fuselage with the intakes and rearmost section of the tail below the rudder painted Dark Grey; the wings have camouflage upper surfaces of Deep Buff and Olive Drab, with the trailing edges flaps painted Grey; the under surfaces of the fuselage and trailing edge flaps of the wings are Light Grey, while the remainder of the ventral surface of the wings are Light Admiralty Grey, which appears to be a very pale blue, somehwhat lighter than Hellblau. The paint scheme may be explained by the fact that this is an ex-Royal Australian Air Force machine serving with No. 7 Squadron of the Pakistani Air Force, stationed at Masroor Air Base, 2001.

Conclusion

This is a highly detailed version of the Mirage IIIE with a number of interesting options for markings featuring a variety of paint schemes. While it is a bit light on ordinance other than the drop tanks provided, the Mirage was arguably at its best when operating in the pure interceptor role. Highly recommended.

References

• Mirage by Paul Jackson; Copyright 1985 Paul Jackson; published by Ian Allen Ltd., Shepperton, Surrey, England.
• Combat Aircraft Since 1945 by Stewart Wilson; Copyright 2000 Stewart Wilson and Aerospace Publications Pty Limited: Fyshwick, Australia.
• A Handbook of Fighter Aircraft by Francis Crosby; Copyright 2003 Anness Publishing, Ltd.; London.
• Modern Military Aircraft, edited by Jim Winchester; Copyright 2004 International Masters Publishers AB; San Diego.