
- Date Completed; December 2017
- Aftermarket Used: Eduard interior set, Seat-Pavla MB4, Pitot tube- master barrel. Stores-PJ productions PM3 bomb rack, Hasegawa bombs, Wheels-Resin art
- Decals: Caracal Mirages over Australia
The Mirage holds a favourite place in the hearts of many Australian Aircraft modellers, so there was much rejoicing when Kinetic announced they were releasing this kit. Although in my opinion, it renders the Heller and Italeri kits obsolete, moulding is a little soft and the fit is not the best.
There is still room for the definitive kit out there.
Two of my friends and I decided to build this kit as a challenge build to get judged at a show. the winner gets to pick the next subject. At least I finished this one, the last build – the Kittyhawk Jaguar- is still languishing in its box with broken u/c. In a fit of insanity, I decided to build all three kinetic mirages in my stash. two single seaters and a trainer, the trainer still needing to be finished as I’m a little “miraged out” at the moment. The kit goes together quickly enough, but there are several traps awaiting the unwary, and the moulding is quite poor for a kit released in 2015, mine having many sink marks and a lot of flash. OOB, the nose gear also has a little bit of an exaggerated backward rake.
With the two Caracal sheets, you can pretty much make any mirage in the RAAF fleet, wearing any of the many schemes it wore during its service life
I found though, the caracal tail bands needed trimming for a better fit, and the blue in the roundels and fin flash is too vivid.
Ronin Graphics also do a couple of very comprehensive sheets, that also allow you to build a few of the commemorative schemes.
In fact there is a fair bit of AM around for this kit
And the winner of the challenge build? Well, all three of us never managed to get to the show!