Welcome to the last commission build of 2024. For this build I will be using Kinetic’s 1/48 Mirage 2000C kit. The scheme will be the French version. The client is a Harrier pilot who was doing a joint exercise with France and had the chance to fly one of their Mirage 2000C aircraft. The aircraft will be displayed in a case and the background of the case will be a photo of him standing in front of the aircraft he flew. The aircraft will be detailed using a ResKit resin ejection seat and the rest of the cockpit will be detailed using Quinta Studio’s 3D decals.
I started this build by detail painting the resin ejection seat. The seat came with all the warning decals as well. In roder to fit the resin seat into the cockpit tub I had to remove the mount for the kit seat. I then sanded down the side panels and the instrument panel so the 3D decals can be applied. The tub and instrument were painted black and then the decals were applied. The completed ejection seat was then installed. Next I prepared the fuselage halves so I could install the cockpit. The 3D decals also came with the side wall decals as well. With the fuselage halves cleaned and detailed I installed the cockpit and the nose gear bay then closed up the fuselage halves. The fuselage required some minor putty in a few areas due to fit and clean up. I am now working on detailing the fuselage and the intakes then move over to assemble and detail the wings.
You can see more photos and details in the build log at: 1/48 Kinetic Mirage 2000C
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I have this kit in the stash so I’m following along.
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This is gonna be a good one !!!
Really enjoy watching your builds David !
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The second week of the Mirage build was spent assembling the fuselage details. I assembled the intakes and the wing assembly and set them aside for now. The tail was installed and I began adding details to the fuselage like the antennas and pitot tubes had to be modified. This kit has some issues. Aside from the flash and mold marks many of the mounting holes are larger than the pin or tab that fits into them. For the items on the nose I filled the holes with putty then reopened them up to the correct size and I replaced the plastic small blades with photo etch as the kit parts were very thick and the tree stub flowed into the part. For the blade antennas I centered them and then filled in the sides of the slot with putty. I then installed the wing assembly. Again more modifications were required to fit the wings to the fuselage. The starboard side wing root had a large gap which required a shim and putty to fill.
Next I worked on the exhaust which was painted using Vallejo Metal paints. The base is “Jet Exhaust” and the highlights are “Exhaust Manifold” and “Burnt Metal”. It was them weathered with light gray, dark gray and black pastel chalk. The landing gear struts were then detailed as well as the wheels. Again I had to fill in the large holes of the nose wheels and re-drill them to the correct size for the strut pins. The missiles and drop tanks were then assembled. Finally I had to modify the nose. The kit comes with the plastic tip but trimming it from the tree weakened it. I accidently broke it twice, first when I added the weights to the nose and then again when I went to paint it. I decided to use a thin brass rod and to replicate the tip I used solder.
I am currently getting ready to start painting the aircraft. The underside and light color of the camouflage is Light Ghost Gray. For the blue/gray I am looking at various paints. I will discuss further into this next week once I chose the color that best matches the references I have.
You can all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: 1/48 Kinetic Mirage 2000C
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The third week of the Mirage was spent painting the camouflage and then applying the numerous decals. As for the camouflage I used Light Ghost Grey for the lighter color. As for the blue grey I sampled numerous paints. I painted a color board with stripes of Model Master Intermediate blue, Vallejo intermediate blue, Vallejo French Mirage Blue, and Model Master Acryl intermediate blue. I then compared these colors to the reference photos of Mirage 2000C’s from the same time period as the client’s aircraft. I settled using the Model Master Acryl Intermediate blue. It was a little lighter and slightly greyer hue than the other intermediate blues. It was also slightly lighter and a little bluer than the Vallejo French Mirage blue. The Vallejo French Mirage Blue color actually is more of a match to the French Mirage paint schemes during the later years of the reference photos. The nose cone was painted Dark Gull Grey which matched the nose cone color of the early Mirage 2000C’s. The inside of the landing gear bays were then painted with light gull grey.
After the painting was completed I then started applying the numerous decals starting with the underside first. One of the changes I did was to make decals to change the aircraft number to match the client’s reference photo. While the decals were drying I then painted and applied decals to the Magic II missiles. A quick note on the underside stores, I was informed the Mica Missiles were not used on the 2000C versions so I did not use these. The second thing is this aircraft is going to be in a display case with a background of the client’s photo. The photo shows him standing next to the actual aircraft he flew which did not have drop tanks installed. In order to match the aircraft and allow a better view of the background the client and I decided not to install the large drop tanks.
Moving forward I applied all the topside decals. Once dried I then applied the matte topcoat on the aircraft and the missiles then finally installing the engine exhaust. I am now working on adding the other details like the refueling probe, HUD, detailing and installing the landing gear, and the detail painting on the aircraft. I can then start working on detailing, painting, and installing the canopy and windscreen. I should have the aircraft completed over this upcoming week and then I can start working on the display base and the case background.
You can all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: 1/48 Kinetic Mirage 2000C
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