Jump to content

Kitty Hawk Mirage 2000C


Cheetah11

Recommended Posts

 

I spent most of the modeling time today priming the fuselage joints and sanding it down . I will still need to do some filling on the wings later. The louvres at the bottom was a hassle to get the joint filled in the center of the louvres, so in the end I cut them off and replaced it with plastic card.

 

E5DA5002-CFC3-4ADA-9547-08E1129260EE.jpg

 

 

18 hours ago, alain11 said:

Hi Nick

good to see some updates !!! that looks like a mirage now .. doesn't it ??!!:rolleyes: .. If I am right , it seems that you forgot the two clear parts just behind the cockpit ( GP 12 /13 ) , the protective glasses of the canopy release handle :hmmm:or maybe you chose another way !!??  

I don't want to be an adviser ,............from my seat ......  it seems that your throttle looks like the 2000 - 5 one , the C throttle looks like a "simple L shape ...stuff 

Alain

 

 

 

Hi Alain. Thanks for the compliments. I glued the plastic covers on the canopy release from the outside with superglue and when set sanded and polished it similar to the inspection light. This gives a seamless finish.

These are the dimensions I used for the throttle, which I found on a gaming website !!! The throttle is L shaped but still quite complex.

Image14.jpg

 

 

Here is a photo from a different angle. I hope it shows the shape a bit better. Unfortunately I do not have a lens for a better view.

 

433B2E8B-6AAB-42BF-BB87-72737C218D7A.jpg

 

Cheers

Nick

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Not too much to show for the last two weeks. I spent most of the time on the sanding, filling and smoothing the model. At last I started painting some of the airframe and engine . Alain showed the tip of using toothpicks to paint the streaks in the afterburner section. I would never be able to get them that symmetrical fixing the toothpicks with soft wire, so I 3D printed a  section with the 12 cylinders. The printing turned out to be not so successful as the rods were too flexible and moved as they became longer, distorting the print. It was still usable. 

 

 

719C65BE-1EB0-41DC-992B-2880AE82A00D.jpg

 

4A76AAF3-BF92-4BBA-8830-E3F22102F6A7.jpg

 

Finished.

9611827F-7470-4406-98EF-6D971C603406.jpg

 

The kit instructions do not call for weight in the nose, but I added a piece of copper covered lead inside the radome with 2min epoxy just in case.  Weight was 10 grams (155grain for those who use grains :ninja:)

 

670D7237-0DA5-4346-98A3-B8249E442F32.jpg

 

Cheers

Nick

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hi Nick

someone added  a weight of 20 grams in the cone , do you think that 10 grams are enough? 

one question : which color did you paint the gear bays ? some says light grey , but I rather be tempted for semi mat aluminium , if I refer to pictures   

Alain

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/14/2021 at 2:17 PM, alain11 said:

hi Nick

someone added  a weight of 20 grams in the cone , do you think that 10 grams are enough? 

one question : which color did you paint the gear bays ? some says light grey , but I rather be tempted for semi mat aluminium , if I refer to pictures   

Alain

 

 

Hi Alain

 

Thanks for the heads up. I taped all the major parts together and pivoted it around where the wheels should be. The nose dropped down but only just. I think with the missiles and pylons 10 gram would maybe not be enough. I added 10 grams more just in case.

 

Looking at photos of the undercarriage bays I see the later Mirage 2000 variants (maybe -5 and later) have them in light grey. The photos I have of around 1990 of the 2000C shows the standard silver used on Mir III and F1 as well. The 1300 liter belly tank around 1990 was also in natural aluminum  and the later tanks were in the aircraft color. I am using silver for mine. BTW I see you have had a bit of a cold spell.

 

1558089F-CDF7-4EDA-AAFA-A44AD0FE6C09.jpg

 

Cheers

Nick

Link to comment
Share on other sites

very nice metal effects Nick !!! it will bring an original touch , well done !!!!!!!!:thumbsup:

a cold spell !!!??? we are in winter in Europe :wacko: .I agree this winter is a bit " harder " than the preceding ones, with snow , and low temperatures , ( things you don't know in the south hemisphere :rolleyes:) but ... I don't complain , , here , where i live , we have 10 to 15 ° in the afternoon  B) 

Alain 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/16/2021 at 12:19 PM, alain11 said:

a cold spell !!!??? we are in winter in Europe :wacko: .I agree this winter is a bit " harder " than the preceding ones, with snow , and low temperatures , ( things you don't know in the south hemisphere :rolleyes:) but ... I don't complain , , here , where i live , we have 10 to 15 ° in the afternoon  B) 

Alain 

 

 

Hi Alain

We do get snow, not as often and as much as Europe but even our wildlife have the perfect cammo for snow :lol:

 

 

D2B7E4E7-D2D7-4829-9A06-2C9D9E2DC967.jpg

 

 

On to more serious things

 

As can be seen on this photo there is a small gap between the rudder and fuselage which is not present in the kit.  I sanded a small amount from  the bottom of the rudder.

 

6401CA69-ADB5-41AA-ACCB-6E438F41864C.jpg

 

 

The other addition was to fill the recess of the slime lights as they are too deep. I will still decide if I will use the kit decals or paint the slime lights. 

 

35-BA96-D4-D4-B1-40-B0-A547-B66195-A125-

 

Cheers

Nick

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nick , you always point out tiny details to enhance the kit , great job :goodjob:. it seems that you are closed to the paint job now 

one question : do you have any pictures to support the unpainted belly tank ???? 

Alain

 

two zebras in the snow !!?? This is not the  first idea  I have of the SA  landscape ;)

Edited by alain11
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Alain

 

Thanks for the compliments. You are right I am almost ready to paint but since I need to do a bit of mixing I have difficulty in getting the right color. I do not have color chips and all the forums have been of little help since there are many interpretation and opinions. Most of the paint mixes called for are not available to me. I found and old bottle of Testors Vodoo Gray to which I added 3 drops of black and this seems to be the closest I can get to the light grey color. Of course it is open to interpretation as the quality of photos, lighting and scale effect all play a role. I tested my mix on the undercarriage door.

 

B7F17919-D50D-47AD-B47B-3FC9AB4704BE.jpg

 

 

I had a look at the paint on the tanks and I can see the reason for your concern. I could only find four photos of French Mirage 2000 aircraft with an unpainted belly tank, so it is not typical. (On Pg 43 of the Dijon Superbase book the second aircraft seems to have an unpainted tank) The Greek and Indian tanks are virtually all unpainted. I will have to paint the tank in my model. So much for the metal effect. 

Cheers

Nick

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Nick

The unpainted tank is rarely seen , but it's possible .If I was you , ( but I am not) I will leave it bare metal , just because it's original

some guys use Aka paint ref :RC 235 ( FS 35164) and RC 252 ( FS 36375 ) , or Mr hobby color ( gunse )H308 and H 366 . Maybe not the 100% perfect color , but as you said , it depends of light , photos , ...etc.............. 

Alain

picture from K Duretz used to illustrate the post 

1_2-ep10.jpg

 

file.php?id=25401

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Nick,

 

I have found this book very useful, and although it specifically covers the Hellenic M2000 (in most part; there is also a section on the M2000D), it is essentially identical to the M2000C in terms of colours, so there are some very good pictures of NMF C/L tanks in it.

 

https://www.themodellingnews.com/2018/04/read-n-reviewed-mirage-2000-under-skin.html

 

 mirage%2B2000%2Bunder%2Bthe%2Bskin%2B%25281%2529.jpg

 

Derek

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

On 1/19/2021 at 12:50 AM, Derek B said:

Hi Nick,

 

I have found this book very useful, and although it specifically covers the Hellenic M2000 (in most part; there is also a section on the M2000D), it is essentially identical to the M2000C in terms of colours, so there are some very good pictures of NMF C/L tanks in it.

 

https://www.themodellingnews.com/2018/04/read-n-reviewed-mirage-2000-under-skin.html

 

 mirage%2B2000%2Bunder%2Bthe%2Bskin%2B%25281%2529.jpg

 

Derek

Hi Derek,

thanks for the  link and suggestion. After a long furlough my wife has restricted my modeling budget somewhat, so I am restricted to what I can find on the internet for the time. I did find this on the Greek Mirages. The above photo also is a great help to verify the pattern on the upper surface.

 

DSC01376.jpg

 

 

 

On 1/19/2021 at 12:36 AM, alain11 said:

Hi Nick

The unpainted tank is rarely seen , but it's possible .If I was you , ( but I am not) I will leave it bare metal , just because it's original

some guys use Aka paint ref :RC 235 ( FS 35164) and RC 252 ( FS 36375 ) , or Mr hobby color ( gunse )H308 and H 366 . Maybe not the 100% perfect color , but as you said , it depends of light , photos , ...etc.............. 

Alain

picture from K Duretz used to illustrate the post 

1_2-ep10.jpg

 

file.php?id=25401

 

 

Hi Alain 

Thanks very much for the photos of the bare metal tanks. Fortunately you stopped me in time just before I painted the tank in light grey. I an happy with my mix. It is close to 36375 but with a little less blue. For the  Blue/Grey  I still have a tin of Mirage Blue from Xtra Color which looks fairly close compared to photos. 

 

Here is the underside painted with a little pastel on the panel lines which does not have such a vivid contrast as black wash.

 

 C3D80EC5-DE27-40C8-919F-9151C442CBDA.jpg

 

 

4EEC7EBC-C582-435F-B67B-F50718AF372F.jpg

 

Cheers

Nick

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...