IsraDecal

1/48 Israeli Air Force Mirage III C/B decal sheet

Product # IAF-33

Product Article by Yoav Efrati on Nov 27  2004

 

 

 

     Hot on the heals of his Mystere IV and Super Mystere decal sheets, Ra'anan Weiss of IsraDecals releases his latest double sheet decal number IAF-33 tailored to fit Eduard's 1/48 Mirage IIIC. Eduard's initial release of the Mirage was issued as a Mirage IIICJ, with Israeli Air Force markings. 

The kit's decals are fraught with errors which have been addressed in IsraDecals latest release. AeroMaster's Mirage/Nesher decal released in 1999, which was also drawn up by Ra'anan Weiss, was tailored to fit Heller's 1/48 scale Mirage IIIC and is not sized for the Eduard kit.

     Most prominent in the new decal sheet are the large yellow & black 1973 war vintage identification triangles. IsraDecals provide the correct f.s.33538 shade of yellow used for these prominent markings, and to ensure opacity, prints them over two layers of white. To facilitate trouble free fit over the dog toothed leading edge and the under wing fairings, cutouts and fairing overlays are provided.

     When comparing the kit provided decals to the new IsraDecal sheet many of the kit's markings prove to be inaccurate. IsraDecals provide correct size and artwork for all the IAF Mirage markings which are incorrect in the kit. First Fighter sq insignia and rudder stripping of proper with, First Jet sq insignia and fuselage spear, Bat sq vertical fin chevron correctly provided as red color and of the proper size and proportion. New markings not provided in the kit are for the last operator of the Mirage, the Negev sq., with two styles of rudder markings included.

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 Further corrections that become apparent when comparing the sheets include correct fronts for the individual airplane identification markings, Hebrew "no step" stencils and most prominent yet not obvious "Mirage IIIC" and Mirage IIIB" name stencils applied to the nose section of the Mirage. Further attention to detail is apparent in the two shades of red used for early (natural metal) and late (camouflaged) no step walkway boundaries. A light shade of blue is used for early Star of David roundels and a darker blue is used for camouflaged aircraft. Both French and Hebrew stencil styles are provided for the aft canopy red trim.Accompanying the decals is a 16 page black & white booklet. Profiles and up to 20 photos aid the modeler in locating the markings found on the various versions of the Mirage from the 1962 vintage natural metal scheme to 1982 ghost gray retirement scheme.  

Yoav

Photos and text © by Yoav Efrati