1/48 Italeri Mirage F1CZ

Gallery Article by Arthur Karas on Oct 2 2009

 

This is my Italeri Mirage F1 in 1/48 scale. I completed it as a South African Air Force F1CZ, in the camouflage pattern that was used till the mid/late eighties. While some components lack detail and the cockpit is pretty bare with a poorly executed ejector seat, the kit fits together quite well. I needed filler only to close some slots under the wings and fill small gaps between wings and fuselage. My F1CZ is armed with wingtip Matra’s and is carrying a belly tank. I added an antenna under the cockpit that was missing in the variant represented in the Italeri kit. The Mirage looks tiny when compared to US planes of the same era, as shown in the side by side picture with the F14 Tomcat. The Mirage’s wingspan is about the same as a WWII Spitfire.

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The SAAF camo was competed with Humbrol colors straight out the can. The buff (orangey sand colour) looks ok unless you put it right next to the reference pictures. This was my first time using aftermarket decals. MAV Decals have a wide range for SAAF aircraft. I found them fine to use apart from the flash on the rudder which was too big and wouldn’t lie flat, even after many coats of Microsol. The SAAF F1’s were always kept in pristine condition, so apart from a panel wash, I kept the weathering to a minimum. A few coats of matt clear finished everything off. 

I always loved this particular camo scheme and hope you all enjoy it.

Arthur Karas

Photos and text © by Arthur Karas