Miniwing 1/144 Dassault Mirage III C
By Matt Bittner
The Kit
It seems to me, at least, that Miniwing kits just keep getting better. I look at the landing gear doors on this Mirage III C and note how thin they are, when compared with the CF-105 I've been working on. Nice!
The Miniwing 1/144 Mirage III C consists of 28 pieces of resin and two vac canopies. The resin is top-notch and I've found no surface flaws yet. The decals - which again appear to be ALPS generated - are for two schemes: Mirage III C no.5 E.C.T.T. 2/2 "Cote d'Or", Dijon 1972 (in an overall natural metal finish) and Mirage III C no.13 E.C. 10/1 "Valois", Crell-Senlis 1978 (finished in Middle Blue uppers with Light Gray undersides).
There are five parts to the main assembly - one-piece fuselage, two intakes, one exhaust and the wing. Once all those pieces are together - and you put the ejection seat into the cockpit and attach the canopy - then you're ready for painting. After painting then you can add the bombs, missiles and external fuel tank, along with the landing gear and gear doors, and you have yourself a 1/144 Mirage III C.
Conclusion
I would consider the Mirage III C an excellent introduction to resin modeling, as long as you don't mind the vac canopy. Not too many parts, the schemes are interesting and it looks like a Mirage when built. Can't thing of much better than that!
Huge thanks to Miniwing for the review kit.