Mirage F1 AZ 1/32 Scale, Scratch Build. Part 1
Well its that time again.”The scores are tie, and now its time for the big one”, Yip, I have taken the plunge again and started another long term project in the form of the Mirage F1 AZ of the South African Airforce. Needless to say she is going to be quite a big model in 1/32 scale, 478.13mm long and a wing span of 262.5 mm.
I managed to get some scale drawings that I scaled up to 32nd scale , bought a roll of .5mm plastic and kicked off.
This is what I have done so far,
1. Used tracing paper to cut out the side views , transferred to plastic card and cut out,
2. Cut out all the rib sections and glued into position.
3. Tomorrow I will fill in between the ribs with balsa wood and start to shape the fuselage for vac forming.
I will be using a lot of the techniques I used on the PC 21 that I built, this is just a lot bigger.
I would like the end result to be as accurate to the real aircraft as possible, just in case some one out there decides to release a kit in the near future.
I look forward to all your comments and encouragement.
Cheers
Marc
9 additional images. Click to enlarge.
david leigh-smith said on April 20, 2019
Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Just love following these ‘Barris Masterclasses’. Take as long as you like, Marc – great to see more of the ‘behind the scenes’ work.
Made my modeling day, Marc.
Marc Barris said on April 21, 2019
Hey David, thanks for the comment, this one is going to take some time to complete.
Jaime Carreon said on April 20, 2019
Looking good so far, Marc. If I may add a possible suggestion – I’ve built RC models using that technique, but using high density foam instead of balsa. The pink or blue foam insulation that can be had in sheets from home improvement stores usually works well for that. It’s dense enough to carve and support a skin, and easier to fix if you mess something up. I’ve usually sheeted it with thin balsa, but I’m pretty sure you could do the same with styrene.
Just my 2 cents…
Marc Barris said on April 21, 2019
Hey there Jaime, Here is some change, i use the balsa wood to fill in between the rids on the two fuselage halves, the end of the day I am making a mold to vac form, thanks for the comment.
DE4EVER said on April 21, 2019
🙂 … Greetings … 🙂 :
Very interesting work Marc, really hope to see more.
Marc Barris said on April 21, 2019
Thanks for the comment. I will keep you posted.
Morne Meyer said on April 21, 2019
Needless to say I will follow this build. Another masterclass build from the Barris stable!!! Good luck with this one Marc it sure promises to be AWESOME!!
Marc Barris said on April 21, 2019
Dankie my chom, is there a F1 standing there at PE?
Tom Bebout said on April 21, 2019
Wow, you are one ambitious modeler Marc. Love it.
Marc Barris said on April 21, 2019
Cheers Tom, I hope I can make it happen.
Maarten said on April 21, 2019
Wow !!
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
Marc Barris said on April 21, 2019
Thanks Maarten
Robert Royes said on April 21, 2019
That’s some project!
Marc Barris said on April 21, 2019
Its a big one Robert, I am enjoying it so far.
Greg Kittinger said on April 22, 2019
Yeah! I was wondering when you’d kick off another, and this one is a doozy! I’m all in to follow and provide encouragement to one of my modeling heros! Love your choice – a nice military aircraft with sleek lines and some great schemes. Enjoy the ride – I sure will!