Matchbox Mirage IIIB
Hi All!
Matchbox. Most modelers think of overly simple, basic kits that lack detailing and often have “trenches” for panel lines. But to judge Matchbox kits, one must remember why they were made. I remember reading an interview by the president of Lesney ( the makers of Matchbox kits) who stated they ( the model kits) were designed for kids with a bit of pocket money. They were purposely designed for simplicity and ease of assembly, not to frustrate the kids working on them. They were also inexpensive, so a kid could assemble a whole Air Force. They also produced a lot of not-so-common kits ( such as Provost, Strikemaster, Skynight, PB2Y Privateer, various British flying boats, and a host of others) which some are still not produced in any scale, exposing the novice modeler to the vast variations in aviation. So if you listen to their philosophy, they were very successful.
While cataloging my stash, I ran across a Matchbox 2-seat Mirage. I decided to build it like I was that 12-year-old buying the kit. Although I did not add any detail to the kit (it can use it), force of habit made me fill and sand the seams ( and a lot of seams needed filling!). I started by pre-painting as much as possible. I had the fuselage, wings, and tail assembled in about 15 minutes. I was thankful I had purchased a tube of 3M Acryl-White filler, as a lot of filler was used. At this point, I put the kit aside to allow the filler to cure. I sanded the kit in the kitchen sink so I could wet sand to avoid the cloud of dust dry sanding would produce. When finished, the kit was washed with dish soap and allowed to dry.
I painted the Mirage with both Vallejo and Hataka paints. The tan antennas were finished in Polly Scale "Sand".After I finished touching up the model, I used Future for the gloss base-coat so I could apply the decals. In keeping with the theme, I used the kit's decals. The decals worked well with the Micro System. A second coat of Future was then applied, and finally, a flat clear coat was sprayed on. When all was dry, the landing gear, canopy, and pitot tube were attached.
The finished model represents a Dassault Mirage IIIB, serial unknown, Number 203, Coded "DS" of 328 Centre d'Instruction Aérienne Stratégiques. Armée de l'Air, Bordeaux, France in 1981.
I had fun building this kit, even though there were lots of seams needing filler. I started to build this kit out of the box, as it is, no filler, but painting it. Old habits die hard, and I used filler. It brought back memories of saving my money until my father would bring me to Montgomery Wards so I could shop at their "Wall of Airfix" kits, and my friends and I having great air battles with the airplanes we had built. The days when a kid having some pocket change could buy a model are gone, and I miss them. I suggest we all dig out that kit from our youth and build it as it is, no additions or corrections. Try to refrain from the filler if you can. Hopefully it will remind you of happy days...
Bruce
@rbrucearcher
Bruce, I love the model and the idea.
As a child I was facilitated the the Battle of Britain movie. I remember buying 1/72 Airfix and Italeri spits, hurricanes and 109s. I even saved enough for a He 111. I would slap them together, hand paint them and have the decals on in a day! Then my cousins and I would recreate the movie in the back yard. Thanks for taking me back to those happy days.
No worries! I think all of us get caught up wth AMS of some sort, and just dismiss older kits as junk. We need to get back to those days when getting and building a model as a kid was a great joy. And build an old kit...just for fun.
The first time I saw the BOB move was on a big screen. I also bought all of the kits I could find, and some His-Air-Dec decals. I also bought all of the magazines and books that talked about the movie. This was the point at which I started to pay attention to details..
Bruce
A wonderful walk down memory lane, Bruce! An excellent build! Thanks for taking us back to the better days!
Nice work, Bruce. I built that one and the Matchbox IIIC in South African colors. I loved those kits. In fact, like you, I recently pulled a few Matchbox kits out of the deep stash and look forward to building them in the near future
Like many others I also grew up in the Matchbox era, such a wonderful time this was, thanks for bringing up those memories, Bruce @rbrucearcher
The Mirage III looks fantastic.
Any true modeler is a kid at heart and always carries that spirit of having built a model for the joy of making. Bruce (@rbrucearcher), this looks like a fun build. I think at a certain point in life, what is a modeler's motive? Are you building to impress others, or are you building to impress yourself and your accomplishments? Keep your hand in the game regardless of your abilities ( for some us old farts as they diminish with age) and have fun and a little joy. Two thumbs up on your Matchbox Mirage.
Stephan,
There is an added benefit: modeling keeps your mind alert and active and helps keep your hands from shaking. Plus, there is the history and the joy of making something. I have started a FROG Hunter FGR.9, which is a simple kit, but the Superscale sheet has every blasted tiny, minuscule stencil. Of course I'll put them on!
Bruce
I remember going to Sears probably 45 years ago, and there was a table of Matchbox stuff... after all this time I remember I was allowed to get two, and got a Hellcat and Bf-109.
Way to go - bring on the oldies! Looks really good.