1/48 Kinetic Mirage 2000C - Commission Build

Started by David Kopielski · 9 · 2 days ago
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    David Kopielski said 3 weeks, 3 days ago:

    Welcome to the last commission build of 2024. For this build I will be using Kinetic’s 1/48 Mirage 2000C kit. The scheme will be the French version. The client is a Harrier pilot who was doing a joint exercise with France and had the chance to fly one of their Mirage 2000C aircraft. The aircraft will be displayed in a case and the background of the case will be a photo of him standing in front of the aircraft he flew. The aircraft will be detailed using a ResKit resin ejection seat and the rest of the cockpit will be detailed using Quinta Studio’s 3D decals.

    I started this build by detail painting the resin ejection seat. The seat came with all the warning decals as well. In roder to fit the resin seat into the cockpit tub I had to remove the mount for the kit seat. I then sanded down the side panels and the instrument panel so the 3D decals can be applied. The tub and instrument were painted black and then the decals were applied. The completed ejection seat was then installed. Next I prepared the fuselage halves so I could install the cockpit. The 3D decals also came with the side wall decals as well. With the fuselage halves cleaned and detailed I installed the cockpit and the nose gear bay then closed up the fuselage halves. The fuselage required some minor putty in a few areas due to fit and clean up. I am now working on detailing the fuselage and the intakes then move over to assemble and detail the wings.

    You can see more photos and details in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-mirage-2000c/

    8 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 weeks, 2 days ago:

    Excellent entry, my friend @davids_models!

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    John vd Biggelaar said 3 weeks, 1 day ago:

    A perfect start, David @davids_models

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    David Kopielski said 2 weeks, 3 days ago:

    The second week of the Mirage build was spent assembling the fuselage details. I assembled the intakes and the wing assembly and set them aside for now. The tail was installed and I began adding details to the fuselage like the antennas and pitot tubes had to be modified. This kit has some issues. Aside from the flash and mold marks many of the mounting holes are larger than the pin or tab that fits into them. For the items on the nose I filled the holes with putty then reopened them up to the correct size and I replaced the plastic small blades with photo etch as the kit parts were very thick and the tree stub flowed into the part. For the blade antennas I centered them and then filled in the sides of the slot with putty. I then installed the wing assembly. Again more modifications were required to fit the wings to the fuselage. The starboard side wing root had a large gap which required a shim and putty to fill.

    Next I worked on the exhaust which was painted using Vallejo Metal paints. The base is “Jet Exhaust” and the highlights are “Exhaust Manifold” and “Burnt Metal”. It was them weathered with light gray, dark gray and black pastel chalk. The landing gear struts were then detailed as well as the wheels. Again I had to fill in the large holes of the nose wheels and re-drill them to the correct size for the strut pins. The missiles and drop tanks were then assembled. Finally I had to modify the nose. The kit comes with the plastic tip but trimming it from the tree weakened it. I accidently broke it twice, first when I added the weights to the nose and then again when I went to paint it. I decided to use a thin brass rod and to replicate the tip I used solder.

    I am currently getting ready to start painting the aircraft. The underside and light color of the camouflage is Light Ghost Gray. For the blue/gray I am looking at various paints. I will discuss further into this next week once I chose the color that best matches the references I have.

    You can all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-mirage-2000c/

    10 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 2 weeks, 3 days ago:

    Excellent progress and super looks so far, my friend @davids_models!

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    John vd Biggelaar said 2 weeks, 3 days ago:

    Some very nice work done, David @davids_models
    I would be terrified to continue work with those tiny pieces attached to the nose at this stage.

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    David Kopielski said 3 days, 2 hours ago:

    As the fourth week of the Mirage ends I have completed the aircraft. I installed the landing gear and landing gear doors. I then worked on the canopy, windscreen, and HUD. The HUD required some minor adjustments. The kit represents the dual glass for the HUD but because the clear parts are so thick the HUD did not fit under the windscreen correctly. I removed the plastic dual glass and changed them to clear acetate. This lowered the overall height and made the HUD fit perfectly under the windscreen. For the canopy I added some photo etch extras to represent the side handles and the rear view mirror. I installed the canopy in the open position and installed the refueling probe. Finally I finished off the aircraft with some detail painting and some light weathering.

    The display case is going to have a background of a photo supplied by the client. In order to cover the width of the case I copied the right side of the photo and extended it so that the building and the tarmac appear to be longer. I printed the photo on plain paper so I could adjust the size and line up the tarmac seams on the display base with the photo. I then used a sheet of styrene on the base to thicken it. The base is thin plastic and a little too flexible to properly mount the aircraft. The inside of the base was then sprayed with a base of light grey. I then misted the surface with medium grey, tan, and gunship grey giving it a cement appearance to match the color in the photo. I then used a scribe and added the seams of the tarmac. The scribed lines were then colored with a black pencil. I then used black, dark grey, light grey and sand pastel chalk to weather the tarmac and to highlight the seams. While the base was drying I notice the nose wheels had a wheel chock. I used some scrap styrene to replicate the wheel chock and made a decal to match the letters/numbers that were on it.

    I just need to print out the background on to some glossy photo paper and trim it to fit the inside of the display case and then adjust the placement of the aircraft and the name plate. I also need to make a stand for the name plate as well. Stay tuned to see the final photos of this commission build.

    You can all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-mirage-2000c/

    10 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    John vd Biggelaar said 2 days, 22 hours ago:

    That's another real beauty you created, David @davids_models
    All those extras are definitely worth it.
    She will look perfect in the display case.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 2 days, 22 hours ago:

    Excellent job, my friend @davids_models!