This build was started 3 years ago as an experiment for me as I had built a number of civil aircraft in 1:24 scale and decided the time had come to stretch my scratch building experience by building a military fighter and what a journey it has been!
I chose the magnificent Mirage F1 AZ ground attack fighter, number 217 in the final South African Airforce three tone scheme. This aircraft was the second Mirage F1 AZ of 32 ordered to fly in the SAAF and was flown by CPT Andre van der Heever in 1976. It’s final flight was at the official retirement of the F1 AZ on the 25th November 1997 at AFB Hoedspruit, in the very capable hands of the “Billy Boy” LT COL Jan Minnie (Officer Commanding 1 Squadron). The aircraft was flown in a solo display. Between the two respective dates, this machine was based at AFB Hoedspruit and a respected member of 1 Squadron (Prima) and saw many sorties in theatres north of the South African border.
The build is current but far from being completed so I will retrospectively part post all elements until I complete this challenging beast!
A few dimensions of the model:
Length – 640mm
Wingspan – 350mm
Height – 188mm
20 attached images. Click to enlarge.
