Dassault Mirage IIIO

High Planes Models, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Glen Porter

cyber-hobby's 1/72 scale Sea Venom is available online from Squadron.com

Background

High Planes Models was Australia’s only indigenous plastic kit manufacturer. They specialized in short-run aircraft kits that were quite hard to build but their range included the only accurate RAAF Mirage III O in plastic.

The business was recently sold and moved to Singapore where, in conjunction with PJ Products from Belgium (another 1/72 scale Mirage kit maker but in resin), they have had designed and produced their first long-run injection moulded aircraft kit.

The Model

In my opinion, the Dassault Mirage III is the most beautiful aircraft ever built. A French beauty indeed. So it may come as no surprise to know that I have been hanging out for the last year waiting for this kit. Has it been worth it?

Bloody oath! That’s Australian slang for yes.

First up, there will be three versions. An Aussie III O, Argentine Dagger and Israeli Nesher, all based on the same plastic with different decals and box art. These are also to be sold under the PJ Products label but with resin seat, fin and tanks. There will be other kits based also on these sprues and a III D two seater and 1/48 scale kits are in development.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

The top opening box is rather big and the artwork in my opinion is not the best as because the aircraft is inverted its attractive colour scheme can’t be seen. The size of the box is just as well because the “A” sprue just fits in. This sprue has the 10 main fuselage parts, fin/rudder, gear doors, legs and wheels, tail pipe, centre line drop tank, hard point racks and missile rails plus 10 parts that are not for use in this kit.

“B” has the upper and lower wings, long range and supersonic tanks and again 8 parts not for use in this kit.

Sprue “C” includes the 5 piece seat, combined cockpit tub and front wheel well, fun stick, instrument panel, tail cone, nose cone and probe. Again, there are 14 parts for the other kits.

There is a sprue “E” in the kit but this is a bit of a mystery as the same parts with the same numbers are on sprue “A”.

The clear sprue has the separate wind screen and canopy, gun sight lens and front under carriage landing lights plus the wing screen and two seat canopy.

Decals are the same three schemes as in the original short-run kit but they are new decals with each marking having its own film. The first scheme is A3-16, of 76 Squadron RAAF based at Williamstown, Australia, late 1960-74 in overall aluminium paint and red details. Next is A3-99 in an experimental grey scheme while with 79 Squadron at Butterworth, Malaysia, 1980s. This was a mid-grey top surface with light grey below and a dark grey triangle across the wings and fuselage top but not on the fuselage sides with an olive drab triangle within it. Last is another experimental grey scheme, this time on A3-25 of 75 Squadron RAAF also at Butterworth, 1981-2. It’s a bit hard to explain this scheme so I’ll just say its light and dark grey with the aircraft split into quarters with opposite colours left and right and top and bottom. Most attractive.

Considering the amount of parts that are not used here it would have been handy to have had a parts plan and a list of the parts not for use. I also think the instructions need a bit more detail as it’s not shown how the tail pipe fits between the fuselage halves and the fitment of some other parts is a bit vague. I would have liked to see some weapons supplied but I’m just happy to have the kit for the time being.

This kit is a big improvement over the Revell and Heller kits as far as detail goes and it will be a lot easier to build than the HPM short-run kits plus a lot cheaper than the PJ Products resin kit. A lot of modeller will not take kindly to the Airfix style panel detail but considering this is their first effort of a long run kit I’m most impressed. I’ve bought two already and will be buying more.

Highly Recommended

Kit purchased by reviewer.

Text Copyright © 2012 by Glen Porter
This Page Created on 12 April, 2012
Last updated 12 April, 2012

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Reviews Page