New-Tool 1/72 Mirage 2000C from Modelsvit
CHRIS CLIFFORD reviews Modelsvit's new-tool Mirage 2000C, which fills a big gap in the 1/72 jet fighter market.
It’s funny how quality kits of some aircraft are available in, say, 1/48 scale but a 1/72 equivalent remains elusive (or it happens the other way around). This can certainly be said of the Dassault Mirage 2000C…until now. In a move that will delight French Air Force fans the world over, Ukrainian firm Modelsvit has released a 1/72 example and it’s packed with detail.
Previously, just Airfix/Heller offered a Mirage 2000C kit (1970s-80s vintage), along with Italeri, in this scale. The former suffers from sparse detail and raised panel lines, although the outline looked good, while the latter model (first tooled in 1992) has suspect dimensions. However, Modelsvit’s kit is a bustling affair with refined moulding, and engraved panel lines… and it’s a world apart from what has gone before.
Above: Modelsvit appears to have captured the curves of the 2000C beautifully.
Above: The cockpit is busy, thanks in part to a multi-piece ejection seat and well-appointed rear bulkhead.
Starting with the cockpit, this area benefits from a well-appointed six-part Martin-Baker Mk.10 ejection seat, dressed with photo-etched (PE) metal belts. The provided PE fret also carries an instrument panel facing and side consoles, a chaff and flare dispenser, fuel tank fins, VOR antennas, a canopy mirror and other items. Instrument dials are supplied on the decal sheet and these are to be sandwiched between the plastic panel and the PE facing.
The cockpit rear bulkhead is liberally detailed with integrally moulded electrical boxes and cabling, and three separate parts are glued to the cockpit floor to form the nose undercarriage bay, itself also beautifully rendered with hydraulic lines and other features. This type of embellishment also appears on the mainwheel bays too.
A pleasing provision is that of two individual vertical tails – a standard unit for French 2000Cs, and another sporting radar warning receivers as employed on Hellenic Air Force airframes (and those of some other air arms). Separate flying surfaces are present for attachment to the trailing edge of the delta wing, along with the associated actuator fairings. Another reason this kit knocks older equivalents out of the park is the undercarriage; the legs are very well replicated, as are the one-piece wheel/tyre parts, with brake units featuring, as well as a weighted effect being moulded into the tyres. Items such as oleo scissors are small and delicate, and will arguably test less-experienced modellers. There is also an inner engine exhaust tube, to which you fit the outer nozzle, the latter coming in three parts. A welcome provision is that of vinyl masks, with which to mask the glazing, wheels and (for one colour scheme) a painted false canopy outline under the forward fuselage.
All the type’s air-to-air weaponry is catered for on a generic runner, which is also labelled as being for the upgraded 2000-5F, which can be identified externally by its lack of a nose pitot tube, and the carriage of MBDA MICA missiles. These stores are provided on this catch-all parts frame (both infrared and radar versions) but are technically for use on the -5F… the subject of Modelsvit’s forthcoming kit 72072. Also present are classic Matra Super 530F long-range missiles, and Magic R.550 short-range missiles. Two wing fuel tanks, and one for the centreline, also feature. Markings for five colour schemes are provided, and the decals have good register, are thin and glossy, and have generally good colour saturation – although the Indian national insignia could have exhibited a more orange tone to be truly accurate. The liveries, all but one being standard air defence two-tone grey, are:
- 2000C, 59/5-OB, EC 2/5 ‘Ile de France’, Armée de l’Air, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, 1990
- 2000C, 74/5-OP, EC 2/5 ‘Ile de France’, Armée de l’Air, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, 1991 (desert camouflage)
- 2000C, 80/330-AS, EC 5/330, Centre d’Expériences Aériennes Militaires, NATO Tiger Meet, Cambrai-Epinoy, France, May 1993
- 2000H, KF123, 7 Squadron ‘Battle Axe’, Indian Air Force, Gwalior-Maharajpur, India, December 2012
- 2000EG, 226, 332 MPK (All-Weather Squadron) ‘Geraki’, 114 PM (Fighter Wing), Hellenic Air Force, Tanagra, Greece, November 2014
The issuing of a new Mirage 2000C will undoubtedly prompt potential purchasers to consider the many special schemes worn by the type over the years. If you fancy a real splash of colour rather than an indistinct ‘line’ jet, French aftermarket decal firm Syhart has released various ‘specials’ for 1/72 single-seat 2000s, and they are:
- Sheet 058 – French AF, 2000C 117/103-LD Retirement EC 2/12 Picardie, July 2009
- Sheet 063 – French AF, 2000C 80/103-LI, NATO Tiger Meet 2010, EC 1/12 ‘Cambresis’
- Sheet 072 – French AF, Last Flight BA103 Cambrai-Epinoy 2012 Pt.1, 2000C 88/103-KV SPA 162, and 2000C 85/103-LK ESTA 2E.012
- Sheet 073 – French AF, Last Flight BA103 Cambrai-Epinoy 2012 Pt.2, 2000C 103-YN, 60 Years and Retirement EC 1/12’Cambresis’
- Sheet 087 – French AF, 2000C 113/12-YO, NATO Tiger Meet 2005
- Sheet 105 – French AF, 2000-5F 43/2-EJ ‘Vieux Charles’ EC 1/2 ‘Cigognes’ 2017, death of Capt George Guynemer centenary
- Sheet 106 – Hellenic AF, 2000EGM 239, 25 Years 332 Squadron, Tanagra, November 2014
- Sheet 107 – Peruvian AF, 2000P 060, 25 Years Mirage 2000 412 Esc, 2010
- Sheet 108 – French AF, 2000-5F 57/188-ET, 70 Years EC3/11 ‘Corse’ 2-13 and 2000-5F 45/188-EF 100 Years SPA 88 EC 3/11 ‘Corse’ 2017
For more on Syhart decals visit: https://www.syhartdecal.fr
It doesn’t take much time studying this 2000C kit to appreciate it’s an admirable effort, and it fills a large gap in the market. Modelling possibilities abound for those devoted to building French Air Force subjects, as well as anyone wishing to tackle export versions. And if you favour special schemes, the decal sheets from Syhart and Modelsvit’s plastic are the perfect combination.
For more information on this and other Modelsvit kits, visit: https://www.modelsvit-eshop.com
