Part 1: First Look

MSRP: $54.95 Web Site: www.eduard.cz With the release of this special edition kit of the Mirage 2000C, Eduard continues its program of breathing new life into the former Heller kits of important modern aircraft. The Mirage 2000 looks fast standing still and is a mainstay at European air shows where its aerial routine is always a crowd pleaser if the numerous pictures of Mirages in high-G turns on www.airliners.net are any evidence. As the primary fighter of the Armee de L'Air and many other nations, the Mirage 2000C, while not ignored by manufacturers, has not benefited from first class treatment; until now. What you receive in this special edition kit is plastic from the ex-Heller Mirage 2000C, an extra sprue from the ex-Heller Mirage 2000N, a resin center-line tank, a resin ejection seat, an Eduard color PE fret, Eduard masks and a large glossy decal sheet. The ex-Heller kit is arguably the best 1/48 Mirage 2000C kit produced, however it is not without its issues and does not stand head and shoulder above the Italeri (retooled ex-Esci kit) and the Revell (Monogram) kit. What the Heller does have is recessed panel lines and accurate representation of details found on the operational aircraft, although the uniformity of detail is spotty. For instance the cockpit and wheel wells are pretty sparse, the ejection seat is acceptable, while the engine has nice relief, and the intakes are deep and thin walled. The kit includes a basic weapons load out of two Matra and two Magic's are included. Curiously, Heller never included a centerline drop tank for this kits (it is in the Mirage B kit) and so Eduard has produced a very nice resin example already on its centerline rack. The extra sprue from the Mirage 2000N kit provides the large drop tanks in order to do the Tiger scheme. These tanks are frequently fitted with the later 2000C aircraft, so except perhaps for the Desert Storm and Indian schemes, will also work with the other French marking provided. The ASMP nuclear missile and its centerline pylon, also from the 2000N kit, go in the spares box since it is not carried on the 2000C. All of the plastic including the clear sprue were in the same bag and many of my parts had separated off and the canopies were scuffed, but nothing major.

The accessories provided are for the most part typical of Eduard kits, with PE, mask and decals. What is unusual in this set is the inclusion of resin, you don't think of Eduard for resin accessories. In addition to the nice centerline tank, Eduard provides a beautifully cast resin seat. Like Aires sets, this ejection seat is mastered to be augmented with PE details from the included fret. The PE colored fret is classic Eduard and is different in layout than the sets previously offered for the Revell (ex-Monogram) and Italeri kits. As would be expected, most of this set goes into sprucing up the Spartan cockpit. The pre-painted PE parts are as always a real marvel and a must for a jet like this. Cockpit detail includes the instrument panel, side consoles, seatbelt details, rudder pedals, the HUD, rear bulkhead details and canopy details. What stands-out in this set is the engine petal details. While the Heller engine is better than many, these details will really make it stand out. Curiously, Eduard does not provide an afterburner as they do in many sets, but in this cast the exhaust is prototypically deep and cast in one piece. Lastly, the fret provides details for the landing gear.

The mask set is typical Eduard; as in most cases it has borders and the remaining area to be painted with liquid mask. This set covers the canopies, wheels, landing lights. It also provides masks to paint the demarcation between the natural metal and standard Mirage camouflage of the Tiger Scheme.

Decals for the Mirage 2000 are hard to come by and Eduard is to be commended to adding six nice schemes to this boxing. The decal sheet provides markings for 5 French and 1 Indian, including: · Mirage 2000C, EC.01.012 Cambresis, Cambrai-Epinoy AFB, In Tiger Meet markings commemorating participation in the tiger meet since 1961. · Mirage 2000C, EC.01.012 Cambresis, Cambrai-Epinoy AFB, 90th Anniversary Scheme (note this squadron has a broken lineage). · Mirage 2000C, EC.02.005 Ile de France, Al Ahsa AB, Operation Desert Storm, 1991. · Mirage 2000C, EC.01.012 Cambresis, Cambrai-Epinoy AFB. · Mirage 2000C, EC.02.005 Ile de France, Orange AFB, 2005. · Mirage 2000H, 1 Sqn Tigers, Ambala AB, Indian AF. Also included is a full set of stencils. The decals are crisp, glossy and in register. The details on the tiger are outstanding and match my photos of the prototype. The only flaw I could find in this set is the fact that the Ile de France band in to dark, it needs to be the lighter blue of French Royalty. What Eduard does not clarify, is whether the planes depicted are Mirage 2000Cs or Mirage 2000-5 the difference is primarily in avionics, but the -5 adds four fuselage weapons stations, 2 forward and 2 aft, outboard the centerline rack. Since you rarely see these fitted at air shows, it is easy to see how Eduard overlooked this detail. By far the tiger scheme is the most complex provided in the kit. The decals provided are comprehensive and includes the vintage bare metal scheme peeling off the fuselage and wings. These "petals" are included as black edged clear decals and cover the boundary area made by the mask. The weak point of this scheme is that Eduard did no go far enough. No masks or decals are provided for the tail, though there are templates to cut your own masks/decals in the back of the instruction sheet. Eduard also does not provide masks or decals for the drop tanks, nor do they provide a template either, just scale drawings of both sides and the rear view of the wing tanks. More advanced modelers should find the decals and references provided sufficient to model this plane. Overall this is a nice rendition of the Mirage 2000. I commend Eduard for not only resurrecting an often hard to find kit, but also by bundling it with sufficient accessories to make it one stop shopping. I hope that the resin, PE and mask accessories become available for those who still have the Heller boxing on the shelf. My thanks to Eduard for providing this review kit Let's see how it builds up…

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