Beautiful scheme, nice-looking bird -- but she's a tail-dragger (see rollover image).
Here we have yet ANOTHER first from Hobby Master -- a Mirage in 1:72! This model came to me direct from HM, fresh off the
assembly line (I swear I smelled fresh paint!), and it should be hitting retail by the end of August.
I must admit I know little about this particular airframe, I simply think the delta wing configuration is very cool and it fills a gap in the
modern 1:72 warbird collection. It looks superb on the shelf and the paint job and stenciling are top-notch!
Unfortunately, the nose gear is a bit too long I think and the bird has a major tendency to sit on its butt... something that could be
fixed with a little filing I presume. If it came with a pilot figure in the cockpit I could pretend it was taking off... but alas, it does not (why?
the MiG-21 does...??). Also, which is very strange for a HM release, this model does not have a gear door for the nose wheel in a
closed configuration -- but it does have doors for the remaining gear. (This is something I would expect from IXO, certainly, but not HM.
All I was told was this issue would be fixed with future releases.) I prefer to display my birds "parked" so it's not a big deal for me, really.
But it is a head-scratcher...
On the plus side, the must debated HM panel line wash is much more subtle than with previous models, and I think it adds more to
the look of the model than it detracts from it -- but you'll have to be the judge. The darker paint background certainly helps in this regard.
All the external stores are optional and attach as one piece (weapon and pylon are molded together). And HM molded the struts for the
gear as one piece, too, so no more fiddling with very small pieces as with the MiG and 104. Two canopy options are included for
half-open and closed looks, too.
Overall, I think this is a nice model that I would recommend, with the caveat that future releases will come with improvements. This
paint scheme, however, is very striking and thus, makes the model worth consideration.
Recommended.
assembly line (I swear I smelled fresh paint!), and it should be hitting retail by the end of August.
I must admit I know little about this particular airframe, I simply think the delta wing configuration is very cool and it fills a gap in the
modern 1:72 warbird collection. It looks superb on the shelf and the paint job and stenciling are top-notch!
Unfortunately, the nose gear is a bit too long I think and the bird has a major tendency to sit on its butt... something that could be
fixed with a little filing I presume. If it came with a pilot figure in the cockpit I could pretend it was taking off... but alas, it does not (why?
the MiG-21 does...??). Also, which is very strange for a HM release, this model does not have a gear door for the nose wheel in a
closed configuration -- but it does have doors for the remaining gear. (This is something I would expect from IXO, certainly, but not HM.
All I was told was this issue would be fixed with future releases.) I prefer to display my birds "parked" so it's not a big deal for me, really.
But it is a head-scratcher...
On the plus side, the must debated HM panel line wash is much more subtle than with previous models, and I think it adds more to
the look of the model than it detracts from it -- but you'll have to be the judge. The darker paint background certainly helps in this regard.
All the external stores are optional and attach as one piece (weapon and pylon are molded together). And HM molded the struts for the
gear as one piece, too, so no more fiddling with very small pieces as with the MiG and 104. Two canopy options are included for
half-open and closed looks, too.
Overall, I think this is a nice model that I would recommend, with the caveat that future releases will come with improvements. This
paint scheme, however, is very striking and thus, makes the model worth consideration.
Recommended.
Hobby Master 1:72 Air Power Series
HA1601: Dassault Mirage 2000C, 5-NJ/49, EC 1/5, Saudi Arabia 1991 Released: July, 2007
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| Score: 3 (out of 5) Collectibility: Low Price (MSRP): $30 Production Run: Unlimited Catalog Number: Ha1601 |
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