I picked up an ESCI 1/48 Mirage 2000 C kit at an Evanston hobby shop for 13 bucks. The decals are surprisingly good for such a cheap kit, and everything fits extremely nicely. So what’s the deal: is it bad, old, or just a screaming deal???
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Depending on which issue of the kit it is, you may have gotten really good deal. This is the same kit that Italeri has reissued for a much higher price tag. As you have seen, the decal are nice. I cant testify to fit, as I have not built one, only the Monogram one. But it sounds like a reasonable deal to me.
Keep in mind that it’s an old kit. IIRC it dates back to the early 80’s/ If it’s in an original ESCI branded (not ESCI/ERTL) box, I’d put the kit at pre-1990, so I would be considering applying a coat of MicroScale Liquid Decal Film to the decals before they hit the water. [;)]
If it’s like most ESCI Kits, the general shapes will be ok, but not super-accurate. This is something of a generalisation though. Let me guess… It’s moulded in a funky metallic grey styrene?
it actually might be, cuz it says it’s made in italy, and the fits for everything are exellent.
italeri-type-thing, i mean
also, it’s molded in gray, but it’s pretty flat…
the decals are for france or greece
The big test will be to see how the wing assembly fits to the fuselage. One of the biggest (literally) problems I’ve had with both ESCI and Italeri kits is the huge gaps that sometime result between the wings and fuselage. Italeri’s Eurofighter had this problem and the ESCI F-4E Phantom gap was so large that I tossed the kit.
As for the Mirage 2000, I have the Italeri kit but haven’t built it yet. I have built the Monogram version, but I wasn’t happy with my paint combination (36622 and 35164). That will be your number one problem…Finding the correct colors. The only references I can find that seem to agree on the proper colors are Two Bobs and Astra Decals. But they state the colors as 36373 and 36375, and I know for a fact that’s not even close to correct. Those two shades are almost the same!
http://www.colorserver.net/showcolor.asp?fs=36375+36373
Italeri recommends 36375 and 35164, but both colors seem a bit too dark for me. And the 36622 I used on my Monogram seems too light! UGH![bnghead]. I refuse to build my Italeri kit until I find THE BEST combo of colors (without having to mix paints) to use. If I find a good one, I will post it on the boards!
well, the wings fit fine. i just installed them about 15 minutes ago, and they fit very well. also, about the color thing, i tend to paint my models as custom things: my hawker hunter was “hell’s angels”, my f-22 was and international “black cat”, my m3a1 was a soviet version, and my mirage is gonna be a “redwing blackbird” if i can get more paint (just ran out of gloss black paint, so i need to get more)
If you have access to the Xtracolor line, they make the proper colors for the Mirage 2000. Those are what I used on my Monogram one I finished earlier this year.
The lighter color is similar to 36440, but I really done know what to call for the darker blue gray.
Vallejo also has a “French Mirage Blue” (#70900) in their ModelColor line. Not sure if that’s the appropriate colour, but it looks close. (Hard to tell from the online colour chips as Vallejo in particular, often looks quite different in the flesh.)
Stikpusher, that actually looks very good! My decal sheet mentions those Xtracolor paints, but has them listed as 36373 and 36375, which just didn’t seem right. But, having seen the result you got from them, I think I will go with Xtracolor!
I seriously need to go on a paint shopping spree, cuz all I paint my models with right now are Testors brushpaints… Are those airbrushes that don’t have air compressors but use cans of stuff for propellant good? Also, I need a good, cheap decal set for the Mirage, because I already put the decals on and I would like to airbrush it…
The propellant cans are not a cost effective deal. If you can afford a compressor, try for a compressed air bottle you can get refilled with CO2. You wont have teh humidity issues that you get with a compressor and refills ar supposedly inexpesnive.
i built one and really enjoyed doing so; i’m sure you will too. i don’t usually go near jets so i can’t comment on how “right” it is or isn’t but it went together sweetly from what i remember. good luck- s.