Chevalier du Ciel

Mirage IIIE

- Tim Skeet

The Mirage III is one of the most attractive aircraft of that generation of 1960s fighters.Aesthetically pleasing to the eye, effective as a warplane, though short on range, and successful as an export package, the Mirage was certainly chic. The name Mirage alone conjures up something exotic. Over the years there have been plenty of smaller scale models of this elegant delta. I still have the original Airfix Mirage IIIC that I built as a boy. Some may also recall the French TV series shown on UK television in the early 1970s starring the Mirage III, entitled The Aeronauts (Les Chevaliers du Ciel). This series brought the Mirage to the attention of a whole generation of schoolboys. This new, large scale Italeri Mirage definitely caught my eye, offering a refreshing change from some of my more usual recent builds.

The Mirage IIIE/R 1/32 kit comes in a large, deep box with an atmospheric cover picture of a classic French fighter Mirage IIIE turning against a cloudscape. The look of the kit is impressive. There is a good number of options, colours and variants, and a myriad of armament fits. Other options include displaying the beautifully moulded engine as a separate item on a trolley. It’s a comprehensive package.

Before launching into the build I double checked online to see if anyone else had any thoughts on the kit, but the only review I saw at the time was based on a look in the box and could only speculate on the fit. On first inspection the kit certainly appears carefully designed, with a nice, full-colour instruction booklet and comprehensive painting guides to the various finishes. There is plenty of plastic and a brass fret packed included.

The kit offers a good range of six colour options. While I opted for the classic IIIE in