Reviewed by Sinuhe Hahn

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Robert Schneider (MC-ONE : www.mc-one.ch ) from the “Matterhorn Circle( www.matterhorncircle.ch.vu ) obviously has a great affection for the Mirage. In his latest release he has produced a decal sheet for the solitary Mirage IIIC as used by the Swiss Air Force.
 
As the Mirage IIIE, which was to serve as the basis for the Swiss Mirage IIIS, was still in development, the Swiss Air Force purchased a single Mirage IIIC to initiate their testing of this aircraft and its compatibility with the weapons system they had chosen, namely the American AIM-26B Falcon missile, which was used in the USAF F-102 and F-106 delta winged fighters. The only major difference between the Swiss and USAF systems, was that the former were not nuclear capable.
 
Since the airframe of the Mirage IIIC was determined to be too small to accommodate the complex electronic arrays and larger radar required for the operation of the Falcon missile system, J-2201 was largely used to examine whether this missile could actually be released by the Mirage in flight. Consequently, J-2201 performed a large number of dummy drops in Cazaux, France. These were proudly displayed on both sides of the nose.
 
Following these trials J-2201 performed a number of duties, including acting a target tug.
 
In its later life J-2201 was painted in a number of rather garish schemes, the most famous of which was “Bluemli”, which boasted day-glow red and orange stripes and a large sunflower on the belly.
 
Currently, J-2201, is on display at the Swiss Air Force Museum in Duebendorf, in its original natural metal finish and host of mission markings.
 
The Alps decal sheet produced by MC-ONE is on par with the best I have seen to date, with the reds being very opaque and the whites being very solid. MC-ONE, however, does much to raise the bar concerning accurate instructions concerning decal placement, especially the smaller stencils.

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

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Care is also taken to address small peculiarities such as the Swiss tri-lingual danger markings for the ejection seat.  The instruction sheet is also complemented with a number of small photos of J-2201 in various stages of its service life.

 

 

Conclusion

 

The re-release of the Mirage IIIC in 1/48 scale by Eduard was warmly welcomed by delta winged enthusiasts.

Although decals are available for French, Israeli and South African machines, this is the first decal sheet to address the only other user of the Mirage IIIC, the Swiss Air Force. As such, it fills this gap very nicely.

Now if only Eduard would release a decent Mirage IIIE!!

Highly Recommended.

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A full price list of this and their other products is available on MC-ONE’s  website http://www.mc-one.ch . Orders may be placed via email.