1/48 Mirage 50 “Pantera” Chilean Air Force

Gallery Article by Rodrigo Loyola on Sept 18 2010

Chile Independence Day 

 

Here’s my 1/48 Scale Mirage “Pantera” from the Chilean Air Force, currently retired bird.

The “Pantera” program was an joint effort between the Chilean Air Force, Enaer and the IAI from Israel.  This program included several improvements to the original Mirage 50 airplane, for example, including Canards, a new Elta EL/M2001B radar.  Therefore the modification of the cone of nose and the possibility to utilize missiles Sidewinder or the variant one Israeli Shafrir 2, also the evolution of these in the family Python.

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The model is the old ESCI 1/48 Mirage 5 kit that a good friend give me as a birthday gift (Thanks Roberto Bravo), the panel lines were rescribed by a very good friend of mine (thanks Jaime) and I added some local resin bits (exhaust, ejection seat, IP, Nose, launcher of chaff/flares under the tail), and Paragon Python III Missiles.  Decals are from FCM.  The model was painted with Vallejo model color, thinned with water and the camo was airbrushed  by hand.  The rwr, sensors and antennaes were made from scratch.

I used Dullcote from Testors to seal the model, and weathering was made with pastels.

I hope that you enjoy this model, made specially for the bicentenary of my country, Chile.

It’s a Beauty bird, with its final camo…

I hope you enjoy this bird.

Rodrigo Loyola

Photos and text © by Rodrigo Loyola