This is the
Italeri Rafale M kit. I represented the only decal option offered by the
kit : the Rafale M01 (M stands for Marine which means Navy) which is the
first prototype at the beginning of its career in the early nineties.
The markings
represent the aircraft after her first trial campaign at Patuxent River
and at Lakehurst during July and August 1992.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The Italeri
kit has some mistakes. First, the fine raised panel lines are 90% wrong as
they are made from the Rafale A demonstrator aircraft which is totally
different from prototypes and operational aircrafts. So they are totally
redone to make it accurate.
The cockpit is
wrong too and has to be totally redone with scratchbuilding. Ejection seat
has nothing to see with a MB Mk10, so it's replaced by a resin Pavla seat.
Also regarding
the many antennas which are misplaced or absent, they are added or replaced at
the right place. The nose landing gear is also detailed and the canopy is
redone using thermoforming to have it thinner.
Fuel tanks
weren't used as they also are inaccurate for a Rafale M. MICA EM missiles
are also provided in the box but they weren't used at that time (first
MICA shots during June 1995).
The model is painted using Gunze
H307 (FS36320). The Magic II missile and the wheel wells are painted Gunze H308
(FS36375). Landing gears are semi-mat aluminium. The canopy was tainted with a mix
of Gunze H95 smoke grey and H91 clear yellow and the exhausts are painted H76 and
weathered with mixes of aluminium paints.
Decals for the flag on the tail
were too big, they were cut to the right size.
Click on
images below to see larger images
This is the only 1/72 kit of this
aircraft available, if you want to make an accurate operational aircraft of it,
you'll need to fix a lot of details (chaff flares, refueling probe, ejection
seat, etc, etc...) and also a good Zotz decal sheet.
PS
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