Special Hobby’s reissued 1/72 Mirage F1CR is even more versatile than it first appears, says CHRIS CLIFFORD.
I’ve been a Mirage fan for decades and covet all sub-types from this family. A standout member is the F1 as it isn’t a delta-winged machine, as is its Mirage III/IV/2000 brethren. Anyone keen on the F1 was surely delighted when Special Hobby began issuing new toolings of the type from 2016; I was gleeful at the prospect.
Most boxings came with generic runners (ensuring a worthy cache of spares for future employment), but also specific decal sheets and, occasionally, resin extras. The fourth iteration was the recce-focused Mirage F1CR (SH 72347) and that has now been reissued in exactly the same format. Three colour schemes allow replication of earlier-service airframes up to 1990. However, when eagle-eyed fans of this multi-role variant inspect the runners, it becomes obvious that by employing (and tweaking) the F1CT vertical stabiliser also present, you can portray a late-service F1CR with modernised radar warning receivers, although you may need to source new markings via the aftermarket.
Above: The presence of two vertical stabilisers with different radar-warning receiver fairings allows the replication of early-…
