Honduras high speed mud mover. Mirage IV H

[chrisonord]

This aircraft was originally designed to be used as a fast all weather strike aircraft, primarily tasked with night operations. However, it was found that the aircraft was equally suited to low level high speed day missions, carrying smart munitions, dumb bombs, anti shipping missiles and anti radar weapons. The aircraft is one of 3 purchased indirectly from France, and then given a complete makeover and upgrade by a South African contractor. New engines, glass cockpit, single seat instead of the 2 crew, new avionics and electronic jamming/counter measures, new wing, new radar and greater fuel capacity. The airframe did however retain some of its old parts, the main one being the recess where the single nuclear bomb was carried, this was seen as  useful as it could be modified to carry different sized conformal fuel tanks and recconaisance pods. Six hardpoints have been fitted to both the wings and the rear fuselage, and are able to carry a substantial pay load. The aircraft pictured is carrying 2 AAM's,1 chaff/flare dispenser, 12 Cluster munitions and 10 500LB general purpose bombs as well as a targetting pod fitted to the front fuselage. This aircraft is loaded up for a low level mission against a Cartel staging post 35 miles from the Honduras border. Intel shows large armour and troop concentrations at this base, and the job is to get in quick and low and cause maximum damage to the armoured convoy.






Cheers,
chris. 

[Logan Hartke]

Maybe a bit archaic, but there is something about the old Cold War canopies that are braced down the middle that just makes them look great, like the F-106.  They seem a little sinister, like a medieval helmet or something.  Very nice.

Cheers,

Logan

[PR19_Kit]

That's quite a change on a familiar shape Chris, nice one. 

What's the thinking behind the truncated dorsal spine box?

[chrisonord]

That's quite a change on a familiar shape Chris, nice one. 

What's the thinking behind the truncated dorsal spine box?

The dorsal box is packed with electronics, as is the extra bit along the base of the tail fin. I had tried lots of different canopies that I had spare and none of them would look right and would need way too much surgery to even look remotely right, so I ended up doing what I could with the original canopy. I spent a lot of time just getting the fuselage to line up and stay stuck together properly as it was all twisted.
Chris.

[Army of One]

Great work there Chris.....awesome job on the colour scheme....impressed with the loadout....H

[Thorvic]

That's quite a change on a familiar shape Chris, nice one. 

What's the thinking behind the truncated dorsal spine box?

The dorsal box is packed with electronics, as is the extra bit along the base of the tail fin. I had tried lots of different canopies that I had spare and none of them would look right and would need way too much surgery to even look remotely right, so I ended up doing what I could with the original canopy. I spent a lot of time just getting the fuselage to line up and stay stuck together properly as it was all twisted.
Chris.

Nice Work chris and yes there's quite a number of warped Heller Mirage IV kits out there mainly in the old black boxes

[PR19_Kit]

Nice Work chris and yes there's quite a number of warped Heller Mirage IV kits out there mainly in the old black boxes

Ooer, I better check mine out. 

Did they pull the sprues from the moulds too early then?

[NARSES2]

Always liked the IV and thats a nice take on it 

[bearmatt]

Heavily loaded and looking very fast