IsraDecal | Israeli Air Force Mirage IIIC - Shahak
Reviewed by Dave Williams
IsraDecal’s new IAF-94 sheet contains markings for the Israeli Mirage IIIC, known as the Shahak. One of the earliest and most famous users of the early Mirage III, the Shahaks had a 20-year career from the early '60s into the early '80s. Originally serving in Natural Metal Finish (NMF), they later gained desert camouflage (with and without yellow and black ID triangles to prevent misidentification with Egyptian Mirages) and a few were painted in the air superiority ghost grey scheme late in life. Also during their life, the original Atar 9B engine with the 2 piece eyelid exhaust nozzle was replaced by the Atar 9C with a more conventional 18 segment round nozzle. The IsraDecal sheet contains all options for all three color schemes.
The decals consist of a main sheet and two smaller sheets covering stenciling, squadron badges, kill markings, and tail numbers. The set includes two sets of national markings and it appears that there is sufficient stenciling to do one NMF bird and one camouflaged bird from one set. The yellow and black ID triangles will need to be painted on those aircraft that need them. The comprehensive instruction booklet includes black and white and color photos of actual aircraft in addition to specific marking profiles. Profiles are included for the following specific aircraft, although other aircraft could be pieced together from the included numbers.
- #295, The First Fighter Squadron, 1970, NMF, 8 kills, Atar 9B
- #745, The First Jet Squadron, 1967, NMF, 3 kills, Atar 9B
- #758, The Bat Squadron, 1969, NMF, 3 kills, Atar 9B
- #778, The Bat Squadron, 1967, NMF, 5 kills, Atar 9B
- #766, The Bat Squadron, 1970, desert camo, 5 kills, Atar 9B
- #159, The First Fighter Squadron, 1975, desert camo w/ ID triangles, 12 (13?) kills, Atar 9C
- #144, The Negev Squadron, 1980, air superiority camo, 6 kills, Atar 9C
- #103, The Negev Squadron, 1982, air superiority camo, 8 kills, Atar 9C
- #129, The Negev Squadron, 1980, desert camo, 2 kills, Atar 9C
- #150, The Negev Squadron, 1982, desert camo, 6 kills, Atar 9C
The decals appear very thin and in register. The only minor nitpick I see is that the camouflage diagram for the air superiority grey scheme is printed in black and white, which makes it a little hard to see the demarcation lines between the two colors. Highly Recommended.
© Dave Williams 2016
This review was published on Monday, March 21 2016; Last modified on Monday, March 21 2016