1:48 Mirage IVP n°57 CD Dissolution EB 2/91 Bretagne 1964-1996

The end of an era over Brittany

The disbanding of a flying unit tends to be a quiet affair, but the French Air Force prepared striking markings for it every time. The year 1996 closed more than three decades of operation by one of the bomber units, and the carrier of the commemorative artwork became the Mirage IVP with the number 57 and the code CD. It is this guise of the machine that the sheet presented here reproduces.

What the years tell

The pair of years 1964 and 1996 frames the whole time of the unit's existence in connection with this type. The first year covers the introduction of the supersonic carrier into service; the second year means the end of activity. The artwork therefore recalls not a jubilee but a farewell, and that shows in its design as well.

The practical side of the build

The long fuselage of the Mirage IV offers large continuous areas without disturbing panels, so the commemorative graphics settle comfortably. Trickier are the transitions on the fin and around the air intakes, where the surface is curved in two directions. There it has proved best to lay the motif dry first, note the position and only then, after soaking, to tilt it into its final place. Apply the decal softening solution in layers, not all at once.

For collectors of carriers

Markings connected with the end of operation are made in small batches and tend to be hard to obtain after a while. Anyone building a survey of French airborne carriers in a large scale usually reaches for them before the ordinary operational markings. A two-seat supersonic bomber moreover stands out by its size next to single-engined fighters in a display case and draws attention even without a colorful coat.