The PJ Production company from Belgium makes some very nice resin aircraft kits as well as resin aftermarket accessories for aircraft and lots of pilot and ground crew figures. This set provides a very comprehensive set of weapons for the Mirage III/5 aircraft. The set includes; Matra R-550 Magic 2 and AIM-9B Sidewinder AAMs as well as JL-100, LAU-32 and LRF-4 rocket pods. Also included are a Barrax, a Barracuda 2 and a Phimat pod. I believe that the first two are ECM pods and the latter is a chaff dispenser. Finally, a pylon is provided for the centerline of the fuselage. This can carry either two STRIM Bombs or two Alkan P-65 Adaptors for bombing practice. In each case, the proper French pylon is included. This weapons set can be used to outfit several Mirage models and other French aircraft. These parts are nicely molded in resin and require very little clean-up.

Air-to-Air Missiles

The set provides two AIM-9B Sidewinder and two MATRA R-550 Magic 2 missiles. Naturally, the proper French pylons are provided. The Sidewinder is very finely molded and could be substituted for many clunky kit Sidewinders. The Magic 2 pylons are interesting, the lower parts of the pylons tilt outboard 45°. This may be to provide clearance or for aerodynamic reasons.

LAU-32 and LRF 4 Rocket Pods

Two of each of these rocket pods are provided along with two CES-3 pylons with the proper adaptor. I could not find any reference to these pods. They look similar to the Matra 116 or 155 pods only smaller. Still mean looking.

Phimat Chaff Dispenser

The Phimat Chaff Dispenser is mounted to one of the CES-3 pylons and mounted under the Mirage right wing toward the tip. A quick check on the internet reveals that the Phimat is also used on British Jaguar and Harrier aircraft and probably others. The directions indicate that the Phimat is painted Blue Gray. Photos on the internet show it to be painted silver, green or other colors.

Barrax and Barracuda 2 ECM Pods

According to the instruction sheet, either of these two pods are mounted under the left wing. Like the Phimat, a CES-3 pylon is provided to mount whichever one the modeler chooses.

JL-100 Drop Tank/Rocket Pack

Two of the unique MATRA JL-100 drop tank/rocket packs are provided mounted to their specific CRP-18 pylons. These provide a combination of a 250 L drop tank with a rocket launcher containing 19 68 mm SNEB folding fin rockets. Mirage fighters carry these packs on their outboard fuel tank positions. These are also used by the Royal Saudi Air Force English Electric Lightnings in the over-wing positions. This would be interesting.

PM3 Ventral Pylon

This pylon mounts on the centerline of the airplane in place of the center drop tank. It can carry either two STRIM bombs or two Alkan P65 Bomb Training pods. I suspect that the STRIM bombs are 400 kg. The Alkan P65 adapters usually carry 3 small practice bombs – not included. Note, these can also be painted dark green if desired.

Conclusion

This set is a great value for the money. The parts are crisply molded in resin. They require some minor clean-up but the final result looks great on your model. The biggest problem that I found was finding good reference material on the items. My library had two good references; Mirage V Lock On and the Mirage III War Data. I had no problems with the individual items and I now have enough unique parts for several Mirages. A big thank you to PJ Production for supplying this great weapons set. This set can be purchased directly from PJ Production and also from Hannants. Well recommended.