Italeri 1/72 Rafale M, previewed by Spiros Pendedekas

KIT #:	1319
PRICE:	$16.00
DECALS:	Two options
REVIEWER:	Spiros Pendedekas
NOTES:

The Dassault Rafale (literally meaning "gust of wind" or "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide range of weapons, the Rafale is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence missions. It is referred to as an "omnirole" aircraft by Dassault.

THE KIT

Italeri came in 1993 with its new tool Rafale C, followed by addition of new parts, by the navalised Rafale M and the dual seater Rafale B in 1995 and 1998 respectively. Versions of these kits have been reboxed quite a few times by Tamiya, Heller, Hasegawa, Revell and Platz (in two cases as “model sets”, featuring basic color paints, glue and a paintbrush. In 2012 the “M” version was again reissued, this time with upgraded molds, featuring new parts.

The specific kit is the 2012 version, which was a gift from my small but beloved local club for my name day in 2023. It comes in a small, good quality but side opening box, featuring a dramatic boxart of a Rafale flying over the desert during the 2011 Libya Operation.

Upon opening the box, I was greeted with 72 light gray styrene parts neatly arranged in two equally sized sprues. Molding is crisp without any notable flash. Panel lines are mostly raised and finely done. The 1995 origins of the mold indicate that it is based on the prototype maritime Rafale. While present, this is not an extremely big issue, especially for 1/72, as the production machines did not vary that significantly.

Cockpit, though not overly detailed, is sufficiently represented for the scale and the ejection seat is acceptable. Landing gear is well done; though there is some good detail molded on the nose bay, the main bays are totally flat (which might not be a big issue, since their openings are small. The exhausts are well represented with sufficient depth. Stores include a pair of wingtip mounted Magic missiles, a pair of fuselage mounted Meteors and a pair of the characteristically shaped wing tanks.

Transparencies are tad on the thick side, but well molded and crystal clear. Instructions, as expected by Italeri, are very well done, coming in the form of a b/w printed 8-page pamphlet, containing a short history of the type, a sprues map, a color chart, with the construction logically spread in 8 clear and concise steps.

Two Flotille 12F overall gray schemes are provided, one for a Landivisiau Brittany machine and one operating from Charles de Gaulle carrier during the 2011 Libya operation. Colors are provided in FS numbers, in Model Master and Italeri codes and in generic form. Decals are superbly printed by Zanchetti Buccinasco and, though almost 15 years old, look as good as new.

Instructions want you to first assemble the cockpit and, together with the canards, trap them between the fuselage halves. The nose is next, where you are instructed to secure 10 gr of weight. I would add a bit more, just to be sure. The intakes are then assembled and attached, followed by the vertical stabilizer, exhausts, landing gear, external stores, transparencies and few small bits, ending a definitely uncomplex and pleasant looking build.

Though dated and superseded by the latest and greatest Hobby Boss offering, this is still an acceptable kit of the navalised Rafale. Molding is crisp, detail is sufficient, transparencies are clear and instructions are superb, as are the decals. Panel lines are raised, but this might not be a problem for a number of us. Finally, the fact that the mold is closer to the prototype is not a great issue for the scale.

Construction itself is uncomplex, deeming it suitable for less experienced modelers. If found at a good price, this is a kit worth tackling.