Being a great fan of the Mirage 2000, particularly as they buzz my house several times a week, I was very keen to see these decals designed by Felipe C. Miranda of FCM decals based in Brazil. This set contains markings for nine aircraft: two Brazilian, five French and two Peruvian. There are enough stencils to finish on French aircraft and a Peruvian or a Brazilian aircraft. Also included with this release is a set of masks for applying the low visibility Brazilian markings.

Contents.

2.5 x A4 colour side profiles.
1 x A4 colour plan views.
1 x A4 stencil guide.
1 x A4 step by step instructions for using masks.
1 x A5 water slide decal sheet.
1 x small sheet of masks.
1 x small sheet of vinyl.

Markings.
[1] Mirage 2000C -1˚ G.D.A. Esq. Jaguar. Anapolis, Brasil, 2007.
[2]Mirage 2000B - 1˚ G.D.A. Esq. Jaguar. Anapolis, Brasil, 2007.
[3] Mirage 2000C - E.C. 2/005 Ile de France, Orange, France, 2008.
[4] Mirage 2000-5F - E.C. 1/003, SPA 3/103, Cigognes, Dijon, France, 2010.
[5] Mirage 2000DP - Esq.412 Grupo Aéreo 4, La Joya, Peru, 2006.
[6] Mirage 2000B - E.C. 2/15, Ile de France, Orange, France, 2008.
[7] Mirage 2000D - E.C. 2/3 Champagne SPA 102, Soleil de Rhodes, Nancy/Ochey, France, 2010.
[8]Mirage 2000N - E.C. 2/3 Champagne SPA75/67, Nancy, France, 1993.
[9]Mirage 2000P - Esq. 412, Grupo Aéreo 4, La Joya, Peru, 2005.

I have to say that Felipe has chosen the aircraft very well, in that he has provided the opportunity to depict four different camouflage schemes, with the Mirage 2000D [scheme 7] sporting wrap around camouflage. Suggested colours are:
-Schemes 1-6, light blue grey [FS26375] and dark blue grey [FS 25164].
-Scheme 7, dark grey [FS 26152] and dark green [FS 24079].
-Scheme 8, sand brown [FS 33448] and sand yellow [FS 33564].
-Scheme 9, dark brown [FS 30117] and sand [FS33564].
All under surfaces except for scheme 7 are light blue grey [FS26375].
There are some very interesting squadron badges on the French aircraft.
Decals: look superb, thin, good depth of colour and sharp. The printing looks superb with even the smallest written stencils being legible. Stencils are written in both French and Spanish languages. The French insignia are printed with separate blue centers. There are some very interesting squadron badges for the French aircraft, beautifully designed and printed, worth the price of this release alone. The leaping black Panthers on a white background on either side of the top of the fin on the Brazilian aircraft look good as well.
Masks: are for the insignia of the Brazilian aircraft only. There are 15 masks altogether, 12 for the insignia and three for the unit badges backing colour [A]. Masks [B} and [C] are used in conjunction to form the insignia on the upper wings and rear starboard fuselage. Mask [D] is used for the insignia on the rear port fuselage. The insignia detail is finished using a decal. There are no insignia below the wings. There are full instructions on the use of the masks, so it is important you read and understand them carefully. Summarising the process you must:
-Remove the parts of the masking material that are not required.
-Peel the masks from their backing.
-Place the masks on the small sheet of vinyl included with this release.
-Place the mask in the correct location.
-Mask of the area around the mask.
-Apply the paint and allow to dry.
-Peel of the mask.
-Repeat the process where necessary.
-Finish off the insignia with a decal.
The process looks very straightforward and should result in some very effective looking insignia. I have to admit I really like this approach of applying markings and it does have many advantages to applying decals. It might have been an idea to include the insignia for the Brazilian aircraft as decals for those modelers not keen on using the masks.
Instructions: are very good. The colour and camouflage guides are very attractively done. Each aircraft has a port side side view as well as a upper and lower plan view. The only aircraft with a starboard view is the Peruvian aircraft [9]. The reason for this is that all the aircraft have exactly the same camouflage pattern, so it is unnecessary to show both sides of each aircraft. There are notes for each aircraft if there are any variations in markings on the starboard side. The stencil map is very useful and includes upper and lower views, including a separate upper plan view of the front section of the two seater. There are also two side profile of each of the single and two seat aircraft. As mentioned above there are also instructions for applying the stencils.
Suggested kits:
-Mirage 2000B - Heller / Kinetic.
-Mirage 2000C - Heller / Eduard / Italeri.
-Mirage 2000D - Kinetic.
-Mirage 2000N – Kinetic.

Conclusion.

This is a very good release from FCM decals, Felipe C. Miranda has done a fine job selecting these examples and producing such a good product. It looks well researched, Felipe has listed his sources and a lot of time and effort have been spent on them. I could easily dedicate my next two builds based on these decals alone. Nice one Felipe. Any chance of some 1/72 decals on the same subject please.