Dassault Aviation

Hobby Master Learns to Speak French All Over Again

Hobby Master’s 1:72 Mirage 2000-5F Fighter – 2-EB, E.C. 1/003, SPA 3/103, Cigognes, Dijon, France, 2010

Its been years since Hobby Master, the most prolific maker of diecast aircraft models, offered up a rendition of a french-built Dassault Mirage aircraft. As it turns out, it wasn’t because of poor sales figures that resulted in the Company putting the sleek Mirage on the back burner. Rather, it was, as some have long speculated, a result of a licensing dispute with the aircraft maker, which prevented them from making any more models without the expressed written approval of Dassault Aviation. Happily, it would appear as if the dispute has been settled because earlier today we learned that Hobby Master is bringing back the Mirage 2000 for an encore appearance. According to Hobbymastercollector,com, the first model slated to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes is based upon a Mirage 2000-5F jet fighter that was flown by France’s Armée de l’Air and deployed to Dijon, France in 2010.

Now that they have the go-ahead from Dassault, its entirely possible that Hobby Master will be replicating some of the other aircraft Dassault has made famous over the years, including the Super Étendard, Rafale, and Mystere, to name but a few. Interestingly, the Mirage 2000-5F is expected this Spring, meaning Hobby Master must have put their spat with Dassault to bed earlier this year to be this far along in the production process.

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Anatomy of War: Dassault Hints at its 6th Generation Fighter

Heralding its legacy as a pioneer in both civil and military aviation, Dassault Aviation recently unveiled a slick video meant to underscore its past achievements and demonstrate why it too can build the ultimate sixth generation fighter. The video depicts a twin-engine stealth aircraft that will purportedly carry its ordnance internally, much like a F-22 or F-35 fighter. A tailless design with a cranked delta wing configuration, the aircraft will obviously feature stealthy attributes thereby giving it a first-look, first kill advantage over would-be opponents. Other than that, few details emerged from the video, other than to suggest that work has already begun and that both France and Germany will likely be its initial markets, thereby putting it in direct competition with other sixth generation designs being developed at Grumman, Boeing and Lockheed. Check out the video here:

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