by EJW » Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:20 am
I bought the Dassault Mirage III from Skysim nearly a year ago, and I was quite impressed with the product itself.
The package provides a nice variation of exterior models and features the Mirage III and Swiss variations (with canards). The pack also features the Mirage V and the Mirage V recon. variation, so it's hard to get bored with this package.
However, I was slightly disapointed with the interior model. It seems to me as though the Skysim team spent the vast majority of their time on the exterior model and rushed the VC. Most of the panel is good/v.good, but in my opinion there is a real lack of detail in the canopy surroundings (example: it may sound stupid, but the pilots seat looks like it's made of lego...that's how basic it is).
The flight characteristics are quite realistic. At low altitude the handling is poor due to the Mirage IIIs delta wing. For a little while I thought there was something wrong with the package because the Mirage III kept stalling...but then I realised it was down to a faulty pilot, not a faulty aircraft (I had gotten far too used to throwing the Acceleration F/A-18 around).
Also, the SNEMCA Atar turbo jet of the Mirage III is modelled very well. I have not found another aircraft with an engine which feels so powerful. When you slam it on afterburner you can almost feel the G forces!
I really like the Skysim Mirage III because it has a fantastic looking exterior, it's interesting to fly, there are plenty of variations to keep you occupied and the documentation is quite good too.
On the down sides...the VC. It's good, but some areas of it are a little bare. I've also had a few problems with Skysim too. I had/have a problem with the weapons load out, and they never seem to reply to any of my e-mails.
On the whole, I'd give the Skysim Mirage III 82/100. It's a great download...but could do with a couple of small tweeks to make it a real winner!
Thanks for the help!