Ian M's PR Mosquito XVI Airfix, 1/48

[Ian M]

So after a shed load of armour builds...Well a handful then, I feel the need to get some wind under my wings.
This is my entry for this GB:

Its that rather old and rather odd boxing in which there at first glance looks to contain not one but two kits. Alas there is in fact only one and a halv kits.
The contents of the box:

This first picture is the whole lot, the older parts at the rear and the newer parts towards the front. To build this kite, parts from both are needed. AND THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!




The newer parts, to make the PR version are thankfully well moulded and with recessed panel lines, the few that there are on the wooden wonder that is.
So a start was made and after an hour we are already there where the paint will need to start flying!

The cockpit parts are ready for a squirt of primer and painting as is the inside of the fuselage.

By no means a Tamiya detailed kit but the detail is quite good and reasonable sharp. Which is more than can be said of the two crew figures that look like the usual Airfix pilot figures of that era

More later. I might even get some paint on it later today!

Cheers

[papa 695]

Nice one Ian, it does look a nicely detailed kit.

[yak face]

Wow a lot of bits there Ian! If the cockpit detail is anything to go by the new parts look very nice ,perfectly reasonable level of detail for a closed canopy. Are you going to do the box art scheme? , I rather like that . Cheers tony

[Ian M]

Are you going to do the box art scheme? , I rather like that . Cheers tony

Nope! I am allergic to stars and bars.... O.o
Saw a rather nice image, which I cant find again (!) think it was a 455 squadron that flew the last mission out of Singapore. PR blue with the light sea grey top surfaces (a la "the Last" Spitfire PR which does look rather nice.

[Mr Bowcat]

Fair few bits in the box Ian, should be a nice build.

[Ian M]

Well two things have happened today that has seen me planted in the hobby room.
The first is it has been piddling down with rain all morning. The second is the old sciatica set off today. All I did was bend down to pick a very wet cat up to dry him off!
So that aside:

First mistake! The aircraft I have is mind is not a XVI but a mk34! bugger. So the camera port I put in the side has to go. Put a patch in the inside and I am slowly adding filler t'outside.

Fortunately that bomb-bay doors used for the cookie carrier XVI is exactly what they used for the 34. Instead of the cookie bomb it was filled with extra fuel tanks and some rather large (F54) cameras. Made the door panel line a bit deeper and drilled the holes for the camera ports.

Got the legs stuck together as well. I did my usual trick of cutting the plastic 'axel' off and drilled out the clamps and cut a bit of brass tube to use instead. Thus being able to paint the wheels and stuts then put them in place after the fact. My biggest gripe is that the mud guards are rather thick. Other than that an OK pair of legs!

Figured out which bits of wing are needed. They are now setting up.

The underwing tanks where a tiny bit off at the seam, so a good dab of filler ended up hiding that. Also you can just make out that there is glass in the camera ports! Not the best of solutions as they should be flush to the outside.... Hmm Not to late to change that. Not to sure how though. Any suggestions?
Now time for a pill and a sandwich.
Laters.

[boatman]

HI Ian I know you are the builder of this mossie an you do what pleases you but I must admit I was quite taken with a mossie with stars an bars as ive never seen one done in them coulors an markins an I think it would be a very unuasual plane something different an I was a bit dissappionted that you chose not to do it :disappointed2:
chris

[Ian M]

Sorry Chris. I just can't bring myself to put the US markings on a Great British Icon. It would be like putting a Rolls Royce badge on a BMW..... Oh! wait. lol

Oh I solved the camera port conundrum; I have the remains from the other Mk XVI I built an age back so I have a little stock pile of the little beggars. As I write the glue is setting on the one's I have fitted.

[Jim R]

Hi Ian
Strange kit with those extra bits. Looks to have quite nicely detailed parts. Mind you I doubt it will compare favourably with Dave's Tamiya kit :rolling:
Jim

[flyjoe180]

Will watch the build Ian. Agree with you, a Mosquito should be in roundels :thumb2:

[Guest]

a Mosquito should be in roundels :thumb2:

That is almost a challenge to build one with markings as far from roundels as you can get …

(Though, technically, the US(A)AF emblem is a roundel too. In aircraft marking terminology, almost any nationality marking is a roundel regardless of its shape, AFAIK, but not in heraldry, where it needs to be circular in shape.)

[boatman]

That is almost a challenge to build one with markings as far from roundels as you can get …

(Though, technically, the US(A)AF emblem is a roundel too. In aircraft marking terminology, almost any nationality marking is a roundel regardless of its shape, AFAIK, but not in heraldry, where it needs to be circular in shape.)

YES I aggree Jakko I think it would look great an as I said in my earlier post something diffierent an a challenge for the builder I would but got two big kits to build as it is an its besides building my tiger
SO ANYONE GONNA BUILD ONE IN US (A)AF colours come on guys an surprise me :smiling3:
THE GAUNLET has been THROWN DOWN for anyone to challenge :rolling:
chris

[Ian M]

Moving along...
Have started throwing paint around and can soon start to close her up. There are a couple of issues that have come up though. Before we get into that though he is a picture of what I am actually trying to match.

Loaned from the net.

Right then. Issue number one.

The nacelles. They are built up together with the undercadrige. making is impossible to build them up and paint then add the legs. I am sure that when I have built the Tamiya ones, I have been able to work around that. Hmph! As it is now I look at the struts in place they seem short...Add this to the rather chunky details and I might just build this one wheels up.
The pilots seat...

They are good enough and even have the brace for the belts. Pity there are no belts in the decals. OK I could make them I guess but I'm just a grumpy git today! (my sciatica is giving me gyp big time!)

The props turend out OK so that's a good thing.
On the minus side I had forgotten just how many panels and frames there are on the canopy.... More about that later.....Need to find some clear decal paper.......

Back later.

[flyjoe180]

Gear up and in that scheme, your Mosquito will look great Ian. Just means adding a pilot, which in turn means you can dispense with the straps :thumb2:

[Ian M]

Gear up and in that scheme, your Mosquito will look great Ian. Just means adding a pilot, which in turn means you can dispense with the straps :thumb2:

You have a point there about the pilots. However the one in the kit is more like a melted blob of plastic.
I have had a better look at things and should be able to 'work around' the legs... lol.