Tail-Dragon

Thanks a lot, it was a fun "old school" build. Here's a couple of more photo's of the original that might come in handy with your build ...

Airfix’s 1980 kit of the 1/48 Mosquito FB VI converted to a Molins’ 57mm Mk XVIII ‘TseTse' sub-hunter. The main gun was a standard British Army 6 pounder anti-tank gun, fitted with an auto loader and could fire 25 rounds in 20 seconds! The .303 machine guns were reduced to 2 (for sighting purposes) and an additional 900 pounds of armour were added. 26 were so modified. The kit was rescribed, the small scoops and the carb intakes on the engine nacelles were opened up, and a scratch built gunsight, details and wiring were added to the cockpit. The propeller blades were reshaped and the spinner openings reduced. The mods required were adding the late style bulged canopy, removing the 20mm cannons and shell chutes, and replacing with brass tubing for the 57mm cannon, breech fairing from spare pieces of bombs and missiles, breech hatch and shell eject chute from plastic sheet, reinforced inboard flaps with strip, and adding additional armour plate to nose I used Eduard brass seatbelts, a Squadron vacuform late style bulged canopy, Griffon etch carb intake screens, and a lot of plastic sheet, strip, brass tubing, and assorted bomb/missile parts for the breech fairing. Paints are Tamiya Acrylic and markings are a mix of Aeromaster nationality, Barracudacal stencils, Aviaeology serials, and masking and painting for the “O”. Weathering is with oil paints and pastels. Hope you like.

Actually, it's not PRU blue (that illusion is probably due to my lighting) I used Tamiya's Ocean Grey. In the photo's the Mossie is in an Intruder scheme (it was built up from an existing FB VI) of Sea Grey Medium/Dark green, but the modified sections were a darker colour and I was guessing at Ocean Grey. By the way, it's the 1980's issue of the 1/48 Mosquito, not a 1/72 kit.

Continued on this thread ... http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235034028-mosquito-xviii-tse-tse/

Well, I think I'm about ready to call this one done. The old Airfix kits can build up rather well despite being 38 years old! I'll post more photo's over on "Ready for inspection" later, here's some for now, hope you like. Colin

Well, I've got the Mossie markings on, a mix of Aeromaster, Barracuda stencils, and masking and spraying (the red/white "O"). After a flat coat will come the pastels ... I think the "O" came out rather well ...

I had a simple mnemonic for this Red left port, and I visualized a Russian freighter leaving Murmansk (I know, it's stupid) but the visualization worked, and I never forgot which was which.

I'm starting the weathering on my 1/48 Airfix Mossie converted to a Tse Tse - I'm doing the oil pinwash prior to decaling so that I can do the pastel dusting after the first flat coat. We'll see how that works.

Here's some new photo's of my progress on the Tsetse Mossie ... Progress is being made, slowly, Hope you like, Colin

I'm afraid my stash has become somewhat of an embarrassment, but at my building rate, I'm good until I'm at least 140! Like I keep telling the wife, I have a plan for each and every one ... ... it's a sickness!

I'm building an original issue 1/48 Airfix Mosquito into a 57mm Molins armed Tsetse. IMHO, while it's not on par with the Tamiya kits, the 38 year old Airfix kit still can build up rather nicely. I've busied up the cockpit a bit, added etched seatbelts, and a scratch built gun sight, and enclosed it with a Squadron "bulged" vac canopy (meant for the Tamiya - interesting making that fit!). I've also reduced the machine guns to 2, Molins barrel from brass tubing, added the breech covers from parts of a bomb, a missile nose and sheet plastic, and added the flap reinforcement from strip. Oh yes, I also rescribed the kit, reprofiled the prop blades, and reduced the spinner opening size. Well here it is so far ... breech by Colin Latta, on Flickr cockpit by Colin Latta, on Flickr As I said, I quite like how the Airfix builds up, here's an older build ...

IMHO, I think it can only be built as a "dirty little secret" kit - something you would never show anyone else! I had several, and for curiosity's sake, laid the parts on a Revell (Dragon) kit. My impression was that (from an accuracy point of view) you would be farther ahead hand carving something out of drift wood. (heavy scribing on one wing, almost none on the other, mis-shapen poorly size engines, Hershey bar wings, square fuselage etc) That being said, a "dirty little secret" kit can be fun, as you have limited expectations, and can be quite experimental. Build it as a fun, playtime project, and don't try to make it a work of art, and enjoy!

The worst kit I've ever managed to complete (and I still ask myself WHY ??) is the Arc 1/48 Hurricane. It seems to be poor copies of some parts of the Hasegawa Hurricane, the ancient Airfix kit, misshapen lumps apparently cast from clay, tons of flash, misaligned and offset moldings, and it featured fuselage pieces of different length, a 5 piece wing that was concave and anheadral when built, and that fit 1/8" below the fuselage when installed. The fact that I completed it is a tribute to Whiskey and Millput! Arc - should have been ACK!

Here's a good multi view I found on the net. It gives a good comparison of the 2 float types 3 view large by Colin Latta, on Flickr I've also cleaned up and enlarged the float section ... edo large2 by Colin Latta, on Flickr cheers, Colin

test ... 3 view large by Colin Latta, on Flickr OK, The BBcode works for me, thank goodness!