HK Models de Havilland Mosquito B.Mk.IV Series II 1:32

[Mike]

de Havilland Mosquito B.Mk.IV Series II
1:32 HK Models

The Mosquito was one of the ground-breaking private projects of WWII, and it contributed a significant effort toward victory against Nazi Germany from its introduction in 1941 to the end of the war and beyond. Initially conceived by Geoffrey de Havilland as a fast bomber, it was not intended to carry armament, simply relying on speed to take it out of harm's way. Numerous versions were considered, but a twin engine design with a wooden monocoque fuselage was eventually used, with space for four 20mm cannons in the forward section of the bomb bay. It was initially met with a very lukewarm reception from the Air Ministry, as they still clung to their obsession of turreted aircraft, which became heavy and complex, reducing speed both in the air and through the production line.

After some shenanigans that included a mock-up of a turret behind the main canopy, DH were issued with a requirement for a 400mph capable light bomber/reconnaissance aircraft, which solidified as DH.98, and was named Mosquito. Despite having been ordered to stop development work after Dunkirk, DH carried on due to the vagueness of the request, and the prototype flew at the end of 1940. After lengthening the engine nacelles and splitting the flaps to cure poor handling at certain speeds she flew for the ministry and managed to outpace a Spitfire, pulling away with a speed advantage of 20mph.

The Mosquito lines were split between bomber/recon variants with glass noses and fighter variants with the four cannon in the belly and four .303 machine guns in the nose. It really was the master of all things, as it showed when it became a night-fighter, torpedo bomber, and even in its dotage it was well-used as a target tug until the early 60s. The Mossie was even converted to carry two bouncing bombs called Highballs, and always gave a good account of itself, striking fear into the hearts of the opposition. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, which was evidenced by the German Focke-Wulf Ta.154 Moskito, which attempted to recreate the success of the Mossie, but failed due largely to inferior construction and glue, which caused delamination of the wings in the air.

The Mosquito was mainly constructed by woodworkers that might otherwise have been left idle during the austerity of the war, and it was their skill and ingenuity that contributed to the success of the aircraft, and made it very economical to build using very little in the way of strategic materials. Time is unkind to wood however, and very few Mosquitos have survived in airworthy condition, the last of which was lost in 1998 in a fatal crash. There is hope that the Mosquito will fly again over Britain, as the People's Mosquito group are trying to raise funds to construct a new-build Mossie to entertain a new generation of aviation fans at airshows.

The Kit
HK Models hit the modelling scene a couple of years ago creating models in 1:32 that a lot of us never expected to see in that scale. Based in Hong Kong, they now have a substantial catalogue of single, twin and four-engined aircraft that cause quite a stir when they are announced. The Mosquito was announced last year to much enthusiasm, and we are now able to get our hands on a sample thanks to our friends at Pocketbond, who are their UK distributors. Since their announcement another company has also announced a 1:32 Mosquito, but thankfully theirs is the fighter, while this is the bomber variant, so unlikely to eat into each other's markets. Who wouldn't want two Mossies? You might have guessed that I love the Mosquito, and it is what brought me back to the hobby when I decided I needed a model of one for my shelf. I also grew up listening to the last flyable Mosquito overhead, as I live close to where she was based, so it is firmly entrenched in my heart as my favourite aircraft of all.

The box is long and reasonably narrow, with a dramatic painting of a Mosquito loosing off a Cookie bomb over a smoking landscape during a night raid. Without dragging my Do.335 from the stash, the boxes look to be of a similar size, which is always good news for stacking. Inside there isn't much in the way of wasted space, with styrene parts taking up most of the volume, carefully packaged in re-sealable cellophane bags. The fuselage parts are further protected by some self-cling wrap to stop the parts chaffing against each other in transit, while the glazing parts have been secured to a white backing card with tape to further protect them too. This initial run has a special addition in the shape of a pair of standing crew figures in resin, which were sculpted by Steve Warrilow. If you want these chaps, don't delay in picking up your kit, as the first issue is unlikely to stay on the shelves long once you've seen what's in the box.

Inside the box is one large sprue, three medium sprues, three small, and nine small sprues with either a single part, or a small group of similar parts on, all in a mid-grey styrene. There are also two fuselage parts, and one wing part in the same styrene, a gaggle of four clear sprues, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a medium sized decal sheet, single sheet paint conversion table, and a large (A3ish in size) glossy covered instruction booklet with the painting and markings guide at the rear in shades of grey. The bonus figures are sealed in an opaque foam envelope, held closed by a sticker that mentions their limited edition status. If you're late to the party and reading this sometime down the line, it's possible you may not have this in your box, so prepare yourself.

Some fancy footwork has been utilised to create some very interesting and technically advanced moulds for both the fuselage and wings, which is good to see, especially coming from such a relatively new company. The fuselage is provided in halves, but in the fore/aft fashion, rather than the usual seam that runs along the length of the fuselage. The split is at the fuselage strengthening band over the wing roots, so seam clean-up is minimised if not entirely obviated. The full-width wings caused a little furrowing of the brow, as when they were released from their bag the top and bottom surfaces didn't separate, because they have been moulded as a single part. I'm not 100% certain of how this was done, but I have a few guesses that revolve around styrene remaining quite flexible once cooled. This technique has also been used for the flaps, ailerons and elevators… ok, all the flying surfaces, which saves a lot of mucking about with glue.

Construction begins with the important pilot's seat, with its asymmetrical seat back that curves in due to the pilot's proximity to the canopy. The seat bottom and cushion are one part, while the arms and side detail are added to the sides, after which the seat back and PE belts are installed. Note here that seat and seat-back cushions are moulded into the seat, so if you wanted to depict them without, you'll have some work ahead of you with sanding sticks. The cushions are well sculpted though, so I'd imagine most people would stick with them. The cockpit is built up in assemblies that come together at the end, with the rear deck mating with the rest late in the process, as it is attached to the top of the wing that passes through the fuselage. The pilot's seat attaches to a half bulkhead that is actually the front bulkhead of the bomb bay, so has detail on both sides, with small parts added to each for extra detail. The main instrument panel is a single part with moulded-in rudder pedals, behind which a box is added to prevent the see-through look. There is a group of individual decals arranged on the sheet as if they were a single decal containing only instrument faces, which you will apply after painting of the panel, then fix it in place on the cockpit floor, which has a separate access hatch panel fitted to it, plus the single piece control column, after which it is mated with the pilot's bulkhead. The flat deck (or bomb bay roof) that the co-pilot's seat is attached to is next, with his armoured seat back, equipment boxes and PE seatbelts added before it is fixed to the rear of the pilot's bulkhead. The sidewalls then enclose the cockpit, with the circular ferrules (fixing points) standing out from the sides, doing a creditable impression of ejector pin marks if you didn’t know any better, and hiding the presence of a few pin marks that will need removal. The ejector pin marks should be easy to tell apart however, as they have a less refined and sometimes recessed aspect. There is lot of detail moulded into these side panels, and these should look great under a coat of paint, although some of the detail is sloped a little at the edges due to the constraints of injection moulding technology, and the ejector pin marks make extra work. A compass is added to the pilot's side, and on the exposed deck at the front, the bomb-sight is added, while the rear bulkhead that is the leading edge of the wing-root is attached to the back of the cockpit tub, which is then slipped inside the single-piece nose of the beast, with only two small parts added in the very front of the nose, plus the important sides windows. You will have to paint the inside tip of the nose the interior colour, as the side walls stop at the instrument panel bulkhead, which might be best done before installing the windows from the outside. The nose glazing completes the nose, and work turns toward the canopy, which is notable in that it has internal as well as external framing, which is faithfully depicted here is a substantial frame that sits within the canopy parts. There are a couple of ejector pin marks on this part that will need careful fettling to restore the gap between parallel tubing, but you could be forgiven for leaving it as it might well not be seen. The windscreen attaches to the front, with the tapering rear section to the rear of the frame, leaving a gap that is filled by three panels, taking the form of the blistered side windows, and the emergency escape panel on the top. The dingy pack door on the rear is a separate part that is added before you mate the forward and rear sections (there is no interior to this bay).

At this stage you'd be forgiven for expecting the fuselage halves to be joined, but instead you will find yourself building the elevator assembly, which starts with the planes moulded in a single part to which you add small fillets to close up the rear of the skin. The tail-wheel structure is then built up in the bay between the planes, with the strut attached to a small bulkhead, which also acts as the hinge-point for the leg to rotate rearwards into its bay. The elevators have also been moulded in one piece, with a curved forward section closing up the skins, after which its hinge-point is clipped into a trough that runs across the rear of the elevator planes. This is in turn glued into the rear fuselage, into the slot in the same manner as the actual aircraft was constructed. The missing lower fuselage panels are then added as a single part, boxing in the bay and leaving an oval(ish) hole through which the tail wheel deploys. Three clear recognition lights are clued into depressions in the fuselage sides, after the depressions have been painted silver to simulate the reflectors. Another hatch in the side of the fuselage covers up its aperture, leaving scope for aftermarket providers to create a set to show off what is inside. The final act before bringing the fuselage halves together is to add the bulkhead and rear end of the bomb bay to the aft fuselage, before the two halves are glued together, with tabs and pins providing clear guidance for correct location. My example was a little tight on the top pin however, so you may want to check yours and ream it out a little to ease fit, without making it so sloppy that it doesn't do its job. The tail and rudder are moulded as one part each, with a blanking piece added to each before you set them to whatever angle you choose. They then fit to the fuselage, and a small blister is placed on a lug on the starboard side to give the actuators room to pivot on the real thing. Finally, a pair of small formation lights on a base fit to the very end of the fuselage. The detail on the fuselage sides is faithful to the original, with no panel lines, just very faintly raised tape marks where the joint between wooden panels have been filled and covered before doping. This also extends to the other major external parts that were constructed using wood, which is almost everything but the engine cowlings where metal was favoured both for strength and its heat resistance.

The engine nacelles are then constructed around the substantial twin struts of the gear legs, which have the main retraction jacks held between their halves to give them extra strength, as well as the anti-fouling bars at the bottom of the legs that prevent the gear bay doors from catching on the struts as they rotate. The wheels are built from two part tyres with a circumferential seam across the tyre's tread-blocks to fix, although this isn't likely to be as difficult as it sounds. The hubs are separate parts, and slot into keyed depressions in their respective positions, after which they are trapped between the stub-axles when the two legs are brought together and held there by a top bar and cross-brace, with the mudguard added later. The short bulkhead to which the M-shaped brace attach is added next, and the big tank that is so evident at the top of each leg is installed before it is attached to the bay roof. The nacelle sides are added next with a couple of small parts including bulkhead and strut parts, added to each side before they enclose the upper leg within. There are quite a number of ejector pin marks in these parts, which will need addressing, but they are raised, so no filler will be needed. This build process is repeated for the other leg, after which the Merlin engines are built up using eighteen parts to produce good detail, plus an additional four parts for the five-stack exhausts, and another four for the engine bearers. Add in some wiring and hoses, and you will have a good looking pair of engines to show off later. They are added to the front of the engine nacelles, with the remaining cowlings built up later for installation or otherwise once the wings are completed.

The wings are already substantially complete due to the clever moulding techniques used, and after drilling some holes for the optional slipper tanks, for which a measuring guide is included, the rear is closed up by adding the slim bay walls to the flaps and ailerons, as well as the upper cowling for the engine bays. Small inserts are added to the lower wing trailing edges as the basis for the hinges for the flying surfaces, and the upper section of the bomb bay is added from a single part that depicts the twin fuel tanks that take up the remainder of the height within the wing spar box. As mentioned earlier, the flaps and ailerons are hollow moulded as one part each, with the flaps linked by a moulded-in hinge. Their leading edges are closed with aerodynamic profiles, as are the ailerons, after which they are added to the trailing edges of the wings and small hinge-fairings are added on the underside. The wingtips are separate hollow moulded parts into which the forward and rear-facing formation lights are added, with clear green and red paint used on the correct sides. At this point the engine nacelles are glued to the slots on the underside of the wings, and the lower cowling with PE intake mesh is added to leave only the sides uncovered. You can choose to cover up those Merlin engines completely, or leave some or all uncovered to show off your work, although you will need to thin the cowling panels and detail them, as there is none inside. You can also install flame-suppressor covers for the exhausts if you choose, as well as the optional two-part slipper tanks for long-range missions. Adding the props and their spinners is probably not wise if you're clumsy like me, but the prop is a single part, with three tapered blades moulded in, and if you're interested there is a set of three-bladed paddle props included for your convenience. On the top of the wing you will build the last part of the cockpit, so if you remember to make that up before you put away the interior grey-green, you'll be much happier. You might also consider adding the snaking wires that are present on that section of the deck, leading to and from the radio set, but aren't present in the kit parts. The rear bulkhead and radio gear with colourful dials sit behind the co-pilot eventually when the wing is installed, but check how the parts mate up to ensure a good fit before you proceed.

The fuselage and wings are mated in the same way as the original 1:1 aircraft, with the fuselage lowered onto the full-width wings, only in our case it'll be held together with model glue, not wood glue, bolts and so forth. Rather than work in a fiddly closed-in bomb bay, the sides are left off until after the bay door actuators and your choice of bomb-load has been made. Let's talk about bombs for a minute, eh? In the box you have a quartet of four short-tailed 500lb bombs that are carried on a rack affixed to the roof of the bomb bay, which would all fit comfortably in the standard bomb bay, with streamlined doors that match the profile of the fuselage. This is the Series II that is mentioned on the box – the Series I carrying four 250lb bombs with room to spare. Your other option is the later 4,000lb Cookie bomb (as it became known), which required a bulged bomb bay that gave the aircraft a slightly pregnant look. Both options are available to you, requiring a different fit of door actuators, different bay doors, and for the Cookie, a fairing fore and aft of the bay doors to smooth the airflow. The bay sides remain the same for both versions, but the bomb rack used for suspending the four three-part 500lb bombs is discarded along with the bombs to be replaced by two separate pegs that project from the top surface of the two-part Cookie bomb canister, requiring you to drill holes of approximately 2.5mm in diameter. Seeing the Cookie in place makes you realise just how powerful the Mossie was in order to carry this thin-cased tube of destruction. Another testament to the de Havilland design team.

The gear bay doors are all single parts with moulded-in hinges that locate in depressions on the inside lips of the bays, while the bomb bay doors attach to the fuselage mounted hinges in the same way. Part of the Mosquito's speed was derived from her sleek streamlined appearance, which included burying the radiators within the leading edge of the inner wing, with the air ducted through the cores and out under the wing. The cores fit to the lower wing inserts and have the flap controlling their airflow attached to the rear, with the option of posing them in the open position if you wish. The bomber variant had the crew door on the lower nose due to the lack of cannon bays in the same area, so the crew could enter using a ladder from below. This door is provided separately with two hinges, a clear port-hole and grab-handle on the inside. This can be posed open, but it isn't made clear whether the inner hatch should be left open, and I'm afraid I don't know the answer to this one. Stowed or hinged, and if hinged, which side? It's such a long time since I built my 1:48 Tamiya Highball conversion, I cannot remember.

Pop the aerial on top of the fuselage like a candle on a cake, and you're done.


Crew Figures – Limited Edition
The limited edition crew figures are a good reason to stock up your big Mossie pile early, and this in turn will help secure the release of additional variants, so take heed and get buying! The figures are further protected by a Ziplok bag inside their outer bag, and they are very nicely done. Each pilot is on his own pour block, attached by some rather 70s looking blocks on the soles of his feet. The helmeted pilot has separate arm and hand parts on another smaller moulding block, which fit very well to their intended locations. Glue them with super-glue or epoxy, and it's unlikely you will need to do any seam hiding. My only minor complaint is the size of the bare-headed chap's quiff. It is rather long, and sticking out horizontally as if he is in a stiff breeze. It may be hair envy, but it seems a little exaggerated from some angles, however it is easily trimmed back with the aid of a good hairdresser (or a scalpel). Having handled these figures for a while during the review process, it struck me that they looked a little on the tall side, and after measuring, the helmeted figure scales out at 6', while the chap with the quiff is around 6'5". It would have been very crowded in the confines of the cockpit with those two at the controls, and this is one reason why smaller navigators were preferred. There were of course some tall Mossie pilots, such as Group Captain Pickard who was 6'4", known best for the famous Jericho raid where he lost his life.

Markings
You are presented with three markings options in the box, each of which is depicted in greyscale over two pages, with colours called out using letters, and decals numbered. There is also a double-page stencil layout diagram that is common to all markings choices. From the box you can build one of the following:

• DK296, No.305 FTU, Errol, Autumn 1943 – Grey/green camouflage with low demarcation over ocean grey undersides. Roundels painted out and red stars in their place.
• DZ637 P3-C No.692 Squadron, Graveley, Spring 1944 – Grey/green camouflage with high demarcation over night (black) undersides.
• DZ627 AZ-X No.627 Squadron, Woodhall Spa, Summer 1944 – Grey/green camouflage with medium demarcation over ocean grey undersides. Black/white invasion stripes on the lower surfaces of the fuselage and wings.

The decals are printed by Cartograf, so you can rest assured that register, sharpness and colour density are all up to snuff, and the inclusion of all the stencils is good to see. It would have been nice to see a little more information about the decal options, especially the red star bedecked Mossie, which was actually used in the Soviet Union for tests until it was damaged in a heavy landing, after which it was written off, and for the geographically challenged like myself, a country would have been helpful. The large "Keep Off" warning rectangles that are applied over the radiator have their inner areas covered with carrier film to include the writing, when it would have been better to remove the carrier in the blank areas and add the lettering separately to reduce the likelihood of silvering on a conspicuous area. If you have a sharp scalpel and a steady hand however, you can remove these yourself, and not worry about it.


Conclusion
This is a welcome kit in the 1:32 scale world, as well as being eagerly awaited by yours truly. Overall the detail is excellent, but the advanced (read anal) modeller will probably look at areas where the detail has been slightly simplified and wish that separate parts had been used, for example in the cockpit sidewalls there are a few controls that are moulded-in and as such their detail is a bit soft. This will undoubtedly be addressed by the aftermarket fraternity, although you could well argue that little will actually be seen once the cockpit is inside the fuselage.

These minor niggles aside it is tour-de-force of injection moulding technology, and consigns the Revell/Lodela kit of yore to the recycling bin, or the museum if you prefer. I'm looking forward to other variants and trying not to think about where I'm going to put them.

Very highly recommended, and available now from all good model shops.

Review sample courtesy of
UK Distributors for

[Max Headroom]

Thanks for the comprehensive review. It looks a beauty. Tamiya need to be phenomenal to overtake this. All academic for me as it's way beyond my pricing ceiling.

A couple of observations if I may. The 'needle' props seem to be a bit blunt. Also the serial for AZ-X appears to be incorrect as DZ637 has been reproduced four times!

I look forward to seeing it built.

Trevor

[woody37]

Looking forwards to seeing it built Mike, I think fixing it to the wall in the living room should be fine with Caroline lol!

[Mike]

Oh yeah... she'd love that!

[Julien]

You better be picking a shed to live in then!

[Mike]

The workshop loft is looking favourite at the moment, as it has a bunk already there (read: shelf). When she sees all my other "scale breaker" 1:32 twins and four engined bombers, I may have to relocate

[Alex Gordon]

Is this the production decal sheet?

Sorry to add more vinegar to chips than necessary but the DZ627 serial number doesn't seem to be there.

This is still a groundbreaking kit and one will find its way to me,the trouble is I want the 627 Squadron option and I don't have any 1/32nd scale "2"s to do the business.

Thanks for the review Mike.

Edited to add:Whoops,the "2"s can be pinched from the DK296 option.I really must pay more attention.

Edited June 27, 2015 by Alex Gordon

[Max Headroom]

Alex

Use the '2' from DK296?

In any event might this (and the Tamiya VI) get the aftermarket stickie makers active?

Trevor

Alex you hit the revision button as I was typing!

[stever219]

Two minor points.

1. The "seams" along the fuselage are exactly that, but they are not joints between wooden components. They are where the fabric laid over the wooden structure was joined. The Mosquito fuselage was built in two halves joined along the centre line top and bottom with a splice strip.

2. The undersides of bomber Mosquitos were generally Medium Sea Grey; the upper surfaces were finished in Dark Green and Ocean Grey. Obviously some units opted for one of the varieties of Night, typically Smooth Night, aka Night Type S, which was coming into use just as the Mosquito was entering service IIRC.

Splendid looking kit though.

[AlCZ]

Hm, i wait for Tamiya... Bomber/Reccon must be released relative soon... (And for me - personal - is fighter bomber most attractive -Wohoo - guns and cannons, rocket launchers, bombs and tanks.... wrrrouuum, wrooum, bratatatata, booom,boom, booom....ehm...Sorry...)

[Mark Proulx]

Yes, the aftermarket folks already on this. Eagle Editions has a new sheet specifically for the MK IV with five optional schemes. Look for EC#167 on their website. The sheet available in three scales. It comes with stencils and national insignias.

Mark Proulx

[Radleigh]

Looks great, really great.... but who is going to be the first person to cut that lovely moulded fuselage and nose section in half to place up against some 'plans' for a size check....

[DonQuixote]

Dear Mike,

Many thanks for what is a superb, comprehensive review. I'm definitely going to be in the market for one, but where to buy it here in France, gawd only knows!

Anyway, can you give us any idea of a release date, please?

Thanks again.

Kind regards,

Patrick.

[Shar2]

I bought mine from a chap in France, so they are definitely out there. It was an eBay seller called Guy_kits.

[Mike]

Thanks for the kind words In the UK they should be filtering out to all the major sellers via Pocketbond's warehouses. They should also be getting to continental Europe too.

[bentwaters81tfw]

I had the opportunity to compare the HK version to the Tamiya offering yesterday at St Ives. Without looking further, the HK fuselage bulges slightly ahead of the cockpit, whereas the Tamiya version has the correct taper. Even without direct comparison, it is apparent HK got it wrong.

I don't know how they shape up elsewhere, or in price, but for even a cursory glance, Tamiya is the way to go.

[caughtinthemiddle]

• DK296, No.305 FTU, Errol, Autumn 1943 – Grey/green camouflage with low demarcation over ocean grey undersides. Roundels painted out and red stars in their place.
• DZ637 P3-C No.692 Squadron, Graveley, Spring 1944 – Grey/green camouflage with high demarcation over night (black) undersides.
• DZ627 AZ-X No.627 Squadron, Woodhall Spa, Summer 1944 – Grey/green camouflage with medium demarcation over ocean grey undersides. Black/white invasion stripes on the lower surfaces of the fuselage and wings.

A little correction to this part. The suggested upper surface colours for all marking options are Ocean Gray and Dark Green, with Medium Sea Gray undersides for DK296 and DZ637/AZ-X, and Night (black) undersides for DZ637/P3-C, respectively. Both P3-C and AZ-X were the same airframe, DZ637. The RAF markings on DK296 were not painted out, but stripped-off - see a note under the table on the colour guide sheet (well, seems that it should have rather been placed on the painting sheet for this particular marking option).

It would have been nice to see a little more information about the decal options, especially the red star bedecked Mossie, which was actually used in the Soviet Union for tests until it was damaged in a heavy landing, after which it was written off, and for the geographically challenged like myself, a country would have been helpful.

Well, most of the known photos actually show this aircraft during its service with No.305 FTU, in Errol, Scotland (OK, I get the point of mentioning countries ), where apparently it had received Soviet national markings, and had been used for training Russian crews converting to Albemarles (kind of a RAF joke, isn't it?), until it was ferried to Soviet Union in spring of 1944 (different exact dates are cited by various sources).

Is this the production decal sheet?

Sorry to add more vinegar to chips than necessary but the DZ627 serial number doesn't seem to be there.

This is still a groundbreaking kit and one will find its way to me,the trouble is I want the 627 Squadron option and I don't have any 1/32nd scale "2"s to do the business.

Thanks for the review Mike.

Edited to add:Whoops,the "2"s can be pinched from the DK296 option.I really must pay more attention.

The decal sheet is correct. Mike made a typo in the relevant part of the review, as mentioned above. Both P3-C and AZ-X were the same airframe, DZ637, that was transferred from No.692 to No.627 Sqn. I would need to dig back in the reference material, but I recall that this happened in late spring of 1944. Therefore, no modification of the decals is required.

2. The undersides of bomber Mosquitos were generally Medium Sea Grey; the upper surfaces were finished in Dark Green and Ocean Grey. Obviously some units opted for one of the varieties of Night, typically Smooth Night, aka Night Type S, which was coming into use just as the Mosquito was entering service IIRC.

...and this is exactly how it is described in the painting guide.

Edited October 1, 2015 by caughtinthemiddle