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1/32 Tamiya & HK Mosquito double build


FG2Si

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Hi folks,

I'm new here but I've been working on the new Mossie kits since they came out. I was fortunate enough to get the Tamiya kit in early July thanks to them arriving here in Canada so early.

I have both kits well under way so the first couple of posts are bringing things up to date. Otherwise I don't build that quickly.

Here's the obligatory box shot:

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This is the HK box on top of the Tamiya one. There is quite a size difference between the two.

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Edited by FG2Si
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One thing I should point out is I'm not building either kit in the order that their instructions die. This is mostly because I like to do subassemblies and paint as many parts at the same time when possible. There have been a couple of snafus that have resulted but nothing catastrophic.

I started with the Tamiya tyres since their construction seemed novel. They start with a core that you add the sidewalls and treads to.

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With the sidewalls clamped in place:

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Treads on:

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I then started work on the pair of Merlins. I assembled the engine blocks, cylinder heads and supercharger for both.

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I left one cylinder bank off to facilitate painting inside the vee.

Ready for paint:

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I painted them with X-18 semigloss black.

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Using the included jig, I attached the second cylinder bank and then the supercharger.

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Next were the engine cradles. These are identical but once you star adding detail parts to them, they become handed.

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Tamiya recommends tagging them so you know which is which.

At this point, I started on the HK engines. I decided to build the HK kit all closed up and have the bomb bay open and engine covers removable on the Tamiya kit. This meant that that I could simplify my build of the HK kit a bit and use only what was needed.

I bully one engine complete and the other with just the bare minimum.

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Oh my God, Mosquito heaven!!

First of all :welcome:

Secondly :wow:

Thirdly, this thread is bookmarked!

great start :popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::goodjob:

This should be interesting to watch

Thanks everyone for the welcome. This has been a great build for me so far.I've got more to come but need to give my sons a snack first before I have a mutiny.

Carl

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So the question I guess many people want answered: Which of the two is the best/nicest to build?

Looking great so far, will keep an eye on this thread!

To me, they're almost neck and neck. The Tamiya has more detail but if all the panels and bomb bay are closed, you won't see much of it. The fit is exceptional and Tamiya has added quite a bit more detail to the Merlins.

As for the HK kit, there are fewer parts so the build is going a bit faster. The one piece fuselage is a neat touch and saved me the headache of cleaning up the seams. Some details are a bit more simplified but I used the Eduard cockpit set which goes a long way to remedying the issue. The fit is good as well but might be a bit fiddly.

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Thats a very good start and I wish you luck with them both,.........but .god bless your bank balance!!!

Tony

Thanks Tony! It wasn't as bad a hit as I was expecting. The HK kit I was able to get at a discount and thankfully, the Canadian dollar hadn't fallen yet. The Tamiya kit I picked up at my LHS which was probably cheaper than ordering it overseas once shipping was factored in.

I also sold of a couple kits I wasn't going to build so altogether, the wallet didn't get hit too badly.

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I turned my attention to the gear legs. The Tamiya ones are separate from the engine cradles so that simplified assembly and painting.

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I then airbrushed the cradles and MLG legs with Mr Metal Color aluminium.

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Then it was time to build the HK gear. I found these to be a bit more fiddly in their construction. There are several small rods to add that are part of the lower guards on the gear legs. Also, the gear legs are assembled around their pivot points. I found them to be a snug fit so I did not glue them until installation in the nacelles. This way I was able to adjust their angle accordingly.

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I would also attach but not glue the mud guard supports for the same reason.

This pic shows the adjustability of the gear legs and their supports:

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Back to the engines,I prepped and painted most of the various piping and pumps. These were done using the colour callouts in the instructions.

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The Mr Metal Color trend to rub off a bit when handled. I used this to my advantage and then lightly rubbed both engines to give them a slightly metallic sheen. They were then installed in the cradles.

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Nice work so far I will be following this as I like the look of the Tamiya Mossie

Guy

Edited by F4u
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Beautiful work so far! Which paint do you use for the copper piping?

I used Tamiya X-34 Metallic Brown. This is what the instructions say to use. Speaking of paint instructions, this is probably what the HK kit is the most lacking. Their painting instructions are not very detailed and leave out a bit. I've used the instructions from the Tamiya kit to fill in the gaps.

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I then assembled and painted the nacelles. The ribs are represented by PE bits that attach to each side.

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I then assembled them with the MLG upper legs and the engines.

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I then repeated this with the HK nacelles. The instructions say to paint the entirr nacelle interior green when it should be only the upper section. So I masked then off and painted them accordingly.

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This includes the firewall.

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Edited by FG2Si
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Upon assembly of the HK nacelles, I find I was having some fit issues. The firewall did not want to fit cleanly. At this point I noticed that it was lopsided compared to the nacelles along the top side.

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I compared it to the other firewall and their respective part numbers (F2 and F3). The instructions have the numbers reversed. Fortunately I was able to get everything apart before the cement had dried and put in the correct firewall although it ended up a bit messy looking.

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The nacelles side by side:

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Time to go to the beginning of the instructions and start the cockpits. I perchased the Eduard printed PE set for the HK kit as I didn't think my brush painting skills were up to the task. I scraped and sanded off the moulded on details as well as the rudder pedals.

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With the Eduard PE panels in place:

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The Tamiya IP uses decals behind chest plastic to replicate the instruments.

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The front of the panel is done with PE.I painted these semi gloss black and highlighted some dials as per the instructions.

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Tamiya on the left, HK on the right.

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