Banff Mosquito Fuel Tanks & Rockets 1/32 Tamiya

[Mr Fudge]

I have this decal sheet: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X32058

I have the MDC RP rounds and single rails so was going to do RF838 "EO A".

The drawing of the underside has the fuel tanks inboard of the formation lights and the 4 RP rails outboard on each side.

The position of the fuel tanks on the model are outboard of the lights.

So I am confused. Reference photos I have in books and have seen on the web which have have 8 single rail RP rounds don't have fuel tanks like this: 

I have a picture of a machine with both fuel tanks and 8 RP rounds on MkIII tiered rails on page 16 of "Banff Strike Wing at War" by Les Taylor which has the tanks where Tamiya have them and the tiered rails all outboard of the formation lights.

So has Hannants got it wrong for the option I want to do.

All help gratefully recieved. Thank you.

[Dave Swindell]

The drop tank mounting was between the inboard 2 rocket rails of the group of 4 on each wing.

Above photo shows 4 rails per wing, max load. With these in place no drop tanks could be carried.

For longer range strikes, the inboard pair of rocket rails were removed, enabling drop tanks to be fitted.

To prevent the drop tanks hitting the rockets when released, there was a barrier frame fitted between the tank and the rockets.

When only 4 rails (2 per wing) were fitted it was common to load double tiered rockets (2 per rail, one above the other, and slightly staggered fore/aft)

When the drop tanks weren't being carried, and 4 rails per wing were fitted, it was common for the drop tank mounting bracket to remain fitted between the 2 inboard rails.

 

If you're planning a coastal command mosquito build, I'd recommend the Airfix Magazine Mosquito Special, which has loads of detail and drawings (including the rocket and drop tank fit) by Terry Higgins of Aviology

[EwenS]

I looked into this a couple of months ago in relation to queries on another site and the plan drawings on the Xtracecal sheet that you refer to seems to be the cause of confusion. I'd agree with Dave that the best source of information is the drawings in the Airfix Magazine Mosquito Special which agree with all the photos that I have seen. For me this publication is a must for anyone building a Mossie.  So much detail!

 

The drop tanks and double tiered rocket layout only came into service with the Banff Mossies in March 1945, which fits with your time frame for 404 Sqn which only started to re-equip with Mossies around that time.  At the same time 100 gallon drop tanks came into use in place of the 50 gallon ones used previously.  Same shape just bigger!  It is also worth noting that the gate like barrier to protect the rocket rails when tanks were jettisoned was attached to the rocket rails and not the wing itself. Again this becomes clear from the drawings in the Mosquito Special when some others I've seen might be a bit ambiguous.

 

The space issue is best illustrated in the attached a link to a photo of a Burma Mossie of 47 sqn late in 1945.  There is a clear outline of where the the drop tank was located before its replacement with the inboard rocket rails reflecting the drawings.  https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205207337

 

Just in case you decide to build a second one in this configuration, 211 sqn in India re-equipped with Mossies in the summer of 1945 with this fit but with a silver paint job e.g. RF791/G amongst others.  http://www.211squadron.org/de_havilland_mosquito.html

[Lawzer]

Not sure if this will help (doesn't show the staggered ones Dave mentions above - I'm not sure if these are very late war or "solid shot" rounds):

 

 

And as @Dave Swindell and @EwenS say, the Airfix Magazine Mosquito Special has some great plans that show exactly what you need

 

 

[Dave Swindell]

@Mr Fudge

Much better decal instructions for 404Sqn Mosquitos

Page 5 shows the staggered tiered rocket installation (note both rockets have all their fins)

Good photo of the empty rails and guard mounting, also partly visible is the drop tank mounting bracket above the drop tank being raised into position.

@Lawzer

Not seen that photo before, looks like a later installation (postwar?) Note lack of fins to enable rockets to be directly superimposed. Rocket heads look solid shot, but not SAP, these were slightly larger dia and more pointy.

Drop tank 100 gal, but looks like it was planned as a semipermanent installation as no guard rails

 

Or is this actually an earlier trials installation???

[Lawzer]

26 minutes ago, Dave Swindell said:

@Mr Fudge

Much better decal instructions for 404Sqn Mosquitos

Page 5 shows the staggered tiered rocket installation (note both rockets have all their fins)

Good photo of the empty rails and guard mounting, also partly visible is the drop tank mounting bracket above the drop tank being raised into position.

@Lawzer

Not seen that photo before, looks like a later installation (postwar?) Note lack of fins to enable rockets to be directly superimposed. Rocket heads look solid shot, but not SAP, these were slightly larger dia and more pointy.

Drop tank 100 gal, but looks like it was planned as a semipermanent installation as no guard rails

 

Or is this actually an earlier trials installation???

Just found where I got the picture from (I was researching double stack rockets):

 

http://www.partworkmodels.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=7281&start=20

 

 

The other references I can find are like you described above (seems the seafire used dual stack which were "staggered")

I'd guess this maybe is post war or as you say a trial........

Edited January 26, 2018 by Lawzer

[EwenS]

Les Taylor's Banff Strike Wing at War (p84) carries a comment about the big drop tanks (100 gal presumeably). "The first time they were tried out , it was found that when the empty drop tanks were jettisoned, they sometimes fouled the rocket rail assemblies as they fell away, so a guard rail was fitted to prevent this"

Andrew Bird's A Separate Little War notes that the installation of the tiered rails was carried out at Banff, 235 squadron achieving this in 2 days and 1 night of continuous work around the beginning of March 1945.  The was followed by RP practice. It continues that unspecified modifications were made on site a few days later (4th March), the day after a sortie was made.  Does this refer to the fitting of the guard rails?  Seems likely to me.

Presumably all the trials and RP practice sorties did not reveal any problems because the drop tanks would not be jettisoned until necessary on the first operational sortie with the new set up.

 

So this photo may well be of an early test set up. At RAE for example.

[Lawzer]

I keep meaning to get hold of a separate little war.  I've read Banff strike wing at war but not that one.  There's also The Strike Wings: Special Anti-Shipping Squadrons 1942-45 and I'm sure there's another one I've seen that I can;t recall the name of....