gunzo

Offer them your research services? You must be amongst the most genned up in building these big scale heavies.

Chances are that the drynig varnish was the culprit- most paints shrink.

As a coda to this thread here is a drawing of my comparisons of the HK Models and recent Airfix aperture shapes. While the differences will be of no consequence to most they do alter the general 'face' the model and may mean a lot to the comfort of my poor 1/32 navigator

I'd say your about right for what is likely to have been a photo-run pose. Apparently the nose floors had plenty of padding as a nod to some sport of comfort. As well as lining up the aircraft there were also the maps to read which was probably easier done from an upright kneel. BTW many Spartan Mosquito aircrew would experience symptoms of 'the bends' on return from mission.

The HK kit a bit 'off' in the nose area and benefits from alterations; not least to the side windows but the whole front end is somewhat pinched. Since I have to make a new blister these are easy fixes. There are a few other corrections required but it does generally look the part. The new Airfix 1/72 has a couple of oddities but closely fits with any works drawings dimensions I have and should serve as a decent reference ( X 2.25)

To clarify, the basic aircraft positioning on a photo sortie was done by the pilot with various ground based electronic triangulation aids whilst the navigator was responsible for the actual photo passes aided by the simple but effective visual sight you can see above.

If anecdotes of Spartan Mosquito crew are correct, the navigator occupied this position throughout the flight whilst the camera operator in the 'aft cabin' had both a strap in seat and a separate operations position; all three aircrew were on oxygen throughout. In the event of any bailouts, the camera operator plus film cassettes was first to go, through the aft side door.

This is the pose I'm looking to replicate- not sure if he is prone, kneeling or squatting but he'd have been like this throughout each sortie of 1 to 2 hours. The eagle eyed will note the PR34/35 style blister sans flat panel so in any event I'll need to make one of these.

Thanks Graham; I already have an accurate rear angle length from works drawings but not the width and my need for it is in building an HK 1/32 Mosquito an 'in flight' example of one of the Spartan Air Services fleet. This will require a prone navigator and it is here that no kit I have yet built allows the required space without extraordinary gymnastics (including both Airfix and Tamiya in 1/48), even allowing for non scale wall thicknesses. A trial run with a spare HK nose did provide that space with a circular aperture (petal cut flaring of the nose, retaining original kit height) and frankly improved the overall look. Failing any better source I now have the recent Airfix 1/72 to hand which presumably results from Lidar scanning.

Hi All, I'm looking for the aperture dimensions for Mosquito blister glazing. Most, if not all kits indicate an oval shape whereas a number of photos suggest something close to a circle. Any knowledgeable guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Elsewhere on this site:-

Years back Airwaves did an etched set for the Dynavector and Classic Airframes Gannets and they still show up from time to time on various auction sites. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/airwaves-ac48-093-fairey-gannet-asw-and-ecm-wing-fold--848553

Ok- good to be aware of especially on small subjects.

Hi Chewbacca- with this technique is there a white edge line to the cut out decal? I've been looking to do something similar against a difficult to 'ALPS match' ground of bronze green.

David' I'm sure you are more than acquainted with CorelDraw and its equivalents and that is all you need to get the decals you require- the one big proviso is colour. but in 1/200 scale you have quite a gradient in what is right or wrong. Les