Jazzy Jase

Hi Brews, what did you find disappointing about the kit?

I like the subtle weathering and silvered riverets around the engine cowls.

Just a quick note to say that I've not made any progress on the Mossie. For some reason I decided it would be a good idea to buy Eduards Photo Etch Zoom set to spruce up the model a bit. It hasn't arrived yet so I can't crack on with the cockpit. I've never used photo etch before so this could be interesting. I've also ordered a new set of decals after deciding the Hannants ones were incorrect.

Cheers Tim. So, if I can get the Movement Card then I can find out whether HR241 was actually ever with 418 Sqn? If it wasn't then I can identify which squadron(s) it was with. After that, hopefully a trip to Kew will reveal the ID letter for whichever squadron(s) it was with. (Shame you can't view the actual records online!) I've been trying to figure out why I'm bothering with all this. I'm only making a model aeroplane! I think I've just got to the stage where I've convinced myself that the books are wrong and I need to find the answer for myself. The RAF Museum say they need around 20 days to answer my request, so I need just need to wait it out and wait for the next clue!

Done. Thanks for the tip. I have also emailed the De Havilland museum.

I hear what you are saying Tim but there are a lot of discrepancies between the different sources of information for HR241. Which one do we believe? The only one I can believe 100% is the photo and even that doesn't give us all the information. I will try to speak to (or email) some of the authors of the books in question. I have no idea if I can gain access to the archives at Hendon or Kew, but that will have to wait for another time anyway as I don't have the time at the moment.

Thanks Andy, but I have to say that I think that book is wrong too. I suspect that one publication got it wrong and the others used that publication as a reference. I don't know anything about your Ducimus book. When was it first published? I’m going to try to explain why I think HR241 was not coded TH-M but I’ve never been great at explaining stuff, so I hope this makes sense: I’ve been looking into this with the help of people here and on mossie.org for a while now and the only photographic evidence of HR241 that has surfaced is the photo from Mosquito Fighter Squadrons book. The caption for the image in that book is incorrect as it is labelled as a NFII and we know from the De Havilland records that HR241 was a FBVI. Also the photo shows drop-tanks which the NFII could not carry. The drawing you posted from the Ducimus book shows an aircraft configured identically to the photo - radar aerial on the nose, under-wing drop-tanks, nose guns removed, White “M” on the nose, invasion stripes, white-tipped spinners. The drawing also includes the wingtip aerials for the radar. The Warpaint Special image of the same aircraft omits the wingtip aerials and drop-tanks but includes the nose guns. I suspect the inclusion of the guns and missing wingtip aerials in this image were an oversight by the illustrator. Perhaps missed when copying the Ducimus image? The three books all feature differing information, which to me says the information is suspect. The photographic evidence does not show the squadron codes along the side, so where did the TH-M information come from? The only thing we can see from the photo is the letter “M” on the nose. I cannot find any evidence of HR241 going to 418 Squadron. The De Havilland records have HR241 as going to 169 Sqn which was coded “VI” and operated with radar. There is also the possibility that HR241 went to 141 Sqn, which was coded “TW” and also used radar. 418 Sqn did not use radar. There is strong evidence that NS850 was coded TH-M. An example is here and in the references below. Other evidence to suggest that HR241 was not TH-M shows that many of 418 Sqn’s aircraft had nose art and they did not have white-tipped spinners. The identity of the “M” coded aircraft in the scanned picture still remains a mystery. It is a very similar to HR241 from the photo but several key differences point to it being a different aircraft. So, in my opinion, the most likely code for HR241 is VI-M from 169 Sqn. There is a smaller possibility that it is TW-M from 141 Sqn. Some of the references I have used can be found below: http://www.mossie.org/forum/read.php?1,3967 http://www.mossie.org/forum/read.php?1,920 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XIEzBrB...;cad=0#PPA11,M1 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=M3FURgZ...ary_r&cad=0 http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2LVE4Dl...ary_r&cad=0 http://www.hyperscale.com/2009/reviews/dec...previewmp_2.htm http://www.geocities.com/cacmossies/ http://www.mossie.org/squadrons/418_squadron.htm http://www.418squadron.ca/ http://www.rafweb.org/SqnMark408-429.htm http://www.rafweb.org/Sqn166-170.htm http://www.acesofww2.com/Canada/aces/z_ima..._black-rufe.jpg http://www.acesofww2.com/Canada/aces/kipp.htm

Nice work. The Pup is my fathers favourite aircraft. I tried to make Airfixe's 1/72 kit last year for his birthday but I ruined it. Might try one of these this year instead. EDIT: I've just re-read the thread and seen how much work you've put into it. Waaay. beyond my modelling skills!

If it is anything like Mr Surfacer then Nail varnish remover that contains acetone or Mr color thinners will remove it. You can put it on a cotton bud and wipe the excess off to leave a smooth finish.

I like that. The effect you have created by using the salt looks really good.

timbo, it seems that warpaint special is incorrect and also most likely where Hannants got their information from when creating their Xtradecals sheet. 418 Sqn apparently did not use radar on any of their mosquitos and HR241 never served on 418 Sqn.

It seems there are too many questions over HR241 to build a 100% accurate model. Certainly with the Xtradecals I have I cannot make an accurrate aircraft. Luckily for me, I saw this on Hyperscale and promptly bought some new decals. They haven't arrived yet, so I'm not sure which aircraft I'm going to build but TH-Z is pictured with invasion stripes so would probably be the best candidate for the D-Day group build. Mark Proulx has been helping me over on the mossie.org forums and also helped research the decals for Aviaeology. He says that both TH-Z and TH-M flew during the timeframe for the D-Day group build. Niether was fitted with radar.

Good work so far. I will be keeping an eye on this one as I fancy building one myself.

Very nicely finished. I like it!

I've got both the Academy and Heller Storch. They are almost Identical. I built the Academy one (pictures here). I don't know about the Heller decals, but the Academy ones were shocking. They fell apart and I had to get some new ones sent. I had to rob the tail skid from the Heller kit, but apart from that the kit is complete (and includes the left-over Academy parts) if you want it for a couple of quid to cover the postage?

I can't find any photo's of it either. Revell's new 1/48 Mosquito (kit 04555) has that aircraft on the box, so if you can find someone with the instruction sheet you may find your answer there if Revell did their homework correctly. EDIT: Is this any use? http://www.hyperscale.com/2008/galleries/m...bmkiv48dw_1.htm

Thanks for the kind comments everyone. Honeybee, I hadn't noticed that I had missed a frame on the front turret. It should be easily fixed though. I see what you mean about the pilots seat being too far back. Too late to fix on this one, but I shall bear that in mind when I build another. (I'm looking forward to the Dambusters version of this kit!) desmojen, I'm going to purchase a few different flat coats and experiment to see which gives me the best finish before I complete the next model.

Adding another layer of Klear didn't work for me, but then it was a transparent piece I was having problems with. What I did, and this probably wont work for Grounded Pilot, was to remove the matt varnish with Vallejo thinners on a cotton bud. I was hoping it wouldn't remove the Klear but it did, so I brushed on another coat of Klear and all is well. Good luck Grounded Pilot with whatever solution you find.

Finally finished the Lancaster that I started way back in October. I decided to build the aircraft as "Admiral Prune", pictured below. A Mk1 Lanc from 106 Sqn, often piloted by Guy Gibson. The kit fits together very well, but due to my lack of modelling skills, there are still a few visible seam lines. The main let down with the kit, in my opinion, is the lack of detail on the guns and wheels. Next time I build one, I will use aftermarket items. The Aeromaster decals I used were very thick and did not respond at all well to Microsol. They did not settle down into the panel lines, despite multiple Microsol applications. This was my first attempt at post-shading, but I don't think I did a very good job of it as it's not very visible. Finally, the Vallejo matt varnish seems a little dusty and white in colour. This only really shows up on the black and is more visible in the photos than in the flesh. I don't really know why it did this. Any ideas? Please feel free to offer any constructive feedback. (Somehow I missed the yellow decal above the pilots seat and painted it black thinking it was a headrest.)

What an odd coincedence. I was just about to post a very similar question. Just finished my Lancaster and realised I've got some matt varnish over-spray on the clear nose blister. I was wondering whether I could just brush some more klear onto the blister, but I would be very interested to see if I can remove the matt varnish.

I've made a small amount of progress on this one. The front fuselage parts of the cockpit have been glued to the rear fuselage parts. I then removed the top fixing tab, filled the gap and some ejector pin marks and sanded. Hoping to start painting the cockpit this weekend.

I've been doing some further digging and I've found a 6 year old thread on mossie.org. http://www.mossie.org/forum/read.php?1,920 I've emailed the original poster on there but not sure whether I will get a reply. It seens we have identified that the Xtradecals I have belong to two different aircraft: 1. HR241 169 squadron VI-M HR241 2. TH-M 418 squadron TH-M NS850 The aircraft from the picture in the first link is HR241, an FBVI I now have another photo (below) which I believe is also HR241. It has the white-tipped spinners and letter M on the nose. In this picture however, the machine guns are in place and there are no drop-tanks. Both easily changed on the aircraft I imagine. The photo does not show whether or not the radar aerials/masts were fitted. So, back to my build, I think I will buy try to buy some squadron codes so that I can make HR241, VI-M. I still need to decide on whether I fit the nose aerial and with or without machine guns. I also still don't know whether to fit the mast behind the canopy, the wingtip aerials or extra wingtip lights. I think, the latter two are unlikely though.

Are these links any use? http://www.hannants.co.uk/pics/TM48015_1.jpg http://www.hannants.co.uk/pics/TM48015.jpg

I've never noticed this before, but that Airfix Lanc seems expensive. I mean, the newly tooled Revell Lanc is £5 cheaper than a 20-30 year-old tooling. How so?

Thanks Bill. What an awesome picture. I can't believe I didn't manage to find that one myself. I will definately be buying that book! I think that photo may just prove that it was an FBVI though. From what I have read over the last couple of days the FBVI had a strengthened wing that enabled it to carry those drop-tanks. Whereas the NFII didn't. De Havilland also have it as a FBVI: http://www.dehavilland.ukf.net/_DH98%20prodn%20list.txt "HR241 - FBVI - 1692 Flt/169/1692 Flt - Sold to Turkey 16.4.47" The photo you linked to does show at least the nose aerials, so I now know they were fitted. I'm wondereing whether the radar was retro fitted? I think the extra set of wingtip lights can be ruled out, but I'm still not sure on those wingtip aerials or the cockpit configuration. Interestingly the photo also shows the invasion stripes and what looks to me like a wavy line on the nose where the camoflage meets the black undersides. I think it has treadless tyres too, which aren't included in the kit.