Zephyr91

I agree. I couldn't get the original arrangement to keep the wheels on anyway, so added a wire axle. The wheels can then move a little and settle on the flat bit easily. I don't think I'd have managed otherwise. Rob

I agree, but on the positive side I have found them ideal to add to my "sprue goo" filler pot as they seem to blend in well with the existing gloop. 😁

I don't think I do, despite enlarging the photo quite a bit. Please can you explain a bit more? Is there a line or discontinuity I'm missing? cheers Rob

Just to note that i finally got some photos of this into the Gallery. A couple more here as well .... The bright sunlight has made the finish look a much paler blue. Thanks for looking. Rob

Mosquito PR Mk XVI NS674 “K” 60 sqn SAAF Airfix 1:72 Scheme : OOB. Colourcoats enamels AM : Eduard Space – 3D decals and PE cockpit details CMK Exhausts and Wheels sets Eduard Masking set for canopy wip here Thanks for looking. Rob

A couple of views before closing the fuselage ... The Eduard IP is really nice. This wasn't a decal as I had originally expected but a whole, finished, replacement part for the Tamiya version (which itself is pretty good). Nicely distracts from my rustic attempts at greebling....... Cheers Rob

Quick update. Life, but not too seriously just "stuff", has been hampering progress. However, there has been a little .. 1. started painting of "office" internals 2. Tail wheel paint started 3. Leading edge light in starboard wing - done and masked (a) 4. Main landing gear assembled and axles replaced 5. Engine fairings and landing gear bays - assembled and painted inside (b) a - I used the blanking plate from the PR XVI to size the gap to be cut into the wing leading edge, and comparison with the PR XVI to locate where it should be (along with comparison of photos). I couldn't use the transparency provided in the PR XVI. Why? Because I'd stuck it in place before I realised I didn't need it for that model!! Instead I used a piece of sprue from the Tamiya transparencies, cut and filed to shape then finished with Micro-Mesh. Not brill, but will do. Masking tape cut using the Airfix blanking piece as a template. b- I thought I'd come up with a brilliant idea for keeping paint out of the landing gear bays by using the Airfix masking parts supplied in the PR XVI kit for that very purpose. They don't fit. The blanking bits are too narrow and too long for the Tamiya holes. Don't want to open the old but something's amiss. The only plans I have are from Aviation News dd 30 May - 12 June 1986 and show a Mk IV drawn by Clive Brooks. The Tamiya overall nacelle (without spinner) is approximately 1.5mm short against the plan - just over 4 inches at full scale? The carburretor intakes look a little short and fat against the drawing. I don't know which is "correct" and I'm not about to start messing about with the model here but I thought I'd just make the observation. Despite the tribulations of my own doing, I'm enjoying this so far. Fitting together well. Fuselage big parts next methinks..........getting there 😁 Thanks for looking Rob

Just catching up and noticed this comment. I would have expected a 1:72 pilot to be slightly bigger than a1:76 figure. It's the Airfix pilot that's undersized. I noticed this in my PR XVI build and included a comparison photo with all my other spare crew (copied here)....... The new Mossie pilot is on the extreme left. I scale him at under 5ft - so he's either a young lad or a Hobbit... Hope that helps Rob

I always thoiught the Safety Net was going to be superfluous!! Says he with 100% hindsight vision Great Result and thanks for the comments about the STGB. cheers Rob

Nice recovery of the escaped piece!! All looking good. I enjoyed this kit until I got to the canopy! But canopies are my nemesis, and I'm sure you'll be fine. I'd also advise care with the front glazing panels next to the nose. They are "handed" so it pays to look very carefully. I also nearly did with one of them what you did with the bit that had to be recovered from the fuselage. cheers Rob

I was wondering about this last year and decided to do a less-than-scientific survey of the car tyres in our street. [I only got a few questions along the lines of "what are you up to now, Rob?" ] The weather was fine but rain had happened about an hour before - so things drying out. Some cars had been there a long time, some had just driven and been parked and some in between. I could discern NO pattern to it at all. Some tyres had lighter sidewalls and darker treads. Some the other way around. One even seemed to be the same! If anything the age of the tyre tended to influence appearance - older ones having lighter/dirtier sidewalls and darker treads - but not enough of a sample to make this statistically significant!! Conclusion : usually, the sidewalls are different in shade to the surface-contacting tread. And I did that all without AI !! Hope that helped in some highly inconclusive way! cheers Rob

The 100gal tanks arrived from Blackbird Models today! They seem just what I needed. This evening I have been prepping the wings with all the hole drilling etc. The new tanks are a smooth fit with the wing lower surface. However, I didn't trust myself to get them lined up properly so embedded a couple of pieces of wire into each to act as locating pins. I was eager to see how things are developing and so we have a dry-fit ......... ......with which I'm quite pleased so far. 😁 All bits are just balanced in place so a bit wonky and I will sort the relative angles of everything when finally sticking things together, but it's looking suitably busy under that wing and encourages me to carry on. Might get some bigger bits stuck together soon ....... maybe, possibly. A bit more (paying) work to do tomorrow so bench time will be limited. But we'll see what we can do. Thanks for looking Cheers Rob

Both looking good there Gordo. I particularly like the Swiss Miss with her red and white scheme. Not seen it before your build. Hope the family leaves you time to finish these. cheers Rob

I'll be sure to look out for it when I get there. Cheers Rob

Thanks again for your input. Great sources. The photo of RS625 from the rhs is really useful. I think I can just see the nose camera. The whip aerial is clearly there too. I was hoping not to have to do "that light" but again, that appears to be there as well. One observation about the captured FB VI. There appears to be a nose camera there, but it appears off-centre above the port side mgs, rather like the Tamiya kit supplied hole. I quickly checked back to your RS625 and think I can see a more substantial "camera" and clearly more centrally placed - wouldn't see the other one so well from this view. So , I hadn't done the wrong mod. 😁 If my observation is correct it does mean one has to be rather careful about generalising what was fitted when. Regarding the Polish source. Good stuff. The language is a challenge but doesn't bother me so much. I was keen to research 302 Polish Sqn Hurricanes and sent for a book published there. Google Translate is very useful. I'm beginning to spot the words for "squadron" and "wing" and am gradually catching on to months of the year. If all else fails, I could ask my godson's polish wife - although that's not been necessary so far! Finally, the last photo linked is interesting. Is that a tarpaulin partially covering the canopy? If so, it might be a way of rescuing my PR XVI canopy debacle!! cheers, and thanks again. Rob