USAAF Weather Recon Mosquito

[goggsy]

Hi

I picked up an old Revell 1/32 Mosquito (MK IV?) at Northern Model Show the other day and am thinking of doing it as a weather reconnaissance version like this:

Does anyone know what, if anything, would need to be done to convert the bomber variant to this type, and also what shade of blue I should use? It looks rather like RAF PRU Blue, which I happen to have a tin of in Xtracolour, but if anyone knows different I'd be grateful. Any guidance appreciated.

Ta

Liam

[AndyC]

Hmmm...tricky in 1/32!

The US usually used the PRXVI, for which you will need to change the single-stage Merlins in the B.IV to two-stage Merlins for the PRXVI. You will also need to drill out and fill in for camera ports at various points.

Conversions for the engines are available in 1/72 and 1/48 but I'm unsure as to what is available in 1/32?

I am going to do a similar a/c uisng the Tamiya B.IV and the Paragon resin engines and I intend to use PR Blue, which I think is the actual colour used

[goggsy]

Thanks Andy, it's a bit of a blank canvas as kits go, but there are three engines in the box for some reason so I'll have a go at tarted one of them up to be exposed. It's a good opportunity for some scratchbuilding!

[AndyC]

Unless you are wedded to the PR version you could do a B.XX which was the Canadian built version of the B.IV - this used standard B.IV frame and single stage Merlins as in the kit. The USAAF used them as F-8 reconnaissance a/c - if you search the web you will see some pics and this may be easier to do.

The F-8 will have the standard 'needle' props and will need some underwing tanks (I have no idea if the Revell kit gives you those?). The down-side is I think they used standard Grey/Green camo rather than the PRU Blue. The up-side is you will have most of what you need in the basic kit and not some major scratch-building of two-stage Merlins (again - camera ports will need to be formed).

HTH

[Test Graham]

You could easily do a PRU Blue Mk.IV, but it would be British not American and lack the red tail.

[Jennings Heilig]

Unless you are wedded to the PR version you could do a B.XX which was the Canadian built version of the B.IV - this used standard B.IV frame and single stage Merlins as in the kit. The USAAF used them as F-8 reconnaissance a/c - if you search the web you will see some pics and this may be easier to do.

The F-8 will have the standard 'needle' props and will need some underwing tanks (I have no idea if the Revell kit gives you those?). The down-side is I think they used standard Grey/Green camo rather than the PRU Blue. The up-side is you will have most of what you need in the basic kit and not some major scratch-building of two-stage Merlins (again - camera ports will need to be formed).

HTH

There was only one F-8 used in combat, and that was 43-34926 "The Spook". It was actually a converted B.VII, not a B.XX (not much difference). You can find decals for her (and her entire history) here (although not in 1/32 I'm afraid):

http://www.fundekals.com/F8Mosquito_Spook.html

BTW, the PR.XVIs were used mainly for photo reconnaissance, not weather, although they undoubtedly did some of that as well. They were also used for rather more clandestine purposes such as communicating with resistance agents and infiltrators.

[AndyC]

Good info - thought more were used Jennings! The red tails on the PRXVI were to stop trigger-happy allies shooting at their own?

[goggsy]

Thanks guys, some serious food for thought. I want to go with the USAAF version purely for the colour, got to love that red tail!

The kit is in a plain cardboard box with all manner of stuff in it, some of which isn't actually original. It seems to have instructions from a 1/48 kit, ancient decals that include "the spook", three engines (why?!) and assorted wheels and bits of broken prop etc. Some of the sub assemblies have been partly completed such as the wings, someone has started to have a go at scratchbuilding a bomb bay and given up, and the fuselage and wings have been badly half (brush) painted in grey. I'll have a bash at making it as authentic as possible but if it comes out looking anything like a Mosquito I'll be pleased.

[AndyC]

Good luck Liam - and don't forget to post a WIP!

[goggsy]

Thanks, will do