Post-war RAF Mosquito

[Lord Riot]

Does anyone know if there's a suitable 1/72 Mosquito kit out there that would enable me to make a post war one, eg an NF36 or similar, or an even later target tug one?

 

 

[shatters]

Matchbox ?

 

Phil

[Graham Boak]

There's no very good one: the old Matchbox would allow you to do an NF Mk.30 which is pretty close for an NF Mk.36, or a B Mk IX which isn't too far from a B Mk.35.  Required extras such as the bulged bomb-bay used to be readily available.  Except that it isn't a very good kit, with the engines in particular being a poor representation of the two-stage shape.  B. Mk. 35s were used as target tugs with little modification, but if you mean the TT Mk.39 then there is no kit or conversion.

 

Special Hobby and AZ have both announced the intention to make two-stage Merlin Mosquitos, but neither have been promised for 2018.

[Guest]

Magna did a conversion for the TT39 geared to go with the Matchbox kit.  Try finding either of them now...

 

Best base kit for any Mosquito bomber or bull nose NF would be the Tamiya kits with resin engines.  However, two stage Merlins are now thin on the ground - Attack Squadron have ceased production, unsure of the availability of the Blackbird ones (and they have a nasty solid section inside which will need grouting out before the u/c will fit properly), the old Airwaves ones were geared to go with another kit, so I don't know if they'll fit the Tamiya Mossie.  CMRs are the wrong shape and short, Pavla's are too short.  Paragon ones are spot on for the Tamiya but finding rocking horse poo is easier.  

 

Finding a blown side panel bomber canopy or the bulged bomb bay that'll fit the Tamiya kit is another story.  Two options - Aeroclub and Paragon did both but like the latter's two stage Merlins, you'll have a hard job finding them.

Edited February 18, 2018 by The Wooksta!

[Lord Riot]

Thanks for the info chaps. Sounds like it'd be pretty complicated.

 

What about the B.35 version? Looking on Google images that looks pretty similar to the standard later WW2 Mossies. Would it simply be a question of colour scheme and decals and use a B mk. IV kit?

[Graham Boak]

Sadly not..  The B.35 has the 2-stage engines, a bulged bomb-bay, and the bulges on the cockpit canopy.

[Dave Fleming]

The only real option for non 2 stage would be a T3 conversion

[Graham Boak]

If it was just post-war use, then the Mk.VIs survived in Germany for a few years, but I'd assumed a post-war variant.  In which case there are also the FAA's TR.33s and TR.37s, but you're looking at a new undercarriage. apart from the radars and hooks,

[Guest]

You could get away with the early TR.33 sans folding wing and Lockheed u/c.  The first 17 or so didn't have them.

 

T3 conversion?  Most of the post war ones appear to have come with tropical intakes as standard and no one does them.  Paragon did, but apart from being unavailable, they were wrong, being too boxy and flat, whereas they should follow the contour of the cowling more.  You could use Hurricane or Spitfire Vokes filters with some surgery, as they look to be fairly close.

 

Pavla does a T3 conversion, but it's wrong in many respects and IMO not worth bothering with.

[stevehnz]

When I did my RNZAF Mosquito for last years DH group build, I scratched tropical filters from card & sprue, not too hard & while not perfect, still better shaped than the Paragon ones, I found a decent photo from the net & did them by eye. None of my posted photos show them very well unfortunately.

Steve.

[rossm]

Does Falcon Clear Vax set 17 give you the right canopy - it states B.XVI / PR.XVI ?

[Guest]

Yes.  It's correct for those marks and a B.35 too.  However, IIRC it's geared to go with the Matchbox kit, so may not fit either the Tamiya or Hasegawa kits.  The Tamiya has drop in side panels, so cutting out the blown panels and fitting them to the Tamiya glazing may work.  I haven't tried it, although I have a Hasegawa one converted to a B.35 slated for it's use.