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It took me a while after my last build (DML's DO335 Pfeil that gave me all sorts of fits) to get my mojo back up and start on a new project. So far, my night fighter collection includes an American P-61A Black Widow and the aforementioned DO335. So to round it out I decided to tackle Tamiya's 1/72 Mosquito:

 

39183631960_d244d08d77_b.jpg

 

The particular aircraft I will build is NS 838, "Wag's War Wagon" of No. 605 Squadron.  Flight Officer Alan Wagner flew “Wag’s War-Wagon” and became an ace in the plane on the night of March 5/6, 1944. After its March 5/6, 1944 mission, Wagner’s aircraft carried two victory markings for Japanese aircraft Wagner claimed over Ceylon earlier in the war, along with three marks for the German aircraft shot down—two Me 410s and a FW 190. In total, Wagner shot down nine confirmed enemy aircraft and two V-1s. Tragically, he was killed while chasing a V-1 “buzz bomb” in heavy fog when his speeding Tempest fighter struck the ground in July of 1944. He was 29 years old.

 

39183627880_1fd309d695_c.jpg

 

While researching this Mosquito, I learned that the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum in Everett, Washington owns a flight-worthy Mosquito that has been repainted in WWW's scheme. Google will point you to many photos and in-flight videos of this beautifully restored aircraft.

 

26122002827_df3c50bf3d_b.jpg

 

Let's see what's in the box:

 

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26121996897_be72e93ed8_c.jpg

 

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Being a glutton for punishment, I've loaded up my plate with a hefty serving of aftermarket:

 

39183631610_114ec42210_b.jpg

 

The kit's instructions start with the engine nacelles, so my first task was to build the resin engines and firewall/engine mount in the Aires detailing set. Basically, I need to turn this:

 

27122090948_5f62a38543_c.jpg

 

Into this:

 

40099989295_3db33214f6.jpg 40951304152_f30e81f57b.jpg 

 

with only a bare-bones set of instructions for guidance:

 

27122089308_a71c9fb87f_z.jpg 

 

Many of the included resin parts are very fragile, especially the frames for the engine mount. I found some of these broken when I opened the box, and was able to salvage parts for only one engine/engine mount combination. Building the engine, itself, was straightforward:

 

26125957737_5576fdb515_z.jpg 

 

Building the engine frame was a different story! With only the above diagram to follow, I managed to CA the frame's fiddly parts together and mount them to the firewall:

 

27125919028_49eecb7e66_z.jpg 

 

But I had unknowingly made a major mistake! I had assumed the lower frame section (RP 32 & 33 in the above diagram) should be attached at right angles to the firewall, and installed all of the other frame pieces based on that assumption. When I test-fitted the engine to its mount, I discovered the electrical generator on the engine left side interfered with the engine frame:

 

27125918948_02a5894d44_c.jpg 

 

After finding photos online of the Merlin engine installation, I realized that the forward upper section of the engine frame, and not the lower aft portion, needs to be perpendicular to the firewall (i.e., horizontal in-line with the engine's major axis). My only recourse was to break apart my hard-fought frame and re-install it properly:

 

39187228560_9361e40046_z.jpg 

 

Now my test fitting of the engine to its mount, although not perfect, should hopefully be okay:

 

27125918978_aaea14e9e0_z.jpg 

 

Next steps are to paint and detail the engine, firewall, and mounting frame, and then piece the engine assembly together. How this is supposed to fit in the kit is still a mystery, as the Aires instructions say nothing at all about how to install the various resin assemblies (engines, gun bay, etc.) in the Tamiya kit.

 

What have I gotten myself into?

Edited by billn53
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I've had a lot of distractions this weekend that cut into my modeling time, but I did manage to paint up the Mosquito's Merlin:

 

 

40125376865_43cec1435b_z.jpg   41018923691_b51625bfff_z.jpg 

 

I wonder if I can print a decal that says "Rolls Royce" small enough to fit on the cylinder heads?

 

I also primed and painted just about everything that needs to be British Interior Green. I'm using Mission Models paints for this build. Here's the engine frame and firewall (detailing still to be done):

 

40125377515_1377a3090a_c.jpg 

 

That's all for now, hopefully I'll be able to speed up the pace this coming week.

 

Edited by billn53
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I'm beginning to suspect that I may have bit off more than I can chew with the resin engine. Building the engine was pretty straightforward (ignoring my foopah with the engine frame), but getting the assembly properly attached to the wing is turning out to be a real pain.

 

First task was to cut away the kit engine nacelle:

 

40354181044_546d755269_c.jpg

 

40376290964_74929f9338_c.jpg 

 

A dry fit revealed that the engine sits too far forward, making a nasty gap between the wing and the firewall:

 

41085645061_9eb74e312a_c.jpg 

 

I ground away the forward edge of the upper wing piece, but had to stop when I reached the landing gear attachment points:

 

26214269427_871d804bf7_c.jpg 

 

I also sanded down the back of the firewall as much as I dared:

 

41085646701_f94605a920_c.jpg 

 

But the fit is still less than perfect, and it looks like I'll just have to make do as best I can.

 

While mucking around trying to get the engine to fit, I managed to break part of the resin engine frame. I replaced the lost bits with plastic sprue:

 

26214268367_7530aab24d_c.jpg 

 

I also added a piece of sprue to fill in the gap between the copper-colored pipe and the aluminum coolant reservoir at the front of the engine. Here is the engine assembly after final detailing and paint touchup:

 

 27212929638_65e7f5db2b_z.jpg  27212929648_180b0acc27_z.jpg 

 

Note that I haven't added the engine exhausts yet. I'll set these aside until after the engine is installed.

 

27212928728_fa9581ccdf_z.jpg 

 

One of my AM sets includes resin parts for the radiator access on the upper wing, inboard of the engine nacelle. I considered adding this to my build but decided instead to forego it for two reasons: first, the resin part looks to be a bit too small. More importantly, the radiator is immediately adjacent to the engine attachment and I'm afraid of weakening that area any more than I have already.

 

40376290494_615959e6ba_z.jpg 

 

On a positive note, I intend to show flaps lowered, and my surgery to the wing for the resin flaps appears to have been a success:

 

40376291074_e2f7f738e0_c.jpg 

 

All in all, Tamiya's engineering on the Mosquito looks to be excellent, and it should build up easily into a fine model. All of my challenges thus far have been with the AM items. I'm seriously worried that my problems with the engine installation have only just begun. But, as Winston Churchill said, "Keep Calm and Muddle Through". 

 

 

Edited by billn53
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Good process so far.:yes:

I've this same Mossie in the stash, so I'll take a pew and take notes. I like all that AM stuff but too much for me. Might see what other decal options are out there to something away from the norm.

 

Crack-on good sir.

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Life has a way of getting in the way of my modeling, but I found some time this weekend to make a bit of progress.

 

I glued the wing pieces together after installing the landing lights. I used dark aluminum to paint the bulb in the clear lens piece that Tamiya provides, then glued the lens into its recess in the lower wing. A piece of Bare Metal self adhesive chrome was placed behind the lens before gluing the upper wing in place.

 

27288768238_7817c59c85_c.jpg    26290292327_7295255a13_c.jpg

 

I also added resin detailing to the landing gear bays:

 

26290292037_c5e8823737_z.jpg 

 

Next task, which has taken up most of my time this weekend, is the Aires resin cockpit. Although the kit's detailing is very good, the resin replacements add even more eye candy. Here is a comparison between the kit's cockpit sidewalls and the corresponding Aires resin parts:

 

26290292387_c508426281_c.jpg 
 

And this is the assembled flight deck and instrument panel. I've added a Yahu IP instead of the PE and film from the Aires set:

 

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After some eye-watering detail painting and oil-based weathering, here is where I now stand:

 

41170885731_ab0b1a66e0_c.jpg 

 

That's all for now!

Edited by billn53
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Hi Bill, 

 

I have one of these in the pile that will be a four-blade Dominican one day, after the epic Thud builds I've embarked on.... ;)

 

You are making great progress!

 

!martin

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It's Sunday morning and time for another update. Tomorrow I fly to Boston for business, returning Thursday evening. So I'm trying to get as much done this weekend as I can.

 

With the interior pieces mostly done the next trick was to see if the Aires cockpit will fit in the kit. The answer is: I think so, with a lot of effort.

 

I had to grind away the inside of the kit's nose pieces to make room for the cockpit:

 

39506433270_632d618f40_c.jpg 

 

Same with the forward end of the kit's fuselage sides:

 

27443767058_273a30d568_b.jpg 

 

With that taken care of (for the moment), I moved on to the Aires cannon bay. Here is the basic layout:

 

40602466834_4eeb7384e7_c.jpg 

 

And here it is after painting & weathering. The cannon are only dry-fitted in these pics:

 

41315807111_8ffb230880_c.jpg 

 

41273754222_a10faee84d_z.jpg 

 

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The front end of the cannon will be cut off once everything is aligned and glued into place. The "business end" is a separate, nicely detailed resin piece:

 

26444356297_43e364153a_z.jpg 

 

And this is the bay for the machine guns (ammo boxes on the right):

 

41315806581_f9ee11c698_z.jpg 

 

That's my progress so far. I'm crossing my fingers that the cannon and machine gun bays will fit without too much effort. Hopefully sometime soon I'll actually start building an airplane!

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I just returned last night from a business trip to Boston, so haven't been able to get much done since the last update. I did take a half-day off today and resumed work on my Mosquito. Focus today has been on the wings and engine nacelles.

 

The nacelles are now in place. Fit was mostly good, except for the top rear surface, where some putty was needed:

 

40546299965_836ae418ce_c.jpg 

 

Wheel wells have been detailed and weathered. Here is the rear wall (Aires resin) showing the springs that close the landing gear doors:

 

26569789517_c927387d7c_z.jpg 

 

There is an air scoop on the bottom of the nacelles. One of my nacelles will have its Merlin fully exposed and its lower panel removed. But the stock air scoop on the other nacelle isn't very well detailed, so I will try grafting on one of the resin counterparts:

 

40546299945_5626cd6606.jpg  41398651652_8c7d6f79f8.jpg

 

I also added resin details for the radiator grills in the leading edge of the wing, between the fuselage and engine nacelles:

 

41398651602_3f83c8c6be.jpg   26569789457_b1da55b28a.jpg 

 

Here's the real thing for comparison:

 

27570168168_f514d75aae_c.jpg

 

And that's it for today. Hopefully I'll have time this weekend for more progress. Stay tuned!

 

Edited by billn53
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It's been raining cats and dogs all day, which means I was able to get some good hours in on my War Wagon. The bad is that I spend nearly all my time working on the just the wheels.

 

This is what caused me so much work for so little progress: a set of resin wheels from the Armory Group:

 

39653075060_706ddba634_z.jpg 

 

I love the tread on the tires and the weighted look, but those wheel hubs are terrible! The kit's are much better. So, I decided to do some surgery. I carefully ground out the resin wheels in order to make room for the corresponding kit part:

 

41461994361_e81aac4c37_z.jpg 

 

40568682585_ce6a3effb8_z.jpg 

 

Big improvement!

 

Unfortunately, Tamiya provides only two wheel hubs, and I needed four (two for each wheel). My solution: use the kit pieces as masters and mold the extra ones that I need. In the past, I've used a latex product to create the female molds, and two-part resin for the parts themselves. The latex takes many hours to set up, and the resin pieces are somewhat brittle. This time around I'm trying out a different set of products.

 

For the female mold, I used a two-part putty-like material that sets up in just 20 minutes:

 

40747743274_327d2c1f49_c.jpg 

 

Instead of resin, I used a two-part liquid plastic concoction:

 

40747743524_cba2d8c36f_c.jpg 

 

Here's the back side of my wheels with the molded parts installed. The detail in the white plastic doesn't photograph well, but it's there.

 

41419068912_ef96c2df58_z.jpg

 

I did accomplish one more task while waiting for the mold to cure. Namely, I tried my hand at using static grass for a display base:

 

27590676308_6c412a5960_c.jpg 

 

It's a little small for the Mosquito (8-inches in diameter) and I may end up making a larger one. But for a first attempt, it doesn't look half bad and I'm sure I'll find a good use for it sooner or later :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by billn53
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I'm getting impatient to close up the fuselage. With all the aftermarket items in play I foresee fit to be the primary risk. So this morning's work has been to do as much prep and test fitting to (hopefully) ensure everything will go together without major angst.

 

With a lot of trepidation I cut away the kit's cover for the machine gun bay. This doesn't leave a lot of plastic and the nose is looking a bit like Swiss cheese! 

 

27606017208_cabeda0479_z.jpg

 

Some thinning of the kit plastic was needed, but it looks like the forward gun bay is going to fit okay:

 

41434826272_c07e4936ab_z.jpg 

 

Likewise for the main cannon bay:

 

40584428215_b26af018c2_z.jpg 

 

This required minor surgery to the the wing spar, as well as the bottom of the resin bay:

 

40763871694_bcee4a101e_z.jpg by 

 

The above may not look like much but it took about 3-hours of cut-fit-grind and repeat till done.

 

Before I get back to work, one more thing: Remember this?

 

27590676308_6c412a5960_z.jpg

 

That was my first attempt at using a static grass applicator. Here's a tip: make sure your battery is good! Mine was completely dead (doh!), and the grass is mostly just laying on its side. Here's my second attempt, using a larger base better sized for the Mosquito:

 

39668776780_500c69e38c_c.jpg 

 

Learn from your mistakes. Better yet, learn from others' mistakes!

 

Edited by billn53
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I'm not having good feelings about how this build is shaping up. The problem is fitting all of the AM into a very small space.

 

First off, I discovered that the Aires bomb bay is a bit too short. Note the gap at the front of the bay:

 

41529277281_6282ae2998_z.jpg

 

My solution (lame as it is) was to fill in the gap with plasticard:

 

40816554154_ea9ce100d4_z.jpg

 

That done, I was ready to close up the fuselage. What a battle that turned out to be! But with copious clamps, tape, and Tamiya green cap I believe (hope) I got it together:

 

41529277381_b5e4429185_c.jpg

 

There were, unfortunately, some casualties along the way:

 

40816554314_8700996301_z.jpg

 

I have my fingers crossed that the Tamiya cement will work its magic overnight, and everything will stay together when I remove the clamps and tape tomorrow. I'll then take stock of where I am, re-glue the broken pieces above into place, and putty up the inevitable gaps in the fuselage join before resuming work on the wings. Wish me luck!

Edited by billn53
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Well, it looks like everything is holding together. While the Tamiya cement was drying I reinforced some of the more problematic joins with CA. I also added some thin wedges at the wing spars to discourage the fuselage halves from separating:

 

39723092290_482d905bfe_c.jpg 

 

As expected, not everything came together perfectly so I see putty and sanding in my future:

 

41491369252_3caf1c56c7_c.jpg 

 

41491369372_e7a36f3bd7.jpg 

 

39723092310_050c00415f_z.jpg 

 

But at least I'm past the point of working only on individual piece-parts and can now start building a complete aircraft (not entirely true, I still have those intricate landing gear to assemble). Here is a foreshadow of what we have to look forward to:

 

40638403655_e92ace7149_c.jpg 

 

 

 

 

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This evening I puttied the seams along the fuselage (most serious ones being around the nose). While waiting for the putty to harden I turned my attention to the empennage. In many wartime photos of Mosquitos on the ground, the elevators are drooped and/or the rudder is offset to one side.

 

40839320914_827e756c9e_z.jpg

 

My CMK detail set includes all of the control surfaces (CMK's flaps are in the above pic) so I took a close look at those. Unfortunately, I found some problems!

 

Specifically, the rudder and elevators are not the correct size (at least, compared to Tamiya). The rudder is much too short, and the tips of the elevators are too small:

 

27680213008_bdd6331488.jpg   40657337965_579a902a32.jpg 

 

So instead, I went "old school" and, with help of a razor saw and sharp knife, re-positioned the kit's rudder and elevators:

 

40657338155_3138925bbd_c.jpg 

 

This will do!

Edited by billn53
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Continuing to work on the major components (i.e., fuselage and wings). While researching how other modelers have tackled this kit, I learned that there are a couple of inaccuracies, in particular with respect to the height of the vertical stab and rudder. Here's an example I found, comparing the Tamiya Mosquito with the Hasegawa version:

 

26747357107_f80dff7d64.jpg 

 

So to confirm, I downloaded a 1/72 profile of the Mossie and checked it against the Tamiya kit. Low and behold, the vert stab/rudder is in fact a wee bit too high:

 

40715273625_48d7ee6a35_z.jpg 

 

Slightly more than one millimeter. A really insignificant amount, but since it had come to my attention, I felt obliged to break out my sanding stick and correct the discrepancy. 

 

I also installed the forward gun bay and the lower-forward piece for the cannon. Some fretting was needed for the latter (it was really designed to be installed before closing the fuselage) but in the end everything fit together okay:

 

39799039920_c04e5fcee0_z.jpg  39799039740_18cf81e6ff_z.jpg 

 

But while fitting the lower cannon piece in place, the forward fuselage split apart along its vertical seam (aaarrrgghhhh!!! Damn my big fat clumsy fingers!):

 

39799039800_d3b75b81b9_z.jpg 

 

Easily fixed with an application of CA, but annoying nonetheless.

 

Finally, I replaced the kit air scoop on the starboard engine nacelle with a more detailed resin replacement:

 

Before:

 40546299945_5626cd6606_z.jpg

 

After:

 40715273155_85d556db8d_z.jpg

 

So this is where I stand at the moment: The fuselage, wings, and horizontal stabs have all been puttied, cleaned up, and prepped for assembly:

 

26739071027_06ab85936b_b.jpg 

 

 I know (from test fitting) that there is going to be a seam along the wing-fuselage join that will need to be filled in. Likewise where the horizontal stab joins the empennage. Once that's done, I'll mask off the wheel wells, gun bay, cockpit, etc. and commence painting & decaling. Then on to assembling the landing gear, installing the engine, and attending to miscellaneous other items. That's quite a bit of work still to do, but I feel that I can now see the end of this build on my radar screen.

Edited by billn53
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Today's goal has been accomplished; namely, getting the wings and horizontal stabs installed. The wings at first did not want to go on without leaving me a bothersome gap at the fuselage join. It took me a good while to discover where the interference was... it turned out to be the square locating frame that locks the fuselage nose to the main body:

 

 39799039800_d3b75b81b9.jpg 

 

Some careful grinding away of plastic on the inside mounting edge of the wings set things straight.

 

I used 5-minute epoxy to join the wings to the fuselage, both for strength and because it does a good job of handling gaps. For the horizontal stabs, I used old-fashioned tube cement as it gave me time to get everything aligned properly.

 

39828827190_ab8ce41c2f_b.jpg 

 

Milliput was used to fill the wing-fuselage seam. Of all the materials I use in modeling, Milliput must be my least favorite (it's a sticky mess to work with). But it does a bang-up job of filling these kinds of gaps.

 

41596950982_29e14a783b_z.jpg 

 

And finally, here is the empennage all glued together:

 

41636634441_c228e41e8e_z.jpg 

 

Tomorrow I'll give everything a close eyeball and if all looks good, see if I can get a coat of primer on this bird.

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