Mosquito B.IX - 109 Sqn, Pathfinder Force (Tamiya 1/48)

[JasonC]

 

 

 

The Mosquito B.IX is finally done.

 

The kit is Tamiya's ubiquitous B.IV in 1/48, converted to a B.IX using my nacelles and some other small changes, namely:

• filled camera windows on the bomb doors and rear fuselage.
• re-positioned the downward identification lights
• scratchbuilt Gee boxes in the cockpit
• the TI's and Oboe antenna were both designed in TinkerCAD and printed at Shapeways.
• painted over the nose transparencies - a common feature of Oboe aircraft

 

Camouflage colours were Mr. Color  lacquers, and the national markings and codes were masked and painted. Serials were from an Aviaeology sheet, and the stencils were HGW 'wet transfers'.

 

WIP here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This build was originally inspired by coming into possession of the log book of my grandfather's cousin, who served in the RCAF as a navigator with 109 Squadron as part of the Pathfinder Force (PFF). He flew 84 operations in total (including nine on Halifaxes and one in Wellingtons) between 1942 and 1944. I've posted some more details about his wartime career in the build thread here. The aircraft that Flt. Lt. Simpson and his pilot flew most often was Mosquito B.IX serial LR511, hence the subject for the build. The desire to build this particular aircraft was the reason I created my own two-stage nacelles, (and eventually had them cast up in some quantity!).

 

The aircraft is depicted sometime between April and August 1944, during which time she carried the individual aircraft letter 'N'. During this period, according to Simpson’s log book, the squadron flew many operations over northern France in preparation for, and in support of, the Normandy landings. Targets appear to have included gun batteries, rail targets, and ports.

 

It's fairly well known that the Mosquito Pathfinder squadrons made great use of the Oboe navigation system to mark targets for the main force of Bomber Command, (and to bomb point targets directly). What was much harder to pin down was what the external Oboe installation on a B.IX actually looked like. The lack of photographic references is perhaps not so surprising given the secret nature of the system. After a couple of trips to the National Archives at Kew and finding a single grainy image online, I had enough to model the antenna for the Mark II Oboe that the B.IX likely carried. In brief, Oboe Mark I operated on a 1.5m wavelength and the antenna was entirely within the rear fuselage of the Mosquito. The Mark II system operated on a 10cm wavelength, and the antenna was housed under the fuselage in an aerodynamic fairing. When the build was quite far progressed, I found a selection of additional Oboe photos in 'Mosquito Thunder', a history of 105 Squadron.

 

Beyond that, I've also depicted LR511  carrying two 250lb target indicator (TI) bombs. These contained a number of pyrotechnic candles which burnt for several minutes upon hitting the ground. Although long range tanks seem to feature more often on Pathfinder Mosquitos, my (unsupported!) supposition is that TI's may have been carried on the wing stations for shorter range missions, as indeed LR511 was flying in mid-1944.

 

The camouflage is somewhat speculative as I know of no existing photos showing LR511 during her time with the squadron. The upper colours of Dark Green and Ocean Grey are straightforward, but at some point 109 Squadron Mosquitos transitioned from having mainly Night undersurfaces to Medium Sea Grey. Most images of B.IV's show the earlier scheme, and those of B.XVI's the latter. With the B.IX sitting in between I opted for that late scheme, for no other reason than I prefer it. Similarly there is evidence for both narrow and paddle bladed props on B.IX's. Again with the preference. There are eleven mission markings on the nose to represent the number of operations that Simpson flew in this aircraft, although no doubt it flew many more.

Any comments very welcome, and if someone comes up with a photo of LR511 - I will hunt you down. 😁

 

cheers,

Jason

[Nev]

Great story, and lovely model.  The weathering is nice and restrained.

[F-32]

Absolutely superb build, looks awesome

[Mozzy19]

That is a thing of beauty Jason!

 

Sean

[Phone Phixer]

Any Mossie is beautiful, yours is superb. Love it.

[Cookenbacher]

Wonderful build Jason, and a great way to commemorate family history.

[jeaton01]

Great build!

[Spitfire31]

A great model, enhanced by custom built parts after exhaustive research and, to top it up, a great background story – what more could one wish for?

 

Very impressed over here.

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

[woody37]

Great to see it across the line, it looks superb, well worth the wait

 

[Hairtrigger]

Exceptional...   

[JasonC]

Thanks for the comments everyone. 

41 minutes ago, woody37 said:

Great to see it across the line, it looks superb, well worth the wait

Yeah, it took a while didn't it? 😁

1 hour ago, Spitfire31 said:

what more could one wish for?

It turns out that the answer to this question is... ice guards. Just noticed that I've omitted these from the front of the carburettor inlets. Since the Tamiya items are solid plastic, I'll need to find some etched ones I think. A job for another day!

 

J.

[Dunny]

Great build and a fine finish! Your TI solution inspired me to have a crack myself. Well done!

[Vinnie]

Outstanding build and detail finishing. Well done, Jason.

[Vulcanicity]

A terrific Mossie - love the extra research and work that's gone into this to make something with a real connection to you