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1/72 De Havilland Mosquito by Airfix - released


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19 hours ago, Bedders said:

Am I right in saying that the Xtradecals instruction sheets are incorrect in showing the tailplanes shaped a la PR34 and B35? Not material if the artwork is correct, but I find that Xtradecals' research is often a bit iffy (as is the register of their roundels). 

 

Justin

 

The artwork is wrong, and their research is often lousy. The Mosquito sheet they have out, X72332(?), is full of errors. The B.XXV is actually an NF.XIX, whilst there's no mention that the two T.IIIs and the 618 FB.VI need tropical filters (available from Freightdog), and the 305 sqn one has red codes, not black. There's also too many options on that sheet that have been done on other sheets, the 618 one being a case in point.

 

My guess is whoever has done the research has used the Richards Franks books (full of errors, assumptions and downright falsehoods) and looked no further. He claims that the B.XVI and B.35 had the elevators with the enlarged horn balance but photographic evidence says otherwise. I've been poring through my Mosquito references recently and can't see any other types with the larger elevators other than the converted bulged bay B.IVs, PR34 and the Sea Mosquitoes. The five or so B.XXVs converted to carry the 4,000lb bomb and given two stage Merlin's might have got them, but I've yet to see proof. 

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Given Airfix kits are moulded in India, to get anything would be a bonus. The degree of suffering that is currently being inflicted on its citizens and the desperate situation so many seem to be finding themselves, I think waiting for kits is a fairly minor issue. 

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2 hours ago, Mr T said:

Given Airfix kits are moulded in India, to get anything would be a bonus. The degree of suffering that is currently being inflicted on its citizens and the desperate situation so many seem to be finding themselves, I think waiting for kits is a fairly minor issue. 


All things considered, this is very valid point and we (especially Australians) should be grateful that life is slowly starting to look somewhat normal again.
 

Now without sounding too dismissive of world events, did I read correctly that the new 1/48 Airfix Sabre has been produced in the UK? If so, perhaps Airfix could resort to this production facility in order to keep their product lines open. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

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11 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Now without sounding too dismissive of world events, did I read correctly that the new 1/48 Airfix Sabre has been produced in the UK? If so, perhaps Airfix could resort to this production facility in order to keep their product lines open.

That rather depends on where the tooling is, if tooling has been started and what tooling contracts are already in place, plus what tooling and production capacity is available in the UK...

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Global events notwithstanding am I alone in thinking the ‘fuzziness ’ or less crisp details on the Sabre and other recent kits might be to do with that soft plastic (Indian or British) they persist in using? I am an Airfix fan but not a plastics expert and wonder if the makeup of the polystyrene May be the cause?

 

TT

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16 hours ago, The wooksta V2.0 said:

The Mosquito sheet they have out, X72332(?), is full of errors.

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X72232 I guess? They have another one too: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X72334

  

16 hours ago, The wooksta V2.0 said:

and the 305 sqn one has red codes, not black

 

Mushroom's monography about 305 Squadron has artwork with red codes and authors are not sure if codes were black or red. Indeed letters on the published photos are not that dark as we would expect from black letters so it would be nice to get both options.

 

5 hours ago, TEXANTOMCAT said:

Global events notwithstanding am I alone in thinking the ‘fuzziness ’ or less crisp details on the Sabre and other recent kits might be to do with that soft plastic (Indian or British) they persist in using?

 

Yes and no. Level of details depends on tooling but different plastic will give slightly different results. But I would put emphasis on *slightly* because such difference is far from "sharp like razor" vs "blob". You'll see difference when you'll keep two sprues next to each other.

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10 hours ago, TEXANTOMCAT said:

Global events notwithstanding am I alone in thinking the ‘fuzziness ’ or less crisp details on the Sabre and other recent kits might be to do with that soft plastic (Indian or British) they persist in using? I am an Airfix fan but not a plastics expert and wonder if the makeup of the polystyrene May be the cause?

 

TT

As far as I know, I have only built the one British-moulded, recent Airfix kit, hitch was a Blenheim IV. The plastic was much nicer than the soft yet brittle stuff that’s used on the Indian-moulded kits. I found that the fit was pretty good overall and that the detail was sharper. It’s just a single kit though, so not much of a data set!

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I was referring to X72232, just couldn't quite recall the correct number. The newer sheet isn't out yet, I'll ask my LHS owner to stick it on order.

 

I did find a photo of the 305 sqn aircraft online and, to my eyes at least, the colour is definitely lighter than Night and similar in tone to the roundel centre.

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On 04/05/2021 at 07:54, lasermonkey said:

As far as I know, I have only built the one British-moulded, recent Airfix kit, hitch was a Blenheim IV. The plastic was much nicer than the soft yet brittle stuff that’s used on the Indian-moulded kits. I found that the fit was pretty good overall and that the detail was sharper. It’s just a single kit though, so not much of a data set!

72 scale or 48 scale? If it's 72 scale then I'd like to know how you got the cockpit to fit nicely

 

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1 hour ago, Adam Poultney said:

72 scale or 48 scale? If it's 72 scale then I'd like to know how you got the cockpit to fit nicely

 

Honestly? It fitted perfectly. I remember reading that there were fit issues with the kit, but the only area where I wasn’t impressed was the area around the bomb bay, as the wing-fuselage fit wasn’t great there. Much of that was due to the part of the lower fuselage moulded onto the wing assembly which had very poorly defined right angles, something Airfix are serial offenders of.

 

But yeah, the cockpit fitted very well indeed, as did the nose section onto the main fuselage. It’s obviously variable from kit to kit, yet another thing that Airfix kits suffer from (see my thread on the B-17 tail turret parts).

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3 minutes ago, lasermonkey said:

Honestly? It fitted perfectly. I remember reading that there were fit issues with the kit, but the only area where I wasn’t impressed was the area around the bomb bay, as the wing-fuselage fit wasn’t great there. Much of that was due to the part of the lower fuselage moulded onto the wing assembly which had very poorly defined right angles, something Airfix are serial offenders of.

 

But yeah, the cockpit fitted very well indeed, as did the nose section onto the main fuselage. It’s obviously variable from kit to kit, yet another thing that Airfix kits suffer from (see my thread on the B-17 tail turret parts).

I think i saw your B17, tail turret was wrong size right? Never had anything that bad, but I did get two of the same fuselage half in a C47, two mismoulded bf109s and a mismoulded stuka, missing parts from a gladiator..... probably more

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On 5/3/2021 at 10:53 AM, The wooksta V2.0 said:

No, I think we'll likely see it March next year, but I'd like to be wrong.

Well time will tell but its worth noting that the latest issue of Airfix Model World (June 2021) carries a full page advert for the new Mossie on the back page including the kit's fantastic box art. Which does suggest that its release is likely to be much sooner than next year... and possibly Summer 2021.   

 

Rich

Edited by RichG
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Much as I'd like to be wrong, I very much doubt we'll see it this year. We've yet to see sprue shots, let alone test builds.

 

We're still awaiting the Vulcan, for example, and only just got the prototype Concorde. Airfix release dates have always seemed more of a wish list and their relationship with reality decidedly elastic. And an advert in a magazine sadly proves nothing.

Edited by The wooksta V2.0
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17 minutes ago, The wooksta V2.0 said:

Much as I'd like to be wrong, I very much doubt we'll see it this year. We've yet to see sprue shots, let alone test builds.

 

We're still awaiting the Vulcan, for example, and only just got the prototype Concorde. Airfix release dates have always seemed more of a wish list and their relationship with reality decidedly elastic. And an advert in a magazine sadly proves nothing.

 

Well, judging by recent history, whenever it comes out I'm sure the Aussies will get it first. 😉

 

 

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49 minutes ago, IanC said:

Well, judging by recent history, whenever it comes out I'm sure the Aussies will get it first. 😉

 

We Yanks got the Swift first, but we abused the privilege, broke the mould, and then everyone else had to wait.    :drunk:

 

Cheers,

Bill

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2 hours ago, RichG said:

Well time will tell but its worth noting that the latest issue of Airfix Model World (June 2021) carries a full page advert for the new Mossie on the back page including the kit's fantastic box art. Which does suggest that its release is likely to be much sooner than next year... and possibly Summer 2021.   

 

Rich

I hope so...... But I'd rather have the Vulcan already

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6 hours ago, IanC said:

Well, judging by recent history, whenever it comes out I'm sure the Aussies will get it first. 😉


Ahoy me hearties... Tis that Vulcans I see? 
 

51162742528_5ef79766f3_b.jpg


photo c/o @Rob S 

Cheers.. Dave 

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Still got the wrong canopy side blisters for a 16 though. I really want to see the canopy sprue.

 

Apart from that, it all looks very promising. I'm especially happy that the bulged bay is separate, meaning those wanting a very early B.XVI or PR.XVI, can do one without recourse to surgery. I'm wanting to do a 1409 Met Flight aircraft - amongst many, many others.

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2 hours ago, The wooksta V2.0 said:

Still got the wrong canopy side blisters for a 16 though. I really want to see the canopy sprue.

 

Apart from that, it all looks very promising. I'm especially happy that the bulged bay is separate, meaning those wanting a very early B.XVI or PR.XVI, can do one without recourse to surgery. I'm wanting to do a 1409 Met Flight aircraft - amongst many, many others.

 

Looking at the built up model the side panels look separate, so hopefully in the kit we'll get two canopies, one with the roof blister and one without and then the optional bulged or blistered side panels.

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From the blog

 

A final look at the new Mosquito B.XVI kit at initial test frame build stage. We do have to stress that these images show the model whilst it is still very much in development and some aspects of its design have already been the subject of some modification. Nevertheless, they do show that this beautiful model is advancing nicely towards its scheduled late summer release.

 

Hints that this is only a test shot and not a final production kit, so any "wrongness" may just be down to other parts not being available at the time that this test shot was put together.

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9 hours ago, treker_ed said:

From the blog

 

A final look at the new Mosquito B.XVI kit at initial test frame build stage. We do have to stress that these images show the model whilst it is still very much in development and some aspects of its design have already been the subject of some modification. Nevertheless, they do show that this beautiful model is advancing nicely towards its scheduled late summer release.

 

Hints that this is only a test shot and not a final production kit, so any "wrongness" may just be down to other parts not being available at the time that this test shot was put together.

The concern is that the CAD model and the model itself only show the teardrop windows and the artwork incorrectly shows the teardrop windows as well.

 

But at least the model shows the PR type canopy and since the sides are separate parts chances are the bulged ones in the kit.

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