1/72 De Havilland Mosquito by Airfix - released

[alt-92]

Good to see Paramjit on the ball. 

Also notice, ejection pin marks are all kept out of sight - to the rear of the cockpit inside the wing root and below the floor.

It's not so much the design in CAD (small inaccuracies apart like typical exhibit quirks) that lets them down a bit, but the manufacturing process I guess...

 

Oh for the chance of getting proper styrene.... even though most casual builders prefer the current stuff.

[Tbolt]

23 minutes ago, alt-92 said:

Good to see Paramjit on the ball. 

Also notice, ejection pin marks are all kept out of sight - to the rear of the cockpit inside the wing root and below the floor.

It's not so much the design in CAD (small inaccuracies apart like typical exhibit quirks) that lets them down a bit, but the manufacturing process I guess...

 

Oh for the chance of getting proper styrene.... even though most casual builders prefer the current stuff.

 

Yes Airfix are obviously capable of designing a kit with greater detail and finesse but have to simplify things so they can get them molded correctly, just look at the frames on the landing gear, simple and a lot thicker than they should be but I'm guessing done so they get a usable part. 

[RichG]

"The new Mosquito is currently on target for an August release."  Airfix Workbench 14 May     (assuming of course that's August 2021...) 

 

Rich

Edited May 16, 2021 by RichG

[lasermonkey]

2 hours ago, alt-92 said:

Good to see Paramjit on the ball. 

Also notice, ejection pin marks are all kept out of sight - to the rear of the cockpit inside the wing root and below the floor.

It's not so much the design in CAD (small inaccuracies apart like typical exhibit quirks) that lets them down a bit, but the manufacturing process I guess...

 

Oh for the chance of getting proper styrene.... even though most casual builders prefer the current stuff.

The new Spitfire Vc has much nicer plastic. It’s harder, less brittle and generally easier to work with. I think it holds detail better too. I hope it’s a sign of things to come.

[The wooksta V2.0]

Another scan and that tailwheel needs looking at - it needs the groove for the twin contact anti shimmy wheel.

 

The detail on the cockpit sidewalls looks better than the Tamiya in places, not so much in others.

 

Given the canopy most likely has drop in panels, is it possible they may be planning a mk.IX at some point?

[Adam Poultney]

On 15/05/2021 at 10:11, RichG said:

"The new Mosquito is currently on target for an August release."  Airfix Workbench 14 May     (assuming of course that's August 2021...) 

 

Rich

Oooo I should be able to fit in one build before I'm off to uni in September

Hopefully the Vulcan comes before that...

[Dave Swindell]

1 hour ago, The wooksta V2.0 said:

Another scan and that tailwheel needs looking at - it needs the groove for the twin contact anti shimmy wheel.

Good spot, I missed that, it looks rather on the thin side as well, so if it comes in two halves an easy fix would be to insert a slightly smaller diameter disc of card in between - but I bet it will be a single piece moulding!

 

1 hour ago, The wooksta V2.0 said:

is it possible they may be planning a mk.IX at some point?

Both bomber and PR I would hope....

[Tbolt]

2 hours ago, The wooksta V2.0 said:

Another scan and that tailwheel needs looking at - it needs the groove for the twin contact anti shimmy wheel.

 

The detail on the cockpit sidewalls looks better than the Tamiya in places, not so much in others.

 

Given the canopy most likely has drop in panels, is it possible they may be planning a mk.IX at some point?

 

I suspect the tyre has been simplified on purpose as it looks like they might be molding the tail wheel assembly as one piece ( does it look a little narrow to you? ). Special Hobby have got it correct in their CAD.

 

Airfix never seem to bring us that many versions, we know we are getting a B.XVI and probably a PR.XVI so I guess it depends what we get in the box. If we get all the canopy options in both boxes that's a good start, but reference the bomb bay doors what are we getting there? You could make a bulged bay IX but when it comes to the flat doors from what I understand the first few B.XVI's had flat doors, so are Airfix making that an option or are we just going to have to work with the PR doors and fill the camera ports if we want to get to a B.IX ourselves?

[Tbolt]

1 hour ago, Dave Swindell said:

Good spot, I missed that, it looks rather on the thin side as well, so if it comes in two halves an easy fix would be to insert a slightly smaller diameter disc of card in between - but I bet it will be a single piece moulding!

 

Both bomber and PR I would hope....

I missed your comment because it was on a new page but as I said the tail wheel looks a little narrow to me as well and a one piece molding which I suspect is why they simplified the tyre.

 

[The wooksta V2.0]

I'm sure some enterprising person will come up with a resin solution. For myself, a spare Tamiya door may fall into some moulding rubber. Purely for personal use, you understand.

 

As for the tail wheel, unless they fix it, I have several spare Tamiya ones that may have a similar accident.

Edited May 18, 2021 by The wooksta V2.0

[Troy Smith]

3 hours ago, The wooksta V2.0 said:

Another scan and that tailwheel needs looking at - it needs the groove for the twin contact anti shimmy wheel.

 

The detail on the cockpit sidewalls looks better than the Tamiya in places, not so much in others.

 

Lee, I suggest emailing Airfix, and letting them know.   They do take on information from folks who know what their stuff, they got sabrejet aka Duncan Curtis to help on the 1/48 Sabre,  though they probably should have got him to look over the project near the end, as they still made a few glitches ( grey cockpit, locks on UC legs and lifting lugs  from a museum example that had been LIDAR'ed are three) 

 

[Rabbit Leader]

The characteristics of the Mosquito tail wheel is well known and I can’t recall if even Airfix got this right on their 1972 Series 3 tooling. I will obviously not comment negatively without seeing sprue photos, however I’d be extremely surprised if they missed it this time around with all the references available. Now  I wonder what type of tail wheel is fitted to the restored example they scanned, perhaps that has a tail wheel similar to the CAD image? 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Black Knight]

2 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

The characteristics of the Mosquito tail wheel is well known and I can’t recall if even Airfix got this right on their 1972 Series 3 tooling.

yes, they did

[Dave Swindell]

9 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

Lee, I suggest emailing Airfix, and letting them know.   

I suspect it's a little late for that if it's supposed to be hitting the shelves in a couple of months time - the kits will already be moulded and packed for shipping by now

9 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Now  I wonder what type of tail wheel is fitted to the restored example they scanned, perhaps that has a tail wheel similar to the CAD image? 

They scanned the TT35 at Cosford, which has an anti shimmy tail wheel, so their source for that is correct.

Other parts on the other hand aren't correct for the mark they're initially releasing and have shown up in CAD, hopefully for future versions of the kit, though I have my doubts whether they'll be releasing a target tug version.

[Tbolt]

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235095379-airfix-mosquito-72nd-scale-new-release/&do=findComment&comment=4118976

 

Thanks for that ( @rossm ) Strange if that's what Airfix has missed; if you scan a TT35 it should be some simple research to work out that the banner and winch bits shouldn't be on a XVI. 

 

Even if they are struggling for info why don't companies go on a forum like this and ask as your bound to come across people with a good knowledge of the type or can point you in the right direction. It's not like they even have to say they are a model manufacturer.

 

 

[fishplanebeer]

The latest issue of Airfix magazine (July) has an article on the new release and infers it will be with us soon so worth a gander as it also has some sprue shots.

 

Bomb bay doors are as per the TT.35 they scanned and not for a B XVI but otherwise looks good.

 

Regards

Colin.

[fishplanebeer]

Totally agree with Tbolt, after all a bomber version is guaranteed to have a different configuration to that of a target tug so not sure how this could have been missed.

 

On the plus side the sprue shots in the mag look really good and they have included four 500lb bombs so no need to raid the bomber re-supply set for them or have to buy after market examples. In addition the kit includes two versions of the side windows, blown and blistered, so it should be possible to build the B.IX without too much modification although my understanding is that only 32 such aircraft were built and that the bulged bomb bays were considered but never fitted?

 

Regards

Colin.

[Richard Humm]

The designer of the kit will be appearing live on the florymodels Youtube channel on Thursday at 7.30 pm, so you might be able to get any questions about it answered.

[Troy Smith]

14 hours ago, Tbolt said:

Even if they are struggling for info why don't companies go on a forum like this and ask as your bound to come across people with a good knowledge of the type or can point you in the right direction. It's not like they even have to say they are a model manufacturer.

 

Airfix do this already,  note that they have used @Sabrejet  for their 1/48th Sabre and @Chris Thomas  for their 1/2th Typhoon.

 

What they do fail to do, or so it seems,  is then get the project checked over in the later design stages, (not the Typhoon, but that is a prestige item) but for example, in the 1/48th Sabre kit, the museum example scanned had support locks on the oleos on the UC legs, and some lifting attachments in place on the rear fuselage, faithfully reproduced by Airfix...  which have been pointed out and explained on here..... and the instruction to paint the cockpit grey, rather than black.

Not sure why this last stage gets missed out, I do get the impression that at times there is a cut off point applied in process with Airfix, and that when some small detail get missed off,  eg lack of gunsight in their 1/48 Sea Fury, no holes in nosewheel on 1/48th Hunter.  

 

At least with getting advisor from forums you have some idea that they do know what they are talking about. 

 

On a personal note, I wish I'd known this a few years ago, as I'd have gone over their 72nd fabric Hurricane kit more carefully,  as that kits major glitches got scaled up to their 1/48th kit...  where they are more noticeable......   as If I'd known I'd have gone over said 72nd kit far more carefully than I did...  I only spotted the too high canopy at first.

 

HTH

...and I note I posted some of this further up this thread before....  https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235086429-172-de-havilland-mosquito-by-airfix-release-summer-2021/page/8/&tab=comments#elControls_4091158_menu

which i'd forgotten about.... DOH!

[fishplanebeer]

Oops!

According to the BAe Systems web site there were 54 B.IX's built and some were modified to carry the 4,000lb 'cookie' as in having bulged bomb doors.

 

It also strikes me that it would be quite simple to also build the B.IX version as well from the kit providing the bomb doors could be changed to the standard type, so along with the PR.XVI and PR.IX that's quite a few extra options already. As such I suspect there will be a few after market offerings coming on stream once the kit is selling like hot cakes, which is almost bound to do.

 

Regards

Colin.

[Max Headroom]

Are standard bomb bay doors included on the sprues? If not, that’ll be a simple

dtop-in replacement for the after market bods.

 

Trevor

[fishplanebeer]

From the sprue shots I've seen it looks as if the fore and aft fairings for the bulged bomb doors, to blend the bomb bay into the fuselage, are separate items and not moulded into the fuselage halves. As such it would be a simple swap out for normal doors but as far as I can see the kit doesn't seem to include them as an option so very much dependent upon an after market resin set for all but the most adventurous and gifted.

 

Regards

Colin.

[mike kippenhan]

Finally. I am really looking forward to this kit.

Edited June 21, 2021 by mike kippenhan

[k5054nz]

I know it's a typo, but

12 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

their 1/2th Typhoon

has to be an Ultrakit or Hyperkit, right? 😇

[The wooksta V2.0]

Not so sure a backdate to a B.IX or PR.IX would be possible without recourse to a vacform B.IV canopy as the B/PR.XIV had a revised canopy with heavier framing and smaller clear panels due to the strengthening for pressurisation.

 

As it is, I'm planning on dropping several Tamiya components into rubber for use with this kit, tailwheel and bomb doors (providing that they fit!) being high on the list.