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1/72 De Havilland Mosquito by Airfix - released


Bjorn

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2 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

 

Most Airfix kits already come with closed wheel well and bomb bay parts which I've always used as masks anyway. 

Cheers.. Dave 

Can't do that in this case because you have to remove plastic to use the wheels up option.

2 hours ago, Meatbox8 said:

Thanks for the clarification.

Sorry, should have been more clear.

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On 8/17/2021 at 10:26 AM, Stephen said:

According to a Facebook post from Freightdog Models,  conversion sets for B.IX, PR.IX, PR.XVI, PR.32, PR.34 and B.35 are due for release soon .

Any mention of time frame Stephen?

 

James

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2 hours ago, Adam Poultney said:

Is anyone building one yet?

Yes, just the cockpit so far but we’re away for a few days now so it’ll give me chance to contemplate what to do about the rear bomb bay fairing……?

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Am I correct in assuming that the fairing aft of the bomb bay is not correct for a BXVI as in it is not the full width of the bomb doors, which it should be?

 

If so then nothing a bit of Milliput won't fix but it would be a shame if this is another 'oversight' by Airfix to add to those we already know about.

 

However I still think Airfix should be congratulated on producing the kit, even with its oversights, as it's a very welcome upgrade for a much ignored and under appreciated aircraft by the war bird community and beyond. It's strange that the company in NZ who have now restored three Mossies to airworthy condition can't find anyone in the UK interested in funding their fourth which is on the starting blocks just waiting.

 

Regards

Colin.

 

Ps. just purchased mine from Hannants as it's been on back-order with them for months so price was reasonable

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I really don't think for one moment that those that have raised 'comments of concern' (which includes me) is disappointed by what's on offer here. Yes, all these issues previously discussed are fixable, however our viewpoint is that they could have been easily avoided by checking free and easily available references. The hours and effort invested in designing a plastic kit that should be a joy to build, now requires some home made surgery or (for those with deeper pockets) an Aftermarket correction. 

Hopefully this is a lesson learned and future kit designs will be thoroughly evaluated and scrutinised prior to final release. I will still buy one, but will hold off buying more until I work out what other versions can be built with minimal effort. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

 

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6 hours ago, fishplanebeer said:

Am I correct in assuming that the fairing aft of the bomb bay is not correct for a BXVI as in it is not the full width of the bomb doors, which it should be?

 

If so then nothing a bit of Milliput won't fix but it would be a shame if this is another 'oversight' by Airfix to add to those we already know about.

 

However I still think Airfix should be congratulated on producing the kit, even with its oversights, as it's a very welcome upgrade for a much ignored and under appreciated aircraft by the war bird community and beyond. It's strange that the company in NZ who have now restored three Mossies to airworthy condition can't find anyone in the UK interested in funding their fourth which is on the starting blocks just waiting.

 

Regards

Colin.

 

Ps. just purchased mine from Hannants as it's been on back-order with them for months so price was reasonable

 

That's what was discussed on the previous page - yes they have modelled the cut down fairing from the TT.35 to go with their TT.35 bomb bay doors. From what I can tell there was at least two different fairings used on the TT.35. It's just a silly error, not a deal breaker, but it's just added extra work or expense if you go down the AM route. They corrected the box art where they had the side window teardrops and changed it to the correct bulged type, but they could do that because both are in the kit, I guess it was too late to change the tooling for the bomb bay and too expensive for Airfix to tool extra parts.

 

 Now all we need is someone to produce all the tow gear and we can make a TT.35  😀

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Mine arrived this morning. On first inspection it looks to be a splendid kit and a credit to the designer who clearly has gone the extra yardage to  put some serious thought into how to make it easier to build. I personally will cut Airfix some slack over any oversights...:rolleyes:  And its got a bomb bay!

 

I'd be interested to understand if further variants are likely / possible from Airfix themselves (have noted the potential aftermarket conversions/corrections).

 

This looks to be an excellent mojo restorer!   

 

Rich

Edited by RichG
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12 minutes ago, RichG said:

Can't really understand the fuss about a minor fairing modification


Without wanting to sound like a total prat, I think you’re missing the essence of the discussion here Rich. No one is saying that we are disappointed in having a great new tool Two Stage Mossie, its just that it’s a shame that after all the effort that’s gone into it, small errors like this have crept in. I’m sure the kit designer(s) take lots of pride in their hard work and if that was me, I’d be kicking myself to the moon and back to let this one slip. I would like to see Airfix correct this by moulding a new rear fairing and anti shimmy tail wheel and possibly including these parts into a subsequent production batch. I also know that the chances of this happening are arguably next to zero! 
 

Cheers and regards.. Dave. 

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I'm building one I got from eBay and truthfully, I'm increasingly disappointed with it.

 

The errors spotted aside, it feels underscale. Some bits are frankly clunky. The fit of the exhausts is clever, but you have to fit them before and not later, leading to difficulties painting.  The fit of the undercarriage...  the use of the wing as a jig is clever, but the fit is fiddly beyond belief and all butt joints, no pins or axles. More worryingly, it looks way too small. Fitting it through the nacelle assembly is tricky and frustrating. The wheels are too narrow, the wheel tread is crude and the hubs look crude too.

 

The props are too small and the trailing edges are way too thick. Why, when Airfix got really thin ones in the Beaufighter, are they the scale equivalent of railway sleepers here?  The cockpit detail is nice but again feels clunky, especially the pilot's seat. He sat on his parachute AFAIK, not a cushion. 

 

Overall, the fit is good, the optional supercharger intakes are a good move and the fact it has the leading edge landing light makes building post war aircraft easier.  I really like the canopy and it fits the Tamiya kit almost perfectly. Hopefully the reverse is the case.

 

The further I get with the build, the more disillusioned I feel. I've been wanting this kit for a good decade or more and I just feel let down. Sorry, Airfix, you could have done so much better.

 

Edit: the prop compares in size with the equivalent Tamiya, but the comment re thickness stands.  I've several spare, so they'll make good substitutes.

Edit 2: the undercarriage length compares with the Tamiya although the complete Airfix assembly is too narrow compared to the Tamiya and the latter is more delicate, the Airfix one looks crude and clunky by comparison. The wheel is a good 1-2mm thinner than the equivalent Tamiya. 

Edited by The wooksta V2.0
Finicky detail!
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Hi Dave. Don't get me wrong I do understand the point made; yeah really annoying - I often get that feeling too when someone points out some obvious mistake in a piece of my work... "Oh flip..." is the usual expression (or something like that:)) - usually after i hit the send button!  I think what I was trying to say, and not very well on this occasion, was that it seemed to be something realatively minor (in my mind) which was getting a lot of attention and at risk of detracting from the kit if it was otherwise a sound product; however now having just read @The wooksta V2.0 post and comments... :hmmm:

 

Anyway on reflection I've edited my earlier post - although obviously not quickly enough... Oh flip!

 

Best wishes

 

Rich

 

Edited by RichG
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Those are my impressions of the kit, other opinions are available. Perhaps I'm comparing it unfairly with the Tamiya kit, although that had it's own issues.

 

The real selling points for me in the Airfix kit are the two stage Merlins and the late canopy, neither are in the Tamiya kit - conversion parts for the former and nothing for the latter.

 

Guess I'll just have to wait for the Special Hobby kit.

Edited by The wooksta V2.0
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1 hour ago, The wooksta V2.0 said:

I'm building one I got from eBay and truthfully, I'm increasingly disappointed with it.

 

The errors spotted aside, it feels underscale.

That was my first impression on opening the box, it might be right but it looks small. What doesn't help is the obviously under scale pilot. (And why no navigator?)

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I compared the fuselage with a Tamiya one and they agreed, even the fin on the Tamiya (which has long been claimed to be too tall) matched the Airfix. Even the Tamiya bomb door fits the Airfix, after a fashion.

 

Hmm.  I can replace the props (Tamiya), the tailwheel (Tamiya or Aeroclub) and the wheels (resin). The bomb bay fairing is replaceable with a paragon one. But the undercarriage isn't.  And really, I shouldn't have to!

 

The point really is that with LIDAR, photos and plenty of experts about, what could be a stunning showpiece is riddled with stupid fixable flaws.  

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How do the Tamiya radiators compare with the Airfix (i.e., how far are they ahead of the wing)?  My doubts about the Tamiya 1/72 Mosquito not only include the fin/rudder but how far the radiators stick out, and the shape of the nose/bombbay sections: I presume these will read across into the larger scale.

 

One Cosford show, I overheard one modeller complaining about the shape of the 1/24 Airfix Mosquito, suggesting that the established plans were all based on old and inaccurate attempts.  I'm afraid to admit that I chickened out of hearing it all and went to look at the rest of the show.  If Tamiya really did base their kits on measured originals, then they could be the one out of step but the only one right. 

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I have no skin in this game, as my interests stop just before the prototype Mossie took flight! it looks like a Mosquito to me, but what do I know?
 

However, I watched the Airfix promo interview with Paramjit, the kit designer. In it, he openly says he wants to hear from other modellers - he is a keen modeller in his own right - so if you have any beefs about accuracy I am sure he’ll be keen to hear from you. :wink:

 

 

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I am planning to build mine as a BIX so replacement bomb bay doors will be required, and a spare tail wheel as well judging by the comments so far.

 

I agree it's really frustrating that Airfix overlooked so many aspects of the aircraft and failed to share it with a person in the know to give it a once over before they committed to manufacturing the molds. This would have been a free exercise at minimal delay and turned the kit into something really special but instead what we seem to have is another missed opportunity in many respects. Given the price of the kit it is not particularly customer focused to expect modelers to shell out again for after market parts to correct their basic errors. 

 

By the way I'm really pleased that the fourth Mosssie in NZ is actually going to be built for a UK owner, at long last, although as per the recent article in Aeroplane magazine British Aerospace apparently refused to share any of their technical drawings and manuals with them which seems most odd.

 

Regards

Colin.

 

Ps. I'm assuming the TT35 at Cosford has the normal tail wheel so clearly their scanning is not as accurate as they believe it to be

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I read and understand the frustration on the last few pages of this thread. Could the problem be that we expect too much from Airfix? There's always a great deal of hype, months in advance, so we convince ourselves that the next kit will be, surely must be, the perfect one.

 

Just a thought. 

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The radiators on both Airfix and Tamiya match.   The latter's wingtips also fit perfectly, whilst the Airfix canopy will fit the Tamiya.

 

I was told by someone who worked at the Mosquito Museum that Tamiya had sent a couple of blokes who spent several days crawling over airframes with measuring gear, so I don't doubt the it's accuracy.

 

IIRC, Freightdog are doing a PR.XVI conversion, so that would give you the doors and Colin said he was including a correct tail wheel. You already get the earlier blister side panels in the kit.

 

The one underway is going to be a 14 Sqn B.35 as I've had the decals for a good decade and I've been itching to use them.

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Great that Freightdog are doing a conversion set plus the tail wheel but I suspect it won't be cheap and should we have to go this expense when some basic checking at the design stage would have rendered it unnecessary, unless you specifically want the PR version of course.

 

Regards

Colin

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