1/72 De Havilland Mosquito by Airfix - released

[The wooksta V2.0]

If you mean the raised lines on the surface near the leading and trailing edges, they're the spar caps.  They are a tad heavy, yes.

 

And that errant hatch I mentioned yesterday is shown in the instructions.  Having went looking for reference photos in case it was another case of a museum aircraft being not standard, this link may be of some interest for those wanting to do a TT.35

https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/model/De Havilland DH.98 Mosquito TT35/?

 

Some have the hatch - ie it's clearly there by being open - but others perhaps not.

 

Other ommissions/errors - possibly a bit picky, but added for completeness:

The vents on top of the engines aft of the propellers are missing

Intake for the pressure cabin is undersized

 

Edited August 21, 2021 by The wooksta V2.0
Edited to add extra info

[Denford]

As one who had intended (and still does) to build from Tamiya and Arma (now Brengun) where is the intake for the pressure cabin?

[The wooksta V2.0]

Port side just in front of the canopy. Little square intake as seen here:

 

You'll have issues finding a B.16 canopy that will fit the Tamiya. All the alternative vacform ones - and I have tried for my own - won't fit.

 

The Brengun engines have the engine top vents as separate parts.

Edited August 21, 2021 by The wooksta V2.0

[Denford]

I was going to try vac-forming the (side panels) as those on the Tamiya are separate, and the shape is fairly simple.

Have an uneasy feeling that the top is different too...

[The wooksta V2.0]

The framing on the 16 was revised due to the presurisation.  The Airfix canopy will fit the Tamiya with some minor fettling.

[Dave Swindell]

2 hours ago, The wooksta V2.0 said:

You'll have issues finding a B.16 canopy that will fit the Tamiya. All the alternative vacform ones - and I have tried for my own - won't fit.

Paragon?

[Paul821]

3 hours ago, Tbolt said:

It in its current config but she probably would have had the appropriate bomb bay and fairing when she was operated as a TT.35. After 633 Squadron ( which of course the aircraft were modded some what anyway ) she apparently went through a lot, a crash landing damaging the belly and was then repaired and used for one of the crash scenes in Mosquito Squadron. So I guess there's a lot of different parts on her now.

When I did a museum's studies course a few years ago the tutor used the Duxford TT35 as a demonstration of when a museum exhibit night not be what those viewing it think it is and listed many of the issues in the above quote and many more. Unfortunately I did not keep my notes if that tutorial.

[The wooksta V2.0]

With all due respect to Neil Burkhill, it's beautifully moulded and clear but too big as the Tamiya canopy fits inside it.  My NF.XV has stalled because of it.  I've asked Airfix if I can purchase the clear sprue on it's own.  Think I need about 3 to finish an NF.XV, a PR.XVI and a B.35.

[fishplanebeer]

I'm sure Airfix will sell you the clear sprues but they charge £2 per part, so depends what they think a 'part' is in this instance.

 

Regards

Colin.

[fishplanebeer]

Would I be correct in assuming that as an alternative to the Airfix kit a B.IX can be built from the Tamiya B.IV by adding the Brengun 2-stage Merlins or is there more to it than that?

 

Regards

Colin.?

[The wooksta V2.0]

3 hours ago, fishplanebeer said:

Would I be correct in assuming that as an alternative to the Airfix kit a B.IX can be built from the Tamiya B.IV by adding the Brengun 2-stage Merlins or is there more to it than that?

 

Regards

Colin.?

 

Yes.  A PR.IX may be a tad more involved with the camera fit, but a simple engine swap should get you a B.IX.  The Bren Gun engines are easy enough to assemble and fit perfectly.

Decals...  That may be a tad harder.  Many of the sheets with B.IXs are now OOP.

[stevehnz]

3 hours ago, fishplanebeer said:

I'm sure Airfix will sell you the clear sprues but they charge £2 per part, so depends what they think a 'part' is in this instance.

 

Regards

Colin.

Maybe not too bad, back when the Mk II Lancaster was released, I bought the complete sprue with the Hercules & bomb bay bits on it, & was charged £8.00 plus post for it.

Steve.

[Rabbit Leader]

Just collecting my thoughts here about Airfix’s undercarriage kit design whilst also attempting to address the ‘Elephant in the Room!’ 

 

In my recent experience (1/48 Sea Fury, Hurricane, Blenheim & 1/72 Beaufort) what initially looked to be a complicated and fiddly undercarriage assembly sequence actually turned out to be a well thought out and quite robust kit design. Having said that, I currently do not have this particular kit, so respect the undercarriage comments previously made by those that do.
 

Now to that ‘Elephant’. A good many of us here read the fortnightly Airfix Workbench Blog and acknowledge the level of detail and time spent pouring over a model kit’s design. We are told that after the Lidar scanning process is complete, many technical references are studied in order to get all the period details correct. On many occasions Subject Matter Experts (many of whom are excellent BM contributors) are consulted at various design stages to ensure that the end result is as accurate as possible…. So what happened with this Mossie kit and how did all those TT details go unnoticed?
 

Now I’m certainly no model kit CAD designer, however I suspect much time was spent in front of a computer getting all those TT bomb bay doors and aft fairing details ‘right’. Even a quick consult with the old Mosquito Squadron Signal book would have shown how different the real B.XVI details are, so this error really baffles me? 
 

Anyway enough said, I’m hoping this post is taken as plain constructive criticism, rather than just another middle aged modeller trolling on his keyboard. We all want to see Airfix thrive and succeed, but it’s lapses of accuracy like this that make some of us rethink spending our modelling money on even more Red Boxes. 
 

Cheers and kind regards.. Dave 

[Meatbox8]

2 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Just collecting my thoughts here about Airfix’s undercarriage kit design whilst also attempting to address the ‘Elephant in the Room!’ 

 

In my recent experience (1/48 Sea Fury, Hurricane, Blenheim & 1/72 Beaufort) what initially looked to be a complicated and fiddly undercarriage assembly sequence actually turned out to be a well thought out and quite robust kit design. Having said that, I currently do not have this particular kit, so respect the undercarriage comments previously made by those that do.
 

Now to that ‘Elephant’. A good many of us here read the fortnightly Airfix Workbench Blog and acknowledge the level of detail and time spent pouring over a model kit’s design. We are told that after the Lidar scanning process is complete, many technical references are studied in order to get all the period details correct. On many occasions Subject Matter Experts (many of whom are excellent BM contributors) are consulted at various design stages to ensure that the end result is as accurate as possible…. So what happened with this Mossie kit and how did all those TT details go unnoticed?
 

Now I’m certainly no model kit CAD designer, however I suspect much time was spent in front of a computer getting all those TT bomb bay doors and aft fairing details ‘right’. Even a quick consult with the old Mosquito Squadron Signal book would have shown how different the real B.XVI details are, so this error really baffles me? 
 

Anyway enough said, I’m hoping this post is taken as plain constructive criticism, rather than just another middle aged modeller trolling on his keyboard. We all want to see Airfix thrive and succeed, but it’s lapses of accuracy like this that make some of us rethink spending our modelling money on even more Red Boxes. 
 

Cheers and kind regards.. Dave 

My sentiments exactly.

[Swamp Donkey]

Here goes with the undercarriage. No comments about the accuracy, but lets see if this is as fiddly as it appears on the instructions. Stage 22

[Swamp Donkey]

Stage 23, so far, so good

[Swamp Donkey]

Stage 24/25

 

Using part B6 as a jig, the fit of the u/c legs into the slots in the wing is a bit wobbly, but it works. It’s not a fiddly as I feared

[Adam Poultney]

1 hour ago, Beermonster1958 said:

AND A VULCAN B1/B1A PLEASE!

 

PS  -  and a Victor B1 & Lincoln!

Pretty please with cherry on top!

 

John

Yes. Sadly only one of those I could see Airfix doing is the Lincoln as they've done a modern Victor and Vulcan now and it'd need an entirely new kit for the B1 variants. Hope to see someone else do them though, Revell is a contender for a new Victor B1 I think seeing as they had the old Matchbox K2 on sale and in production well after the much better Airfix Victor was out, if they can get one to the shelves at the same price as the old one then they'll have a very well selling kit. 

But this is a Mossie thread, shouldn't go down yet more tangents.

6 minutes ago, Swamp Donkey said:

Stage 24/25

 

Using part B6 as a jig, the fit of the u/c legs into the slots in the wing is a bit wobbly, but it works. It’s not a fiddly as I feared

Do you have to attach it before the engine and wheel well housings or can it be left until after you've painted everything

[The wooksta V2.0]

You can fit it through the complete engine assembly later but it's not that easy to line it all up (see also the Tamiya kit).  I had to trim the back attachment points and it still isn't a good fit.

 

Mine's almost ready for final assembly, but I need to address that missing hatch and it's easier to scribe a round fuselage without pesky things like wings and tailplanes in the way.

[Swamp Donkey]

Adam

 

By the looks of it, the main gear could be left until the end of all other construction

 

(photos of next couple of stages are rubbish, but will post completed unit - all in all, it worked well)

 

Mark

[Swamp Donkey]

Completed up to stage 31. Fairly straightforward tbh

 

SD

[stevehnz]

That doesn't look too scarey, maybe take to the tyre tread with some wet & dry to tone them down a bit but nothing there to bother me from this far away.  better than the butt join on the cross pieces of the old Airfix Mosquito F Mk II, VI & XIII. Thanks for posting those @Swamp Donkey

Steve.

[lasermonkey]

2 hours ago, stevehnz said:

That doesn't look too scarey, maybe take to the tyre tread with some wet & dry to tone them down a bit but nothing there to bother me from this far away.  better than the butt join on the cross pieces of the old Airfix Mosquito F Mk II, VI & XIII. Thanks for posting those @Swamp Donkey

Steve.

I’ve literally just had to deal with the undercarriage on the old Airfix Mossie. Not one of life’s more enjoyable tasks, it has to be said! 

[RichG]

7 hours ago, Swamp Donkey said:

By the looks of it, the main gear could be left until the end of all other construction

Thanks for posting your objective assessment  @Swamp Donkey . 

 

Yep. From his comentary on designing this kit that is precisely what Paramjit Sembhi, the Airfix product designer, was providing for in its construction. The complex Mossie undercart, by its inherent  design, is always going to be fragile and complicated to build when reduced in scale and using the wing location points as a jig, to ensure perfect alignment during its construction and protect it from damage during the build.  Leaving fitting safely to the end of the build is inspired. As is providing plastic masks to clip on & off the wheel wells to protect them whilst the undersides are painted. All very helpful in my opinion. Its then up to the skill/dexterity/eyesight of the indiviual modeller to dock the assembly into the appropriate holes when the time comes (with a strong level of confidence in fit already). Or alternatively just stick 'em straight in!

 

 

Rich

 

     

Edited August 22, 2021 by RichG

[thepureness]

So just picked up my boxing. 

The plastic looks really nice but for some unknown reason Airfix decided not to put the instructions or decals in the box.

big thanks to @Swamp Donkeyfor sending me some photos so I can get started over the week while I wait for Airfix to send me everything