1/72 Airfix Sea Mosquito TR33

[David Womby]

 

This is as close as I think I can get to the correct camo pattern and markings for Sea Mosquito TW257 405/CW of 790 Squadron at Culdrose in 1949.  I chose these markings based on photos of the late Lieutenant Commander Jim Summerlee who was a pilot in 790 squadron.  They can be found here: https://www.naval-history.net/WXMemoirSummerleeJ1.htm.   I know the font for the 405 code is a bit too chunky but this was the closest size of lettering I could find in yellow.
  

In common with others on the squadron, she had her cannon troughs faired over and patched in a dark colour.  There's no way I could tell what colour the patched areas were.  Tonally it looked like EDSG so I used that but they may have been red or grey-green primer.

 

Photos show her with different colour spinners.  In one, they are probably Extra Dark Sea Grey but in another they are definitely glossy black.  So that's what I used.

 

This is the Airfix FB.VI/J.30 release.  It contains the 4 blade props necessary for a Sea Mosquito.   I added the arrestor hook, wing hinges and port fuselage strake from an old C Scale conversion set.  The longer 'tropical' carb intakes are from Paragon.  I was really lucky to find a set online but I see now that they aren't quite the right shape.  They should sweep up more so the actual intakes are a bit closer to the bottom of the engine nacelle.   The elevators were extended with plastic card.  The reshaped nose cone is cut from a spare 1/32 Harrier drop tank and the radome is the front of a bomb from the spares box.   The unique Sea Mosquito undercarriage is from an MBox Wellington coupled with MBox Mosquito mudguards and some plastic rod.   The real thing has a web of tiny pipework at the foot of the u/c legs but I couldn't manage to reproduce it convincingly. The slightly smaller mainwheels are anonymous ones from the spares box.   I also had to leave the canopy as provided by Airfix - the TR33 canopy actually had a bulged window on the starboard side.   Apologies for my exhaust stains - another skill I need to work on!

 

 

 

 

David

[kapam]

Quite a bit of work in that and it turned out nicely!

I confess a lack of awareness that the Mozzie had a "Sea" version.

It's good to learn such things from this site.

🙂👍👍

[SAT69]

3 hours ago, kapam said:

Quite a bit of work in that and it turned out nicely!

I confess a lack of awareness that the Mozzie had a "Sea" version.

It's good to learn such things from this site.

🙂👍👍

I too was unaware of a Sea Mosquito and likewise learn a lot here at Britmodeler. Very nice model.

[F-32]

[AeroNautique]

Another Sea Mosquito ignoramus here, very nice work and thanks for the enlightenment.

 

Also - to my eye, the Mossie looks great with four blades!

[David Womby]

Thank you, everyone.

David

[Troy Smith]

23 hours ago, kapam said:

I confess a lack of awareness that the Mozzie had a "Sea" version.

 

20 hours ago, SAT69 said:

I too was unaware of a Sea Mosquito

 

9 hours ago, AeroNautique said:

Another Sea Mosquito ignoramus here

 

Then perhaps you maybe amused to know probably the last user , AFAIK, of the Sea Mosquito was....... the Israeli AF,   denavalised, they used them until after the Suez confilct. (they also used the T.III, FB.VI, PR.XVI and NF.XXX as well....) 

 

Neat build David,  great attention to detail, even if the odd detail was to tricky manage,  and good to see the old kit scrubs up well even now

 

 

cheers

T

[David Womby]

Thanks, Tony.   The research was a bit of a challenge on this one.

 

David