HK Mosquitos

[Don149]

What`s the difference between the two HK Mosquito kits apart the markings ? , can anyone tell me please .

                                                                                                                                                                           Don .

[fishplanebeer]

Sadly I don't have the funds or the space for either but from what I can see on the Hannants site one is a B.IV/PR.IV with the single stage Merlins and the other is the B.IX/XVI which had the two stage Merlins so quite a difference. That's just for starters as there may be other differences that those more learned may add.

 

Regards

Colin.

[Don149]

Thanks Colin , it is the difference in the kit parts I`m interested in as the pic of the BIX / XVI is not very clear , presumably shown

from the box top .

                           Don .

[brewerjerry]

Hi

    does this help ? 

 

xvi sprues

https://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/review.php?rid=1922

 

iv sprues

https://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/review.php?rid=1518

 

cheers

   jerry 

[fishplanebeer]

The sprue shots are highly impressive so which ever one you go for you will have a quite superb model.

 

Regards

Colin.

[Don149]

Many thanks Jerry , that hits the nail right on the head ! .The only problem appears to be the curvature of the wing leading edge above the rad 

intakes , hopefully this can be " fettled " in the build .

      Thanks again Colin .

                                     Don .

[Whitewolf]

The two stage version in theory gives you all the parts to build the last bomber version to operate ( B Mk 35?) with the RAF, someone would just need to do a decal sheet for the grey over black scheme.

[fishplanebeer]

I'm not sure if the B.IX/XVI version provides both the normal and bulged bomb door so worth just checking as the former would be for the B.IX and the latter for the B.XVI. although the good news is that the clear parts seem to provide both the correct pressurised (B.XVI) and non-pressurised (B.IX) options.

 

Building a PR.IX or PR.XVI would also be an option as well if you add the relevant cameras so quite some kit and I have to say I'm rather envious.

 

Regards

Colin.

Edited June 6, 2022 by fishplanebeer

[Chuck1945]

3 hours ago, fishplanebeer said:

I'm not sure if the B.IX/XVI version provides both the normal and bulged bomb door so worth just checking as the former would be for the B.IX and the latter for the B.XVI. although the good news is that the clear parts seem to provide both the correct pressurised (B.XVI) and non-pressurised (B.IX) options.

 

Building a PR.IX or PR.XVI would also be an option as well if you add the relevant cameras so quite some kit and I have to say I'm rather envious.

 

Regards

Colin.

The IX/XVI sprue shots look to have normal and bulged bomb bays. Now if Airfix had done that properly in 1/72…

[elger]

Perhaps also worth keeping in mind when we're talking differences between the IV and IX/XIV, HK Models did take a few additional short cuts:

• the pressurized version has that little air scoop on the nose in front of the cockpit; this wasn't fitted to the IV so you should get rid of that when building an early variant.
• the identification lights on the bottom of the rear fuselage are also appropriate for later marks, not the earlier ones.
• the top of the canopy is only appropriate for pressurized variants - non-pressurized variants had a square hatch that wasn't divided so when building an early version get rid of that thing down the middle of the clear part.

 

Here's the canopy from my attempt of adding the HK nose part to the Tamiya wings (and 'correcting' the angle of the front fuselage windows by swapping the left and right parts)

 

[Don149]

Thanks guys , and Elger your build of fitting the HK forward fuselage to the Tamiya airframe , although expensive , looks good ! . You`ve set me thinking ! .

The only mosquitos I saw back in the early `50 s when I was in the RAF were TT 35s , I think the clear nose was just a little bit deeper , a little bit further back

than is depicted in the kit , making it longer . but that`s something to look at when I receive the kit in a day or two .

                                                                                                                                                                                       Don . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

[elger]

The HK model has some shape issues - the nose is definitely off. The angle of the side windows makes it worse and can be corrected, but it's also the entire shape of the nose cone. I found this out after this build. Another shape issue of the HK kit is the leading edge of the wings - especially at the radiators; there's a too steep of a drop, much too much of a curve. The leading edge of the wings was much flatter. There's some curve, but the HK kit exaggerates this way too much

[brewerjerry]

Hi

    Not sure of the accuracy of it

 

 would a revell 1:32 mosquito nose make a cheaper conversion to the 1:32 tamiya, or does the revell have shape issues

    cheers

       jerry

[elger]

Yeah in hindsight I might as well have used the Revell kit. It's cheaper but it also has major problems: out of the box the clear parts are problematic: the main canopy is in two parts and has a seam line right through the middle. The shape of the canopy is also a bit odd. The side windows are horribly inaccurately shaped, but it's more of a matter of making them smaller on one side to make the top and bottom parallel. The exterior surface details of the kit are raised, and the interior is really, really bare.

 

The Revell wing shape is much better than HK - and it would take less effort in that sense to mate the Revell (front) fuselage to the Tamiya wings. If I were to make a B.IV again out of a Tamiya kit as a basis, I'd use a Revell fuselage and not one of HK Models.

[Mark Proulx]

FWIW, in my opinion, HK REALLY messed up the shape of their 32nd Mosquito. The wing shape above the radiators has ruined the kit for me. I have often wondered if that flaw has affected the angle of the nacelles causing them to be angled down to far as well. Can't say for sure as I have not checked, just my suspicion....

 

It is too bad because HK really had some cutting edge injection molding with this kit.

 

Mark Proulx

 

 

[mrp]

 

The pictures show the process  of combining the Revell fuselage and the Tamiya wing and engine components. I have also attached a shot of the original Canadian built Mosquito KB336, which shows the nose contoures and bomb aimers blister, which I feel is not quite right on the HK kit.

 

I used the Revell fuselage combined with the Tamiya wings and rudder and tailplane. All I used from the Revell kit was the fuselage.As the Mosquito fuselage is essentially a wooden tube covered with fabric and paint, the level of surface detail is negligent. Cockpit was a modified Paragon set, which took in the differences between the the fighter version and the bomber. The radio fittment was also changed to reflect the different radios that the Canadian based Mosquitos used.

The build was a little tricky to get the wing set together with the fuselage, but I basically built it like the real thing, with the wing being a complete unit to fit into the fuselage from underneath.The canopy set was a Falcon set designed for the Revell kit, which elimates the use of the poor canopy mouldings. I corrected the bombaimers side windows, which on the Revell kit are too large and  not the right shape and size.

I bought the sprues for the Tamiya Mosquito off E-Bay, to save me from using a complete Tamiya kit. Luckily I had a complete Tamiya Mosquito in my stash, which provided the instructiona and the guide for what sprues would be needed.

The Kit was built to represent a Canadian built BXX, used by 31 OTU at Debert Nova Scotia.

 

 

Mark

Edited June 7, 2022 by mrp

[Don149]

Received the kit today , had a close look at the wing and apart from the inboard leading edge problem , the outboard leading edge looks too

bulbous . so I`ve ordered the Tamiya one from Hannants as a donor airframe , `can use the pilot and nav . figures in the cockpit too .

Sod the expense , I`ll get the mark I want . 

                                                                   Don .