‘From Bondi to Borneo’ Mosquito FB.VI, No. 1 Squadron RAAF, Aug 1945 **FINISHED**

[Rabbit Leader]

Greetings from Australia. 
After much procrastinating about what kit to build for this GB, I’ve chosen Airfix’s 1980 moulded 1:48 Mosquito Mk. VI. At the time of its release, this kit was ‘THE’ Mosquito kit to have. It eclipsed everything before it and pretty much held its own until Tamiya graced us with their excellent selection of 1:72 and 1:48 kits in the late 1990’s. 

 

I first heard about this kit when it featured quite prominently at the start of the 1977 Airfix Catalogue and since then have always wanted to build one. I have no idea why it took a number of years to eventually be released as the year ‘1980’ is clearly embossed inside one of the fuselage halves? 
 

For its day this was quite a well detailed kit and from what I’ve read in old magazines it was initially designed as a 1:24 scale Superkit. Cockpit detail probably matches what Monogram were doing at the time, however the undercarriage is a little plain in comparison. On the plus side, it looks to hit all the right accuracy points and once built up has that Mosquito stance that ticks even more boxes. 

 

A while back, I hunted down an initial issue ‘New’ kit in the hope of ensuring the kit parts were as crisp as possible, however I have to say, my examples moulds seems to have suffered badly in certain places. There are quite a few sink hole marks and the engine pylons are warped to some strange degree. 
 

Thankfully I also possess an example of the ‘re-tooled’ Mk XVI kit and here Airfix kindly supply a whole Mk. VI kit along with upper wings, nacelles and fuselage halves to make the dedicated box version. Inside the box you almost get two complete kits, so I’ll use the better moulded parts here to help me with this GB build. 
 

Chosen Scheme?  (Now amended)

My choice of scheme is No.47 Squadrons’ KU:H RF942. This is an early Post War machine that along with 84 and 110 Squadrons performed air strikes against the Indonesian Independence movement after the collapse of the Japanese occupation forces at the end of WW2. 

I’ll try to print my own Squadron codes, so we’ll see how well that goes! As with ‘most / all’ SEAC based Mosquitoes, tropical filters are also required and thanks to a talented local Aussie modeller, I now have a set of resin tropical intakes for this build (thanks Uncle Les!). 

 

 

Enough of the long waffle, best of luck to all STGB modellers and roll on the 29th of March. 

 

Cheers.. Dave

[Ventora3300]

Great final choice, Dave. 1/48 scale will let you develop all that Mossie fine detail and it's Airfix to boot!. Good luck with your build. All the best. Mike.

[franky boy]

Nice choice Dave. Good to see a post war Mossie and in silver!

 

James 

[Johnson]

Good decisions Dave, both the kit(s) and the markings. Nice to have a different Airfix mossie in the STGB.

 

Looking forward to seeing it being built.

 

Charlie

[Roland Pulfrew]

There is just something different about an all silver Mossie, a bit like the 45 Sqn green and brown ones used in the Far East during the war.  All silver will provide a a bit of a novel break from the grey/green and PRU blue which will probably dominate elsewhere. 

[Rabbit Leader]

I’ve got four days off and the forecast for the next three days is drizzly rain and more bad weather… just the perfect tonic to crack on with this Mossie build, thanks Weather Gods! 
 

I’ve spent the last few days cleaning up some parts getting them ready for paint. I’m not really looking forward to assembling the undercarriage before final painting, however a dry fit of the various bits does show this is the only way to go and probably explains why I can’t finish my Tamiya 1/72 Mossie from a few years back (another Shelf of Doomer 😞). 
 

Anyway, heres some nice clean plastic parts before they’re exposed to the Lacquer infused Airbrush. Lots more to follow. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

My first two Mossie’s were these kits bought through mail-order from Squadron in the later 1980’s. One was this scheme with A/M decals and one was a U.K. based squadron. 

[Rabbit Leader]

Thanks Dennis @Corsairfoxfouruncle, having made a start and dry fitted some parts together, I’m quite liking the feel of this kit. I’ve never built one before and do consider it to be still a serviceable option in 1/48 scale if you can find a cheap one at some swap meet sale. Then again, I’ve seen plenty of cheap Tamiya kits recently and even the retail shops don’t charge too much for those great kits these days. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Ventora3300]

Looking very organised, Dave. You are up and running! Those parts look crisp and ready for paint. Hope it goes well.

[Rabbit Leader]

22 hours ago, Ventora3300 said:

Hope it goes well

 
I hope it does too Mike. This era of Airfix plastic is always nice to work with, however I’ve had to resort to a donor kit for the nacelles and wings as this earlier moulded kit had a few warped parts.
The painting organisation stems from Mrs RL, who possess’ quite a sensitive nose. This has led me to paint as many parts in the same colour in the one session. It doesn’t always work out but I try where I can to save the marriage! 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Johnson]

Good progress Dave. I see that all the essential modelling tools are being used. Cocktail sticks, bulldog clips, blue tack. 😁

[Rabbit Leader]

7 hours ago, Johnson said:

Good progress Dave. I see that all the essential modelling tools are being used. Cocktail sticks, bulldog clips, blue tack. 😁

 

I have to say, not sure how I'd model without these cheap little 'essential' items. I also mix my paint in those small clear plastic shot glasses; however these are getting much harder to find with all these 'plastic' bands around.  

Cheers.. Dave 

[Ngantek]

Interesting to see how the old tool compares, and it's an attractive scheme that makes a nice change from the usual. Looking forward to following!

Andy

[Rabbit Leader]

15 hours ago, Ngantek said:

Interesting to see how the old tool compares

In my opinion the old classic Airfix 1:48 kit compares quite well and looks to match up to good plans in all the right places. Yes, it’s a product of its day, but its simplicity also makes it an enjoyable build which helps me maintain my enthusiasm during the build process. Let’s see how far I go? 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Rabbit Leader]

Whilst having a slight pause from modelling, I decided to group together and photograph my ‘dedicated’ Mosquito references. I’ve also got plenty of online PDF files and other info in generic books and magazines, however even this small collection of books shows how well served this type has been over the years. 

I enjoy the research element of modelling almost as much as the build process, although funnily enough even with all this information I still have problems deciding what scheme to build! 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Rabbit Leader]

Unlike most other aircraft models, Mosquito kits usually have you paint and assemble the undercarriage parts at an early stage. This old Airfix kit is no exception and although the main gear is a bit fiddly to assemble, it all goes together quite well enough. I tend to leave all these boring bits to the end (if I actually get that far) so doing this early feels quite strange. I did add some plastic strip inside the nacelles as the smooth internal plastic did look a little bare. 
 

Paints used are Gunze C364 Aircraft Grey Green, Tamiya Lacquers LP-27 German Grey and LP-72 Mica Silver and Brown and Black Enamel Panel line wash. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

 

 

[Antoine]

Hi Dave,

Maybe an old kit, but still looking good!

At least it seems to me while I look at your picture.

[modelling minion]

Great choice of subject Dave, especially as she's an Ansty built aircraft. I built the old Airfix kit a few years ago for another GB and enjoyed the build, I would happily build another one.

[Ventora3300]

That’s some excellent progress and lovely work, Dave. The undercarriage legs (including tail wheel) look like working replicas. 

[Johnson]

9 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

I tend to leave all these boring bits to the end (if I actually get that far)

 

We'll help you along Dave, have no worries... 

 

9 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

I did add some plastic strip inside the nacelles as the smooth internal plastic did look a little bare.

Good call.

 

U/C looks superb, love the silver. Excellent progress!

 

Charlie

[Rabbit Leader]

 

Slow but steady progress and quite impressed by how this old kit is coming together. Besides the addition of some (dare I say) 1/72 ‘Kits World’ decal seat belts, the rest is all OOB. Time to start the main assembly. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Chuck1945]

Very nice

 

[81-er]

That's scrubbed up very nicely for a kit of that vintage

 

James

[Rabbit Leader]

 

The latest update sees the cockpit assembly inserted into the Left hand fuselage half. Although theres no obvious location guidance tabs provided, the whole unit seems to fit snuggly around the design of the internal wing box slot. A smidge of glue on the mating surfaces and let it all dry overnight takes care of that. 
 

The engine nacelles and undercarriage is also a clever design.  I personally made the job harder by adding a set of Uncle Les’ resin Tropical intakes, but a few hours cutting a larger slot and filling in the subsequent gaps worked well enough. 
 

Now you may also notice a significant title change in the next few updates. I’m having a few issues getting my head around the Mk.1 rocket rails used by this unit during this Post War period. Most 1/48 Mossie kits I know of come with the longer Mk.3 rocket rails and these are quite different to the earlier style rails. Grafting and (more importantly) aligning Mosquito rocket stubs to typical ‘Beaufighter’ style rocket rails won’t be a fun job, so I might opt for an easier solution. 
 

In addition to this, I’ve always had plans to do my Tamiya Mosquito kit as a SEAC bird, so making two kits with essentially similar schemes is probably not the greatest idea either. 

Anyway, I digress, so until the next update, happy Mosquito modelling everyone! 
 

Cheers.. Dave

[franky boy]

Nice work Dave

 

That cockpit scrubs up well for a kit this vintage. 
 

James