1:24 Airfix Mosquito

[FZ6]

I purchased Airfix's big mossie just before Christmas after seeing one in my local model shop. Sadly that one had no fuselage halves so I picked this one up on the net as I was eager to get my hands on one.

After getting the box open I managed to resist for a couple of days before tearing into it and have devoted most of my modelling time to working on it since.

I've started with the cockpit and spent time filling in ejector pin marks. Some of them won't be seen when the model is finished but the views with the cockpit dry fitted show the ones that might be seen. I have drifted away from the kit instructions slightly as I want to assemble as much as I can before I get the green paint out for the interior.

I sprayed the control column cover with Humbrol 98.

Big Mossie 007 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

 

Big Mossie 006 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

 

Big Mossie 004 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

 

Big Mossie 003 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

Big Mossie 002 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

Rear bomb bay section also had some ejector pin marks which have been filled

Big Mossie 005 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

A view of the airframe dry fitted together. It's bigger than my model desk! Much bigger!

Big Mossie 001 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

Before I get the green paint on the interior I want to add some of the small plastic discs to the fuselage sides along with some wiring.

I wil be painting the Aircraft as Group Captain Pickard's Operation Jericho mount as he was from Sheffield so there's local interest there.

[Mentalguru]

Lovely camera (and ejector scar filling) work there- a pleasure to study your photo's- thank you.

I like the choice of scheme- These aircraft took off from Hunsdon airfield very close to where I grew up- so looking forward to this one.

Edited January 4, 2010 by Mentalguru

[rob]

Something's just struck me, regarding the Mossie kit (i'm still at the gazing in wonderment stage with mine) i've spotted a couple of minor errors and one potential major error

In the cockpit immediatly behind the crew seats the engine control torque tubes are missing, so the same tubes are missing as they go into the engine bay area

The undercarriage door rollers are missing off the gear legs both of these issues are easily sorted..

But the major one for me "seems" to be the absence of any dihedral on the mainplane maybe its just the way it photos close up, but looking at the big upper surface

it seems almost flat the Mossie has a dihedral of 1.54% and is very noticeable. It may build up OK but if there's any out there with a completed mainplane asembly

that can have a look..

Regards Rob...

[StephenMG]

The dihedral on the Mosquito wing is only 1 deg 24 min and that's measured along the top edge of the front spar not along the top of the wing. The 'thickest' part of the wing is a good way further aft than the front spar and is pretty flat so it can be misleading.

Cheers,

Mark

Edited January 4, 2010 by StephenMG

[rob]

The dihedral on the Mosquito wing is only 1 deg 24 min and that's measured along the top edge of the front spar not along the top of the wing. The 'thickest' part of the wing is a good way further aft than the front spar and is pretty flat so it can be misleading.

Cheers,

Mark

You're correct regarding the dihedral figure just checked it, the 1.54 figure just plucked out of my mind I was close but I still maintain that it's quite

noticeable. The pics published so far of this beaut seem to flatten it out, it may just be a photographic aberation caused by the close up fish eye lens

Regards as always Rob...

[Daniel]

Looking good. Now you have filled them, you can really see the number of pin marks. It is a shame you have had to, but as you have shown easily overcome (though a little tedious no doubt).

Dan

[StephenMG]

You're correct regarding the dihedral figure just checked it, the 1.54 figure just plucked out of my mind I was close but I still maintain that it's quite

noticeable. The pics published so far of this beaut seem to flatten it out, it may just be a photographic aberation caused by the close up fish eye lens

Regards as always Rob...

Photos may distort things a bit but looking at a Mosquito from head on the top surface of the wing does appear virtually flat. Because of the wing root thickness the lower surface does have a very distinct upward angle as it's the front spar where the actual dihedral is. As you move further back over the upper wing surface the curve of it does 'absorb' the dihedral appearance. That means that from directly head on it appears almost flat on the top surface. The photos I've seen of the Airfix Mossie appear correct, but I've not seen one 'in the flesh' properly yet!

Edited January 4, 2010 by StephenMG

[FZ6]

Something's just struck me, regarding the Mossie kit (i'm still at the gazing in wonderment stage with mine) i've spotted a couple of minor errors and one potential major error

In the cockpit immediatly behind the crew seats the engine control torque tubes are missing, so the same tubes are missing as they go into the engine bay area

The undercarriage door rollers are missing off the gear legs both of these issues are easily sorted..

But the major one for me "seems" to be the absence of any dihedral on the mainplane maybe its just the way it photos close up, but looking at the big upper surface

it seems almost flat the Mossie has a dihedral of 1.54% and is very noticeable. It may build up OK but if there's any out there with a completed mainplane asembly

that can have a look..

Regards Rob...

Thanks for everyones comments so far! Despite the ejector pin mark filling I'm really enjoying this build. I'm not a Mosquito expert so any advice on the aircraft is appreciated. The only reference I have is the Osprey Mosquito Aces book and stuff I've found on the Internet.

Rob I've found your comments really interesting just got to find some references of the engine control torque tubes and undercarriage door rollers to make sure I add them. As for the dihedral I'll take a photo of it head on when I get home. Not sure how I'll correct it if it is too flat.

[FZ6]

I've just taken a photo of the mossie from a head on angle. It looks like the dihedral is present so hopefully this will alleviate any fears that it is too flat.

[StephenMG]

Thanks FZ6, that looks spot on to me.

If you follow the line of the rear of the radiator leading edge panel (which is where the top of the front spar is) you can see the appropriate dihedral. But look at the highest point of the wing upper surface and it looks almost flat - just as it should be.

Mark

Edited January 4, 2010 by StephenMG

[Av8fan]

Still waiting for The Mosquito to arrive on these shores.

Ejector pin marks be darned.

Anyone I show these builds to is gobsmacked.

[rob]

Thanks FZ6, that looks spot on to me.

If you follow the line of the rear of the radiator leading edge panel (which is where the top of the front spar is) you can see the appropriate dihedral. But look at the highest point of the wing upper surface and it looks almost flat - just as it should be.

Mark

Thanks Guys that head on shot shows that it's spot on! just an optical illusion! so it's just very minor scratch building in the cockpit and u/c

Perhaps I should stop gazing in the box and start building!

[atdb27]

Good start/progress.

For £130 quid surely Airfix should have added a bottle of Tippex free?

Or will that come with the 'Gift Set'?

Thankfully I one to hand for mine.

Adrian

[FZ6]

Good start/progress.

For £130 quid surely Airfix should have added a bottle of Tippex free?

Or will that come with the 'Gift Set'?

Thankfully I one to hand for mine.

Adrian

How about pre cut plastic discs to fit into the holes the pins leave? It's just a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. Most of them clean up ok there are a few tricky ones though

[FZ6]

I found some interesting interior shots flickr which might be of use to people.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lambda_nut/se...57622008359338/

Some more on Picasa here as well. This one is an NF30 but the images are still useful

http://picasaweb.google.com/bamf.bamrs/DH9...quitoNF30RK952#

I've just made a start on reproducing some of the small discs on the cockpit interior.

Big Mossie 009 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

I don't have a punch and die set so I'm making them by slicing plastic rod into small discs then drilling a hole in each one. Looks like there are a lot of then around the cockpit and there doesn't seem to be a set pattern for them.

[StephenMG]

Looks like there are a lot of then around the cockpit and there doesn't seem to be a set pattern for them.

They are plywood discs with a threaded aluminium or wood 'plug' attached to the back. Holes are drilled in the inner fuselage and the 'plug' part is set into it. The plywood disc part is glued and bradded to hold it in place. These discs are the mounting points for all the equipment in the cockpit so the "pattern" for them is most definately set - for example there are four provided for mounting the throttle box.

I have a copy of a de Havilland drawing showing the location of all these discs but it's far too big to be able to scan. Have a look HERE for photos of TA122 while being restored. Some photos show the discs very well without their associated equipment attached.

I'd also recommend the SAM Publications Aviation Guide book on the Mosquito FB.VI for some very detailed photos and drawings which are great references.

[TonyT]

Thanks for everyones comments so far! Despite the ejector pin mark filling I'm really enjoying this build. I'm not a Mosquito expert so any advice on the aircraft is appreciated. The only reference I have is the Osprey Mosquito Aces book and stuff I've found on the Internet.

Rob I've found your comments really interesting just got to find some references of the engine control torque tubes and undercarriage door rollers to make sure I add them. As for the dihedral I'll take a photo of it head on when I get home. Not sure how I'll correct it if it is too flat.

may help

http://www.skonk.net/main.php?g2_itemId=481

http://www.skonk.net/main.php?g2_itemId=1880

[FZ6]

Thanks StephenMG and TonyT for the reference photos they will be a fantastic help. Also the info on the equipment mounting points will come in handy the ones I've stuck in so far are as close to the photographs as I could get them. judging from the photos I have a lot more to add.

[FZ6]

I've mainly been working on adding the small discs to the interior sidewalls but have also done a bit of detailing to a couple of other parts...

The Radio sets are really good when compared to photos of the real thing and the only thing I've done to one of them is to cut off the plastic strip that represented the grab handles and add some out of brass rod.

Big Mossie 010 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

I lost a set of the canisters that are located blow the navigatiors seat to the dreaded carpet monster so I'm making replacement parts for both sets so they match up. This includes a new bracket. I made them by drilling four holes in a sheet plasticard. I then cut round them as close as I could once I had done this I then cut the part in half which gave me two brackets.

Big Mossie 012 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

Below is the crew access door, probably the worst part affected by ejector pin marks because they are tricky to get to. All ejector pin marks so far have been filled with milliput superfine white.

Big Mossie 011 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

[Chaotic Mike]

Good start/progress.

For £130 quid surely Airfix should have added a bottle of Tippex free?

Or will that come with the 'Gift Set'?

Thankfully I one to hand for mine.

Adrian

Hi everybody. I'm eagerly awaiting my Mossie from Wonderland up in Edinburgh... apparently Humbrol only sent them 1/3 of the pre-orders, and I'm one of the unlucky 2/3. Mind you, Hamleys in Regent Street has at least 5 of them in stock at full price (unlike Wonderland who I am hoping will honour their pre-Christmas discount).

Anyway, I'm fairly new back in the hobby after a twenty year lay-off (does that sound familiar?) and whilst many things haven't changed, apart from high quality tools coming down in price in real terms, I'm baffled by the Tippex reference. Is it/can it be used as a filler? Any gotchas over it dropping out of things like ejector pin marks?

All feedback gratefully received,

Mike

[Mike]

I'm baffled by the Tippex reference. Is it/can it be used as a filler? Any gotchas over it dropping out of things like ejector pin marks?

aboard Mike... nice name

Some people use Tippex (the stuff in the red bottle IIRC) as a filler for hairline marks, or very shallow depressions. The red bottle is important because it uses a "thinner" that etches the plastic slightly, so it's less prone to falling off/out. I don't use it myself, favouring CA for most things like ejector pin marks & so forth, but it's diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks

[FZ6]

Hi everybody. I'm eagerly awaiting my Mossie from Wonderland up in Edinburgh... apparently Humbrol only sent them 1/3 of the pre-orders, and I'm one of the unlucky 2/3. Mind you, Hamleys in Regent Street has at least 5 of them in stock at full price (unlike Wonderland who I am hoping will honour their pre-Christmas discount).

Anyway, I'm fairly new back in the hobby after a twenty year lay-off (does that sound familiar?) and whilst many things haven't changed, apart from high quality tools coming down in price in real terms, I'm baffled by the Tippex reference. Is it/can it be used as a filler? Any gotchas over it dropping out of things like ejector pin marks?

All feedback gratefully received,

Mike

Welcome back to the Hobby Mike! You'll love the Mossie kit when you get your hands on it despite the ejector pin marks.

As the other Mike has mentioned, Tippex can be a great filler for small cracks and gaps. If you get into photo etched parts another use for tippex is to paint the back of the Acetate supplied with etched instrument panels as a quick way to paint them and get a solid white.

[lufbramatt]

unfortunately the ejector marks are very had to get rid of, from a tooling point of view, as even when the pins are perfectly level with the mould cavity surface, the action of pushing the part out of the mould physically indents the pin into the soft plastic. thats fine on things like TV remote control cases where they can easily be positioned on the inside, but for plastic kits with surface detail on both sides its pushing the limits of the moulding process.

obviously it can be done, as seen with the tamiya spit, but id bet that their tooling budget is massive compared with airfix's!

Edited January 11, 2010 by lufbramatt

[atdb27]

Tipp-Ex of the iceberg

For my Mossie I have so far used the Tippex-Ex Rapid to fill in the ejector pin holes.

Need's time to 'dry' before sanding/cleaning up.

This 'bottle' is white with the tippex brand name in a red oblong box c/w white letering.

Purchased from a local stationary store look out for it.

It does work!

Adrian

[FZ6]

All the complaints about the ejector pins aside, they make for extra work but I'd rather have the kit with the pin marks as opposed to no kit at all.

Anyway last nights progress included repositioning the flight stick. I carefully seperated both parts and cleaned them up. I then inserted a brass rod as a pin and rejoined the parts together. with the top pointing over to the side.

Big Mossie 013 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

Big Mossie 014 by Mark Maclean, on Flickr

 

The wiring for the firing buttons only goes down as far as the kit handle so I cut this off and extended it down the flight stick. I used 0.4mm Jewelry wire for the wiring and PTFE tape for the binding.