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Playing in the Sandbox Group Build Sept 1, 2024 - Jn 1, 2025

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito WIP


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I thought it about time I started on my example of this kit, inspired by "alpinestar" and his phenomenal example posted elsewhere on this site. Those of you who have built this kit will agree that there is so much more detail that can be added, which is what I'm going to try and accomplish.
 
As in alpinestar's example, I'm also building HR118 "W" from 235 Sqdn Coastal Command stationed at RAF Portreath circa June 1944. Reason for that is that I live a few miles from Portreath, and recently read Devon and Cornwall Airfields in the Second World War by Graham Smith and Roy Conyers Nesbit "The Strike Wings".
 
Add ons I have acquired are as follows:
 
Master Models .303 Browning barrels and 20mm Hispano Cannons
Paragon .303 Ammo feed chutes - very rare now.
Miracle Masks markings.
Mastercaster resin mainwheels
Cammett Fasteners and grille set
Eduard Harnesses.
 
Miles of lead wire and a fair bit of plasticard !!
 
I'm also going to use a set of Miracle Masks instead of regular decals, this will be a bit of a leap into the unknown as I have never used masks before, but I think that in this scale its the best option.
 
Paint will, at the moment, be either Gunze (my favourite), Xtracrylix or Tamiya.
 
 
Here goes......
 
 
Photos of the actual cockpit show many discs attached to the cockpit sidewalls, enabling all the fittings to be secured to the cockpit walls. I have used 3mm sequins superglued to the inside walls to replicate these.


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Rear cockpit bulkhead. Control rods and brackets from stock and rod. The moulded on cables were removed and substituted with lead wire.

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Partially complete port cockpit wall. The oxygen hose was made by wrapping lead wire around a length of stiff 0.5mm wire and bent to shape. Then sealed with very thin cyano.


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Incomplete starboard side. Switches were added to the control panel to improve this area.

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I'm so looking forward to this! Here are a couple of shots I took at the Hamilton Airshow.Hope they help.Airshow086_zps425b9741.jpgAirshow081_zps7a9bf168.jpg

Thanks for the photos Guy.

 

You are so lucky to have the only airworthy example in your part of the planet, I and many others can only hope of seeing one airborne here in the UK.

Part of the inspiration for this build was an ex Royal Marine named Arthur Williams presented a programme last year on Channel 4 here in the UK called "The Plane that saved Britain". Arthur was badly injured in a car accident and is now wheelchair bound. Didn't stop him gaining his pilots licence though !! The programme tells the story of the Mosquito, and concludes with Arthur getting a "jolly" in KA114. It gets quite emotional at the end, but it's a brilliant programme presented by a top bloke !! It was available on demand and is well worth watching.

 

Andy

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Few more pictures......fuselage joined and cockpit 90% complete. Seats still to be installed and the wiring/GEE radio installation finished off once the wing assembly is attached. Its at this stage that I realise my workspace is not big enough for this project !!!

 

 

 

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I have also modified the wing assembly and installed the reinforcing plates. Cut from the thinnest plasticard sheet I could get and attached using Zap cyano, then overpainted with thinned Mr Surfacer 500 and sanded.

 

 

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The wing surface detail is a little simplified on this kit. There are various access hatches and panels on the upper and lower surfaces of the wings. Some have rivet detail, some don't so I have added this, but this detail should really have been incorporated in the moulding process especially for an aircraft in this scale, but its all part of the hobby.

 

Andy

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Great start Andy... This is a very temping kit to get...

 

Your right there Dave,

 

Even though its now OOP, there are quite a few examples popping up on eBay but expect to pay upwards of 150 GBP for one, there is currently one in the US with a host of upgrades, (including some very rare Paragon items) for 1299 USD buy it now !!! Yes really $1299 :-0

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  • 1 month later...

Well progress has been a little slow on the Mosquito, what with work commitments and a little loss of enthusiasm that I'm sure every modellers gets once in a while, however things have moved on a little since my last post.

 

I'm going to display the port merlin whilst the starboard engine will be covered. Plenty of lead wire and a little fabrication and its finished - well almost but I wont finish it off until installed onto the wing.

 

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The cockpit is nearly complete. The pilots seat still needs to be fitted as does the radio equipment behind the co-pilot - hence the mess of lead wire awaiting the "black boxes" of the GEE radio fit.

 

 

 

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The bomb bay forward bulkhead is no-where near finished. There is still plenty of lead wire to add for the pipework hear as well as the hydraulic lines down the sides. I have tried to keep as close to reference photos as I can, but I think the main goal for me is to make it look the part.

 

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An finally in this update, the port undercarriage bay. Again plenty more detail will be added, and then I will start on the starboard bay.

 

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Well that's it so far, slow but steady progress. Thanks for looking in.

 

Andy

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  • 3 weeks later...

OK, again slow progress on the Mosquito. The bomb bay is all but complete, although I'm not 100% happy with the bomb rack frames, so I'm going to rework them with some 1.5mm alloy tubing. The forward bulkhead containing all the Hydraulic services is complete and weathered as is the Hispano cannon pack.

 

 

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Both undercarriage bays are all but finished, and wont be 100% complete until the U/C doors are installed at a much later stage. At the moment I am attaching the engine and undercarriage sponsons to the wings, and the bare stbd merlin is fitted. I will post more photos of my progress soon.

 

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thanks for looking in

 

Andy.

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