¹⁄48

Mosquito FB.VI

History

The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British multi-role combat aircraft with a two-man crew which served during and after the Second World War. It was one of few operational front-line aircraft of the era constructed almost entirely of wood and was nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder". The Mosquito was also known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews.

Originally conceived as an unarmed fast bomber, the Mosquito was adapted to roles including low to medium-altitude daytime tactical bomber, high-altitude night bomber, pathfinder, day or night fighter, fighter-bomber, intruder, maritime strike aircraft, and fast photo-reconnaissance aircraft. It was also used by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) as a fast transport to carry small high-value cargoes to, and from, neutral countries, through enemy-controlled airspace. A single passenger could be carried in the aircraft's bomb bay, which would be adapted for the purpose.

Production of the Mosquito began in 1941, and continued throughout the war years. The Mosquito flew its last official European war mission on 21 May 1945, with Mosquitos of 143 Squadron and 248 Squadron RAF.

The De Havilland Mosquito was flown by at least 21 different countries both during WW11 and well afterwards.

• Australia
•  Belgium
•  Burma
•  Canada  
• Republic of China
•  People's Republic of China
•  Czechoslovakia
•  Dominican Republic
•  France
•  Israel
•  New Zealand
•  Norway
•  Poland  
• South Africa
• Soviet Union  
• Sweden
•  Turkey  
• Switzerland  
• United Kingdom  
• United States
•  Yugoslavia

The History section was paraphrased from Winipedia.org.

The Model

The Tamiya kit isn't a new kit by any means. It was 1st molded in 1996, yet the kit is the equal of, or even surpasses many of today's current offerings. The parts are still flash free with exceptional detail & fit. The cockpit is very nicely detailed, as is the bomb bay, the lower Hispano canon bay, and the nose machine gun bay. Surface detail is exquisitely done as on the canon bay doors. And the main landing gear is simply outstanding even by today's standards.

Tamiya gives you the option to model either a Mk VI fighter bomber, or the NF MK II Night fighter. two different wing tips are provided so you can model the correct variant. The front portion of the fuselage is a separate piece so that they could easily change the kit to the Mk IV bomber version, which also has been kitted, and still is in their current catalog.

The decals are up to Tamiya's current standards, looks to be in perfect register, thin, and correctly colored. However, I opted to use the Aviaeology RCAF Mosquitoes decal sheet #1 for the Canadians in fighter Command, and depicted "Amigo Panchito" TH-V SN976 of the 418 Squadron. As usual their decals are absolutely perfect in every respect, and the amount of detailing and historical information way exceeds what one would find on a decal sheet.

The Build

I opted to use the following AM parts:

• Aires Mosquito FB Mk.VI / NF Mk.II cockpit set, which I ended up combining with the kit cockpit.
• Ultracast De Havilland Mosquito Tail Wheel Assembly
• Eduard Mask - Mosquito FB Mk VI/NF Mk II. Just can't imagine not using a canopy masking set these days if one is available.
• Ultracast De Havilland Mosquito Flame Dampening Exhaust Shrouds. Honestly, the kit parts with a little work are just as good. I know, as I did that with one of the shrouds. Look closely and you still can't tell which one it is.
• Ultracast De Havilland Mosquito Standard Wheels (Block Tread). The sidewall detailing is just incredible.
• Ultracast De Havilland Mosquito Control Surfaces. With a little work the kit surfaces can be used to yeild the same results.
• Master De Havilland Mosquito NF Mk. II / FB Mk. VI Pitot Tube & Armament Set (Browning .303 barrels and Hispano 20mm barrel tips). Simply outstanding in detail and workmanship. I've never seen any molded plastic or resin come close to these.
  
  I scratch built several details in the cockpit such as an oscilloscope, and the correctly shaped armour plate for the nav/bomberdier including the see through portal. The landing gear door assembly was scratched built, details added to the wing tanks from sheet plastic and steel wire. As I previously mentioned, the cockpit ended up being a combination of the kit and Aeries cockpits.
  
  The overall parts fit is exceptional, as I needed almost no putty or filler except for the nose cone section which always seems to be an issue with me. Go figure.

  Paint & Decals

  I primed the model with MIG AMM Black Acrylic primer, then MIG AMM Gray Acrylic primer for a random blotch pattern to create a Black Basing effect. I used Tamiya's XF-83 2(RAF) Medium Sea Gray, and XF-81 2(RAF) Dark Green. The 2(RAF) denotes Tamiya's later war RAF colors which were a little darker then the same earlier colors.
  
  The landing gear was primed with MIG AMM Black primer thinned out 2:3 with Tamiya Yellow Cap Lacquer Thinner,for a super smooth surface when dry, & then Alcad2 ALC103 Dark Aluminum.
  
  As I stated earlier, I used Aviaeology decals, but the kit decals would have worked just as well. They're just that good, as I did need to use a few of them, and they preformed perfectly.
  
  My decal procedures are somewhat different from what one is use to. I start by applying warm water with a few drops of Window & Newton Flow Enhancer on the surface, then apply the decal, then Microscale Set, Microscale Sol, and finally Solvaset. For many Asian decals I find that I need a stronger solution, and opt for the Mr.Mark Set & Sol.
  
  After sealing the decals with Testors Glosscoat, I used Tamiya's Black Panel wash, then a overall light filter to kind of blend everything together. And finally sealed the Mossie with Testors Dullcoat.
  
  For those interested in my full build log it can be found here.