I don't bl**dy believe it !
I've just spent around 45 minutes typing the background info, then checked some info on another site, came back, and the post has gone !!
B*LLOCKS !!!
So, second attempt at providing some background to the subject.
In October 1942, No.1 PRU (Photographic Reconnaissance Unit) reformed, at Benson, Oxfordshire, UK, into five squadrons, three with Spitfires, and two, numbers 540 and 544 Squadrons, with Mosquitos.
The 'Mossies', initially PR1 and PR.IV types, followed by the 'stop gap' PR.VIII, ranged far and wide, completing sorties as far north as Narvik, and as far south as Pilsner, operating in the Meteorological Reconnaissance role, as well as photographing rail and transport networks, target recce, and BDA (Bomb Damage Assessment) sorties, and often flew 10 or more sorties per day, non stop, day in, day out.
Additionally, a constant vigil was maintained on the German cruisers in their ports on the Atlantic coast, and later in the Norwegian fjords, and it was a Mosquito which brought back the first evidence of the V1 weapons, leading to many more sorties, photographing the test facility at Peenemunde, on the Baltic coast, and the construction of the V1 'No Ball' sites on the Channel coast.
As well as the main base at Benson, detachments also operated from Leuchars and Wick, in Scotland, St.Eval in Cornwall, and from Malta and Gibraltar, extending the operational areas of both 540 and 544 Squadrons.
In May, 1943, the Mosquito PR.IX entered service, the first two aircraft arriving on 540 Sqn on 29th May, with the type's first Operational sortie taking place on June 20th.
The PR.IX, of which 90 examples were built, was the first Mosquito to be powered by the 2 stage, 2 speed Rolls Royce Merlin, these being the Merlin 72/73 or 76/77, developing 1,680 hp. With a range of 2.450 miles with full internal fuel and wing tanks, at a cruising speed of 250 mph and a maximum speed of over 400 mph, the PR.IX could operate above 30,000 feet, and could outpace enemy fighters by entering a shallow dive.
Camera fit depended on requirements, and could be mounted in five camera positions - two vertically mounted in the forward section of the bomb bay, now used for extra fuel tanks, two vertically in the lower aft fuselage, and one obliquely mounted in the port, aft fuselage. In addition, two forward-facing cameras could be mounted in dummy wing tanks, one in each tank, for low-level oblique photography and he production of 'stereo pairs' photos.
The PR.IX, like its cousin the B.IX bomber version, of which only 54 were built, did not have a pressure cabin, and retained the earlier cockpit canopy, with an observation blister on each side, like that on the B.IV.
With it's longer engine nacelles, the PR.IX was, externally at least, very similar to the PR.XVI which followed, and served alongside the earlier types. The PR.XVI could be distinguished by the small air scoop near the windscreen, ventilating the pressureised cabin of this version, and by the additional blister on the cockpit canopy roof, with the side blisters replaced by 'blown' bulged side windows.
The Subject.
The aircraft being modelled is DH Mosquito PR.IX, serial number LR429, of 540 Squadron, in September, 1944.
This aircraft was flown by Flt.Lt Ken W Watson, RAAF and his Navigator, Flg.Off Ken H Pickup, RAFVR, on 4th September, 1944, on a sortie to photograph the rail network in the Nurnburg - Munich area.
Whilst on a photo run, at 29,000 feet (8,839 meters), a He280 jet fighter (sic) was observed, approaching from starboard. Ken Watson took immediate evasive action, losing sight of the jet. But then two Me262s attacked, with the Mosquito continuing to evade them for 15 minutes, eventually diving to 'zero' feet, when the tip of a pine tree shattered the 'Perspex' nose cone, showering the crew in pine needles, and allowing a freezing draft to roar into the cockpit.
Watson took the Mosquito through the Brenner Pass, eventually landing at San Severo in Italy, where the aircraft was repaired. On returning to Benson, the Mosquito developed a fault in the landing gear, and had to perform a crash-landing, although both Watson and Pickup survived without injury.
One source states that the aircraft was written off following this incident, although the De Havilland Production Listings show it as being Struck Off Charge on 13th December, 1945. However. the listings also show the entry 'ME', after it's service with 540 Sqn, and before being SOC, which might mean it served as an Instructional Airframe ?
The Production Listings do not include a 'Key' to abbreviations, and I have been unable to uncover any further information.
This aircraft was finished overall in PRU Blue, with blue and red 'Type B' roundels on the fuselage and upper wing surfaces only, and the standard red,white, blue fin flash. The only other makings carried were the serial number, in 8 inch black characters, just forward of the tail planes, and the standard instructional and warning stencils.
Although some PR.IXs were known to carry small code letters (possibly 18 inch) in Medium Sea Grey, forward of the fuselage roundel, such as LR432, with the code 'L1', and later, the PR.XVIs displayed a single-letter code, in 8 inch black characters, directly below the serial number, most PR Mosquitos at this period seemed to be devoid of code letters.
The Kit.
First released in 2003, as a B.XVI / PR.XVI, with optional parts and decals for both types, the current version, released in 2014, is for the PR.XVI only, although the 'bomber' parts are still included.
This has to be one of the oddest kits ever released by Airfix, or any other manufacturer !
Utilising some common mouldings from their earlier FB.VI kit, first released in 1980, the kit is provided with a new fuselage, upper wings, engine nacelles, two styles of canopy, and cockpit parts.
However, most of the remainder of the FB.VI kit is also included in the box, including the fuselage, lower wing sections, engine nacelles, instrument panel, rockets and canopy !
Released during one of their 'resurgent' periods, I can only assume that Airfix thought it easier, or cheaper, or both, to just add the extra parts, rather than remove those not required for this version, although it must have been just as difficult to remove just the lower wings and other bits !
(
I'm actually thinking of ways to employ these major parts, rather than let then go to waste, although there aren't quite enough to make a complete aircraft .)
The 'old' parts are in the original, slightly shiny grey plastic, with mainly raised surface detail, whilst the new parts are in a newer type of soft, slightly textured, light blue- grey plastic, and are quite nicely moulded, with restrained, engraved surface detail.
Detail on the interior is mainly moulded onto the cockpit walls, with the new cockpit floor and instrument panel and control column having some nice, fine detail. Strangely though, the fuel gauge console for the starboard wall, moulded as part of the fuselage on the FB.VI, is not present on the newer kit, although what appear to be locating pins for a separate part, not provided, are evident.
The two-stage Merlin nacelles are reasonable in shape and detail, although the intercooler and carb intakes could do with some re-shaping, and the exit louvres, intended for the jointly-released NF.30 kit, should not be present on the PR.XVI.
I'll highlight more of the details and areas needing correction, as the build progresses.
So, why a PR.IX, and not just build the model as the very similar PR.XVI provided in the kit ?
Well, this goes back 25 years or more, when I converted the Airfix FB.VI kit into a B.XVI, using an old Monogram kit nose section, extending and moulding the engine nacelles with 'Milliput', and fitting a 'blown' bomber canopy which I moulded.
I never actually got around to finishing the final details and, having stood gathering dust for so long, the home made canopy has, for whatever reason, become discoloured, and can not be cleared.
The intention was to refurbish this model, in a different colour scheme, and replace the canopy with the 'blown' bomber version from the PR.XVI kit.
However, although the kit provides the bomber and PR canopies, along with all of those other, unneeded parts, the 'blown' side panels are separate parts, to be fitted to one or other of the canopies, not both.
So, as I still have a Monogram Mosquito bomber canopy in the spares box, the same style as fitted to the PR.IX, I thought I could utilise this, and still fit the 'blown' canopy to the refurbished B.XVI., thereby having the possibility of producing two complete models.
I've since discovered that the Monogram canopy doesn't quite fit properly and, although modifications could be made to the Airfix fuselage, it might not look exactly right. However, after trimming the excellent Rob Taurus vac-formed B.IV canopy, designed for the Tamiya kit, I found that this should work out quite well.
The other 'problem' area was the props, as the PR.IX had the earlier, 'needle' blade props, whereas the Airfix kit provides only the later, paddle blade type, found on later FB,VI and late B.XVI/ PR,XVI aircraft.
But this has also been solved, as the spare Tamiya paddle blade props I have, are not correct in chord, or at the root area, but the latter is correct for the earlier props, and the blades can easily be re-profiled to the shape of the needle type.
So, a long-winded Introductory post, but hopefully i'ts explained 'what's what', and I hope to make a start, first correcting the engine nacelles, in the not too distant future, once the NF.XII is near completion, and the FB.VI a little more advanced,
The profile shows the subject aircraft, and the pics show Flt. Lt. Watson, and Flg. Off. Pickup, the crew of LR429. Both men survived their tours with 540 Sqn.
Sadly, Ken Watson lost his life, after the war, when a photo-flash bomb exploded in the bomb bay of the Canberra he was landing, on 3rd June, 1954.