<-- 1/48 Mosquito PR.IX -Twin Engined Aircraft WWII

[Airframes]

"Probably" in this case, is another quaint example of the local dialect which, roughly translated, means "Of course I'm definitely...".

Thanks chaps, just about to finish another correction.
The more I examine this kit, the more I'm convinced that it was originally designed to be more detailed than it turned out, and that many cuts were made in production and tooling, prior to it going to the moulding stage. There are quite a few areas that are direct copies of the Tamiya parts, even down to the 'notch' in the wall of the entrance hatch which, on the Tamiya kit, is the locating point for the 'tab' on the boarding ladder, an item not included in the Airfix kit.
Although Airfix have got the dimensions right (Tamiya's fin is too tall), there are many similarities in the way the detail is moulded, and I'm wondering if there was either some co-operation between the two companies, which perhaps was becoming too expensive, or, as this kit was, I believe, produced 'overseas', perhaps some 'piracy', possibly resulting in Tamiya shouting 'Hey, you !", which lead to the reduction in planned details parts, and the inclusion of the parts from the 'old' kit.
The main cockpit floor, which includes the nose section, is a good example, being virtually identical to the Tamiya part, with that notch already mentioned, and the same support 'post' for the non-existent trim wheel. The housing for the control column looked somehow wrong to me, and this was confirmed when I did a test fit of the control column, before improving its appearance.
When fitted, the column is far too far back, being right up against the front edge of the Pilot's seat, with the rear of the housing actually right under the seat itself !
Comparing this with the original FB.VI floor, included in the kit, there is a difference in the position and size of the housing, with its 'leather' gaiter.
As provided, the control column would not fit into the slot on the housing, but this wasn't a problem, as it needed to be moved forward by around 2 to 3 mm anyway.
The control column and yoke were first thinned down a touch, with the locating tab reduced in size, and the front edges of the column rounded off, as they were far too flat and 'bulky'. The locating slot in the floor housing was then extended forward, constantly checking the positioning of the column, until the desired position was finally achieved.
So, what should have been a straightforward painting and fitting job, ended up taking over an hour, and the column and yoke have still yet to be painted and fitted !

I'll try to include some pics of this in my next post, although I'm not quite sure when i'll get more done, with it being New Year.
I want to try to get the cockpit finished, and the fuselage closed-up, before I go out tonight, but I don't want to rush it and possibly mess up at this stage, so I'll just do what I can in the time available, and continue some time tomorrow - when I regain my faculties !!

Have an enjoyable and safe New Year, and if I don't get back later, I'll 'speak' to you all again in 2017.

 

[Wurger]

And same to you Dear Friend. Happy New Year. Loads of Health.

 

[Crimea_River]

A very Happy and Healthy New Year to you my friend!

The radio details look amazing.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks very much, Wojtek and Andy.

Here's the last from 2016, illustrating what was described in the previous post, and some work on the rudder pedals and the levers on the instrument panel.

PICS 1 and 2. Where the control column sits 'out of the box', and where it should be.
PIC 3. The Tamiya floor at left, and the original Airfix FB.VI floor at right. Note the very close similarities between the Tamiya floor and the Airfix kit floor, with even the cushion detail exactly the same, and notice also how the original floor has the control column mount further forward. The mix of new parts (possibly Tamiya ?) and old obviously didn't work out as planned !
PICS 4 to 6. The column painted, 'distressed' and fitted - not very good shots I'm afraid, was in a rush.
PICS 7 and 8. As with the FB.VI, very rough approximations of the rudder pedals were made, painted and fitted. Only the extreme bottom edges can just about be seen, so these will suffice. They were knocked askew slightly when handling, and will be straightened when fitted to the cockpit section.
PICS 9 and 10. Making the levers for the undercarriage (in the 'Down' position), bay doors and flaps (In the 'Closed' and 'Up' positions respectively). Stretched sprue was attached to the slots with a spot of CA, and when set, snipped off to the required length, using nail clippers. Blobs of PVA have been added to the end of each lever and, when set, will be painted - red, black, and green.
The photos shows the sprue as quite thick, so maybe I should of stretched it thinner, but it looks good enough to the naked eye.

That's all from me for now - back next year with another up-date.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Crimea_River]

Nice details and fixes. The only thing is that the control column looks a bit chunky to me. I might have a drawing around but if I recall, it's only about 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter.

Here's a pic of our actual column attached to our mock-up:

 

[Wurger]

 

[rochie]

Very nice Dogsbody

 

[Airframes]

Thanks very much chaps, glad you like it so far.

I agree about the control column Andy. I thinned it down quite a lot from the thicker, square section it was moulded as, and rounded the edges, trying to replicate the cover plate over the tube of the column itself, on the side facing the Pilot.
I was more concerned about the control yoke, as this is rather porky, although quite an accurate rendition of the yoke and brake lever, and considered making a new yoke, and probably a column too.
However, after taking a scalpel blade to the yoke and then painting the lot, I checked the appearance once it was installed, temporarily, with the fuselage taped together. Against the dark background of the instrument panel, and with Mark 1 eyeballs, it looks acceptable enough, compared to the macro shots, so I decided just to stick with what I've got. The top of the column is now actually around 1.5 mm wide, so about right for scale appearance, although the depth fore and aft is a little larger.
I would have preferred to have a separate part for the control yoke though.

Just getting ready to finish off the details in the cockpit, then fit the tail wheel and bomb bay parts, and join the fuselage. I'm anticipating a bit of a struggle with the fuselage, due to one half being slightly warped, so ensuring that the joints are even and level will probably take some time.
I hope to be able to post some pics later.

 

[Gnomey]

Excellent work so far Terry!

 

[Crimea_River]

I agree the column will be hard to notice. Carry on then!

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Hugh and Andy - and I've carried on, with my first day of modelling in 2017.

After seeing the close-up pics of the three levers on the instrument panel, I wasn't that happy with their appearance, being a bit on the 'heavy' side, especially as the stretched sprue is round, and the real levers are flat bar, making the model items look even larger than they should be. So I decided to replace them with thinner items, which is just as well, as I'd got the orientation wrong !
The undercart selector should be the center lever, not the left hand one, as I'd fitted, this being the bomb doors selector.
New levers were made from thinner stretched sprue, the end knobs added from blobs of PVA, and painted in the sequence from left to right when viewed, black, red, green.
The now complete instrument panel was then fitted to the cockpit floor, and the bomb bay roof and rear bulkhead were attached. The mix of new and old parts once again showed a 'booboo', as the joint between the forward edge of the bomb bay roof, and the rear of the cockpit assembly, is just a butt joint - no locating tabs or pins - so a possible stumbling block for young or inexperienced modellers.
The lack of detail in the bomb bay, unlike the interior of the bay doors, also hints at the kit being hurriedly redesigned around the mix of parts.
Once set, the cockpit assembly was then fitted into the port fuselage half, and cemented in place, thankfully without any problems with parts fouling and preventing a snug fit. The entire interior of the bomb bay and fuselage were roughly brush- painted in the cockpit grey green, to prevent any chance of the light-coloured plastic being visible through the 'empty' camera port windows.
I had anticipated problems joining the fuselage, as the starboard half had a small but distinct 'bow' in the center section, and the port half had a warp in the nose, an area which I knew would need quite some pressure to hold the joint until the cement had set.
I was pleasantly surprised that the fuselage went together relatively easily, being cemented in stages, starting at the fin and working forward, and then held with tape until the cement had set. Clamps couldn't be used, as the shape of the fuselage made them slip off easily.
The extreme nose area, from the base of the windscreen forward, was first cemented and then taped, and then CA adhesive reinforced the joint, especially on the underside, where the entrance hatch and the hatch 'walls' try to prevent the halves joining.
The fuselage joint lines were constantly monitored, and adjusted as required during the joining process, in order to prevent a step in the joints which, I'm relieved to say, was avoided without any problems.
Once set sufficiently, the tape was removed, and the joints checked and lightly sanded.

PIC 1. The 'new' selector levers on the instrument panel, with the red undercart lever in the 'Down' position.
PICS 2 and 3. The completed cockpit assembly, with the control column and instrument panel now fixed in place.
PIC 4. The cockpit assembly fitted in place in the port fuselage half.
PIC 5. The slight bow on the starboard fuselage half, and the warped nose area on the port half can be clearly seen here.
PIC 6. The fuselage closed up and taped, awaiting the sanding of the joints, since done since this pic was taken.
PICS 7 to 9. General views of the cockpit, giving some idea of just how 'cosy' the Mosquito cockpit actually was.

When the fuselage has had plenty of time to fully set, and after the bay doors have been fitted, in the closed position, the excellent vac-formed canopy will have internal frames added using painted clear tape, and then it will be masked, before fitting it to the cockpit opening and sealing the edges. I hope to get this done tomorrow, before setting aside the B.IX for now, whilst further work is done on the FB.VI, and the matt coat applied to the NF.XII.

Thanks again, and I hope you all had an enjoyable New Year.

 

[Crimea_River]

Brilliant Terry.

 

[Airframes]

Cheers Andy !

 

[Airframes]

Continuing from the last post showing the fuselage closed up, the bomb bay (or camera bay) doors have now be fitted, a couple of small gaps filled and sanded, some engraving done, and a start made on the canopy internal frames, explained fully below.

PIC 1. The 'bomb bay' and doors as provided in the kit. Although the doors are detailed, and hinges and door rams are provided, the bay itself is very sparse, and not really accurate in the minimal detail provided. The 'new' part (bomb bay roof) is very evident where it meets the 'old' part (rear cockpit section) due to the foreshortened ribs and the butt joint. Serious modellers could easily add scratch-built detail of course, and the kit still includes the optional bulged bay doors, although unlike the 'normal' doors, there is no provision for separating the part into the individual doors and fairings. The 'slapdash' painting is purely to prevent the light-coloured plastic inside the bay being visible through the camera ports.
PIC 2. The 'normal' doors have been cemented in place, and have yet to have the edge joints sanded.
PIC 3. The small gaps at the front of the nose, and aft of the entrance hatch, have been filled with 'Superglue' and sanded smooth. These gaps were as a result of the warped port fuselage half. The small gaps around the inner rim of the hatch, particularly on the rear 'wall' of the hatch, will be filled and painted in the interior colour, although the 'lip' where the hatch would fit will be retained. What can't be seen here, and was impossible to photograph, is the small flap covering the housing for the telescopic ladder, in the front 'wall' of the hatch, which was simulated by drawing the outline, and adding the word 'Ladder', in pencil.
PIC 4. After sanding the upper fuselage joint, the somewhat 'soft' detail of the antenna mast base, and the dinghy box hatch, were re-engraved and enhanced. A hole has yet to be drilled for the mast, and all joints will be checked, and corrected where needed, after a coat of primer has been applied to the model.
PIC 5. The canopy frame on the Mosquito was an internal tubular structure, with the 'Perspex' attached on the outside with clips and Tenex studs, with the rear section and part of the sides of the frame being exposed and visible through the canopy, whilst the front section and 'roof' also had a heavier, external frame, which included an escape hatch in the roof section.
The exposed internal frames are being replicated with painted clear tape, easier to handle and apply than painted clear decal film.
First, a length of clear 'Sellotape' (3M 'Scotch' tape in the USA and elsewhere) was laid down lightly on a glass coaster, and then the RAF Cockpit Grey Green was brush-painted onto the tape, giving it three good coats, to ensure opacity.
After allowing a couple of hours for the paint to fully dry, a steel rule was used as a guide for cutting narrow strips of tape, each a touch over 0.5 mm wide.
PIC 6. The strips were then cut into manageable pieces, just long enough to cover each section of the frames, which are conveniently marked by a series of 'pimples' representing the rivets or 'Tenex' fasteners, and the first 'frame' was attached, this being the vertical frame at the rear of the canopy.
In order to avoid damage or scratches, a wooden cocktail stick was used to ease each strip into the approximate position, when one end of the strip was then pressed into the required place, and the remainder was then aligned along the line of 'rivets', and pressed into place. Any adjustments were made using the tip of the cocktail stick, before finally gently, but firmly, pressing the 'frame' onto the clear canopy (which, of course, soon becomes blemished due to handling, but can easily be cleaned when the job is completed).
Once all the 'frames' are in place, and the inside of the canopy has been cleaned, each strip will be sealed around the edges with Humbrol Clear acrylic varnish (similar to the original 'Future', but a true acrylic varnish) to prevent them from lifting, with the varnish being applied using a 00000 paint brush.
The canopy could be dipped in the Humbrol Clear (or 'Future) to seal the 'frames', but there's a possibility that this may 'bubble', spoiling the beautifully clear appearance of the canopy.
These first frames were attached as a trial, as I need to rest my eyes before proceeding further, and also fit a new blade to the scalpel, to make trimming any excess tape easier, safer, and more precise, The lower frame seen in the photo will be removed, as it is slightly too wide - got my cut line wrong on the second strip I cut - and will be replaced with a thinner strip.
Once all of the internal work has been completed, and the canopy cleaned, it will be masked on the outside, and the interior colour will be painted onto the external frames, before fitting the canopy to the fuselage, and sealing and blending-in the edges.

That's all for now, but I'll be back some time soon with another up-date on this, and the FB.VI.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

Thanks my friend.
Going for a few hours rest, as I've been working on the model off and on during the night, and need to get my sleep pattern back in line !

 

[Wurger]

Have a good rest. Pleasant dreams.

 

[Crimea_River]

Great tutorial sir.

 

[rochie]

Nice work Dogsbody