Achtung Mosquito!

[Lucky13]

Mirage's 1/48, the engine exhaust....

 

[Wurger]

Could you take a pic and post, please?

 

[Catch22]

Looks great Lucky!

 

[Airframes]

Good job on the colour patches Wojtek! Don't know why manufacturers etc show them against a dark background, they should really be against a neutral background, such as 50% grey where possible, or 20% if it is grey colour displayed. That allows a better appreciation of the colour.

 

[Lucky13]

Thanks C22! You're right on the money there Terry! As it is with the decalsheet, you can hardly see where the VERY dark grey end and the VERY dark green start....
It says though, "The camouflage pattern differs considerably from the standard factory pattern, but matches almost perfectly with the basic RAF for large twin engined aircraft in the camouflage colours" Would these "large twin engined aircraft" be the Wellington, Whitley, Hampden etc..?

 

[Wurger]

Good job on the colour patches Wojtek! Don't know why manufacturers etc show them against a dark background, they should really be against a neutral background, such as 50% grey where possible, or 20% if it is grey colour displayed. That allows a better appreciation of the colour.

Thank you Terry.You are right. Also I hate when manufacturers do that.But this time these patches (Jan's) were taken from the site of IPMS Stockholm.
Anyway the 50% grey is better as a background for them.

 

[Lucky13]

Dose this upper camouflage look right to you fellas...?

 

[Wurger]

It looks like the late RAF camo scheme for fighters used during a day - Ocean Grey and Dark RAF Green.On undersides Sky type S.

Do you have any pictures of the Mossie?

 

[Lucky13]

This one actually matches the camouflage on the decalsheet... Only pics I have of BOAC Mossies are those in the books (2) and one that Terry emailed me Wojtek...

 

[Airframes]

Jan, I read the article by Nils M, of IPMS Stockholm, where he described the camouflage and other details. He claims that the information discovered in recent years (i.e., up to 1999), has disproven the previous assumptions re the BOAC Mosquito fleet colours. Although I have no reason to doubt him, or his research, the use of the 'Fleet Air Arm' type colours seems a strange choice, and I can think of no reason why it should be so, other than to, perhaps, give the Mossies a different appearance to those of Coastal, Bomber Commands etc. The Mosquito B MkIV used by BOAC I know to have been in 'standard' upper cam, with 'silver' undersides, and a photo I saw of one of the MkVI's some years ago, seemed similar in tones in the B&W pic. However, the research and facts presented by Nils of IPMS seem to point to the scheme portrayed, so, I'd go for that.
BTW, when you get around to finishing off the filled-in cannon ports, it's almost certain that these would have been blanked -off in the same way as the TIII trainer version's. They had blanking covers of thin aluminium sheet, the same shape/profile as the 'troughs', only larger all round by a little bit, say 10mm or thereabouts, fitted over the depressions of the troughs. These were flush with the surrounding fuselage contours, and held in place by screws (possibly glued also), the latter being virtually invisible under a coat of paint, the same colour as the under surface. Easiest way to replicate these in 1/48th scale is to either scribe them in, or add them from thin paper or thin plastic card. They were just visible as an outline. I've got some close-up shots I took of these on the now lost BAe TIII, but they're on transparency, along with shots of the internals of the cannon bay and bomb bay. There is also a small viewing hatch, looking from the cockpit, into the bomb bay, roughly in line with the front bay bulkhead, behind the nav's position,central to the mid-point of the spar and bay. If it's too late to replicate this, forget it, it probably wouldn't be seen through the cockpit canopy anyway, in this scale!

 

[Lucky13]

I say dear boy, thanks for the info! I was going to fill the cannon ports and just smooth them out, not completely sand them down, so they'd still be visible, just as if they as you say, were blanked out with thin aluminium. I'm not sure about the .303's though, were they blanked out, smooth and invisible? Should I fill them completely and then lighty make new "panel lines"...

 

[Airframes]

I'm guessing they would be blanked-off, or possibly the nose-cone replaced by a 'trainer' type, without the holes. That's what the TIII had. Easiest way again, plug them with sprue then fill and sand.

 

[Lucky13]

Right, excellent...! Then I'll do so, thanks old fruit! I forgot to ask if the camouflage in #107 would correct to use and with the mentioned colours? It also says in the description with the decals that there were a "slightly feathered" edge between upper colours....(2-3"/50-75mm)...

 

[Airframes]

Again, from the IPMS article, it seems fairly conclusive,(if such a thing exists when it comes to 'unusual' WW2 colour schemes!) so I'd say yes, follow that profile. The feathered edges, if you mean an overspray over all colours, would seem logical as it is probable that the colours were sprayed over the standard, factory applied camouflage pattern. I haven't got the painting graph drawing to hand (the one I sent you) but, from memory, the upper surface pattern seems to follow, more or less, the 'regulation' pattern, with the substituted colours 'mirrored' perhaps. So again, follow the profile, using the graph drawing as a guidline too.

 

[Lucky13]

Righty oh! That's absolutely smashing! Thank you frightfully dear boy! Toodle pip, pip pip, cheerio and all that rot!

 

[Matt308]

Good Lord, Lucky. You are a dandy now aren't you.

 

[Lucky13]

Steady on chap!

 

[rochie]

coming along nicely lucky and looking very good

 

[Wayne Little]

Time for a spot of tea, what!

 

[Lucky13]

I say! That's a rather excellent idea dear boy....millk and two please!