<-- **** DONE: 1/48 Mosquito NF.XII - Twin Engined Aircraft of WWII

[Airframes]

User Name: Airframes.
Name: Terry.
Category: Judge - non Competing.
Kit: Tamiya
Type: Mosquito FB.VI/NF.II
Scale: 1/48th
Accessories: 'Freightdog' resin 'thimble' nose, maybe some scratch-building.

DH Mosquito NF.XII, 46 Sqn RAF, 1944, MTO.


This will be built as a Mosquito NF.XII, serving with 46 Squadron, RAF, in the MTO between July and December, 1944.
The model is being built for Gp. Capt. Dougie Barr, Secretary of the 46 Sqn Association, to be used at the Association's 100th Annual Reunion Dinner, in June 2017, and will be presented to him, along with the 46 Sqn Beaufighter I built for the MTO Group Build a few years ago.
Information on the Mosquito NF.XII with the Squadron is virtually non-existent, and it would seem that there are absolutely no photos of these aircraft in service with the Squadron, with a number of reference sources even omitting entirely the fact that the Squadron was ever equipped with the type !
However, after converting from Beaufighters, the Squadron definitely did use the the Mosquito, albeit for a relatively short period, before disbanding, returning to the UK, and re-forming, as a transport Squadron, in January 1945, and actually scored some victories during this time.
My references are contradictory regarding serial numbers, and, so far, I haven't been able to locate any information regarding which airframes were used by the Squadron, or individual code letters (only the individual code letter was displayed), although Dougie Barr has offered to obtain the Squadron ORB for the period to check on this.
Failing any confirmation of the serials and codes, I'll have to build the model as 'representative', and, although further research has yet to be undertaken, it's likely that the colour scheme will be the 'standard' Medium Sea Grey overall, with Dark Green disruptive upper surfaces - although the undersides might have been sprayed in 'Night'.
The Tamiya kit has been chosen, as it lacks the wing spar caps fitted to the FB.VI (part of the wing strengthening for the FB version), but not present on the NF.II or NF.XII.
I had originally intended to use the old, but still good, Airfix kit from my stash, but this does have the spar caps, and the resin nose is specifically designed for the Tamiya kit (The Airfix kit will be used for another project, as a FB.VI.).
Although I intend to build this more or less OOB, apart from the resin nose and the wing antenna, I might scratch-build the correct radio fit.

 

[Wurger]

 

[JKim]

Welcome aboard Terry! Looking forward to your Mosquito! I'm sure it'll come with tons of researched goodies!

 

[T Bolt]

Good to see your in with us Terry

 

[Crimea_River]

Good stuff Terry. Just so you know, I did a further search on this subject using the extensive database files left for us last year by Mark (mhuxt) and there is absolutely no record in his files of any of the NF XII's being with this squadron. I don't doubt what you are saying but rather want to save you the trouble of looking through them if you were going to do so.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Andy. The info is very sparse, and even the Squadron Association records are missing details.
Having trawled through the production listings and unit allocation that Geo helpfully provided links for, along with similar info I have on file, it would appear, at first sight, that the NF.XII did not get to the Squadron, but, of course, this info is based on service records per serial number, which, in turn, is gleaned, many years after the event, from the aircraft movement cards. We all know that this info is basic, and that there can be, and were, periods "in limbo".
I believe that, given the time period concerned, that the NF.XIIs issued to the Squadron were almost certainly 'hand me downs', having served with other units which had re-equipped with more 'up to date' aircraft, where the NF.XII was 'good enough' for the task, and 'Ops', in the Theater at that time, being an improvement (for the role required) over the Beaufighter.
There's absolutely no doubt that the type did serve with the Squadron, as all official records definitely show this which, together with the 'kills' recorded (mainly Ju-52s), confirm the use by the Squadron.
I've asked Dougie Barr not to go to any trouble or expense in obtaining the ORB for the period, but, should he do so, perhaps more info may come to light.
Thinking about this as I type, it might be a good thing if Dougie does obtain the relevant ORB, as it might clarify the ultimate (?) service use of at least some of the NF.XIIs - if the ORB records serial numbers, that is.
Meanwhile, I'll start the build and, if no further info is forthcoming regarding serial numbers / codes, then the original 'representative' finish will be used.
Bear in mind that this model is to be used as a representative of one of the types of aircraft used by the Squadron, from the beginnings with the RFC, until final disbandment in the mid 1970's (last type being the HS Andover), with the intention being, for the 100th Annual Reunion Dinner, to have a model of one of each type of aircraft used by the Squadron, as a center-piece on the dining tables, so that each table will have its own model, for example, Be2C, Hurricane, Beaufighter, Stirling, Meteor, etc.
Therefore the exact details are not that important, the type of aircraft being the main aim - but, of course, my aim is to make it as accurate as possible, in relation to its use with the Squadron.
The (already built) Beaufighter model is fine, being a known and recorded 'member' of the Squadron, and I'd like to be able to make the Mosquito model as authentic (to the Squadron use) as possible, but if, lacking 'solid' info, it has to be even vaguely representative, then at least, for the truly historic occasion of the 100th Annual Dinner (the only RAF Sqn that has always held an annual dinner, every year, since 1917 !), there will be a model on one of the tables.
It's just a shame that I doubt if I'll have time to also provide a Stirling, which is needed - anyone in the UK want to take on that task ?

Oh, and for those that weren't around at the time, or those who have forgotten, the Beaufighter model I'm donating to the Squadron Association is shown below.

 

[Crimea_River]

The ORB would be great to have but the details therein will no doubt be a refection of the diarist's mood, literacy, and enthusiasm for the subject. The 404 squadron ORB, which I have been reviewing as part of my Beaufighter project, contains wonderful detail, albeit erroneous in several cases, and lists both the aircraft s/n and corresponding identification letter, a dream for the accurate modeler. When I reviewed the ORB for our Hurricane's 133 Squadron RCAF, the s/n and ID letters were never used together except on one or two rare occasions.

Hopefully your contact will come up with something. I have a meeting with our Mosquito board of directors on Wednesday and may ask our aviation history geek if he can dig something up on this problem.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Andy, anything found would be useful.
And you're quite correct - ORBs, Sqn Diaries, and even Log Books, can be frustrating. Serial numbers (if recorded) can be just the numbers, lacking a prefix, and often just the 'last two' digits shown, or maybe an individual code letter only, but very rarely both number and code letter. And even then, the 'Adj', or whoever copped for recording the info, quite often got the details wrong - for example, recording, in the ORB, a code letter of an aircraft on an 'Op' that, at the time, was U/S, purely because that aircraft was slated for the 'Op', but then went U/S and was replaced by another machine at the last minute.

 

[Airframes]

Once again, it seems I have to commence a build with destruction, rather than construction - some day, I'll choose a subject that can be built straight out of the box, without any alteration !!
The kit instructions start with the assembly of the engine nacelles, wings and undercarriage but, as the resin 'thimble' nose needs to be grafted on to the kit parts, I've jumped ahead, to Step 15 (fuselage construction), in order to modify the kit parts, and check the fit of the 'Freightdog' resin nose.
The Tamiya kit provides the fuselage halves up to the mid cockpit area, with separate nose halves for the fighter version fitting on to these, a sensible solution, allowing 'common' parts to be used in both the fighter and bomber kits available from Tamiya.
I was slightly dubious about this arrangement initially, thinking that this could possibly cause a step or ridge at the joint, but test-fitting shows that the joint is positive and neat, with the small, rectangular 'clip' that aids the fit, being hidden once the wing is fitted.

The nicely moulded resin 'thimble' nose is designed to follow the line of the rear of the machine gun access hatch, a separate part in the Tamiya kit which, of course, is not required, as the NF.XII lacked the MGs, the space being used for the AI. Mk.VIII centimetric radar scanner dish and its associated power and drive equipment. The lower section of each nose half needs to be removed, again following the line of the upper hatch, which is not quite vertical, being angled very slightly forward towards the lower part of the fuselage.
The resin nose includes the depression for the forward edge of the curved cannon fairing cover on the underside, and therefore it's essential to ensure that the unwanted areas of plastic on the kit parts are marked and cut accurately, so that the resin part will align exactly with the corresponding opening in the plastic parts and, ultimately, with the separate, forward section of the fairing, when fitted later in the build.
In order to achieve an accurate, clean cut, masking tape was attached to each nose half, aligned with the upper line of the hatch, and checked for alignment against the curved opening and the curved depression in the resin nose. This was then used as a guide for cutting, with a razor saw being used to first score a feint line, again checked for alignment, before carefully sawing off the lower section of each nose part.
The nose halves where then taped together, and the fit and alignment of the resin part checked, before carefully and gently filing the 'raw' edges to ensure a neat joint when the resin part is eventually bonded to the assembled fuselage.

PIC 1. The nicely moulded resin 'thimble' nose, from 'Freightdog Models', showing the starboard, upper 3/4 view, with the blister for the gun camera.
PIC 2. The arrangement for joining the kit fuselage and nose sections, showing the locating tabs and 'locking clip', the latter hidden inside the wing root when the wing is fitted.
PIC 3. The kit parts for the fighter nose, along with the resin nose. Note the line of the hatch cover joint, just over the vertical.
PIC 4. The curved depression in the resin nose, which must align accurately with the opening in the kit parts, once fitted.
PIC 5. Masking tape provides a guide for the razor saw when removing the unwanted area. Again, note the slight forward angle of the cut line.
PIC 6. The lower sections of the fighter nose have been removed, and the edges of the cuts carefully filed and sanded.
PIC 7. The nose sections and the resin nose have been loosely taped together, to check fit and alignment. Once properly attached, the resin nose should be perfectly aligned, and will only require minimal filling around the joint to blend-it in to the surroundings,

With this stage complete, the cockpit will be assembled and fitted, along with the (redundant) bomb bay parts, and the fuselage and nose sections joined, before returning to the 'normal' assembly steps as shown in the kit instructions.
I hope to get at least some of this done later tonight, and I'll post pics of the progress once there's something to show.

EDIT: This 'new' forum pic uploading system does my head in - I ensured that there was proper spacing etc before uploading the pics, and still the text is mixed up with the pics !!

 

[Wurger]

 

[Gnomey]

Nicely done so far Terry!

 

[Crimea_River]

Good start Terry. It's happened to me also a number of times where I probably inadvertently had the cursor in the mid sentence of the text when I hit the button to insert the full pictures. It's an easy fix to cut and paste the text back to where it is supposed to be before hitting the "Post Reply" button.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Wojtek, Hugh and Andy.
I actually ensured that the cursor was in the correct place, and that all spacing was also correct, but it still went AWOL !
To me, 'cut and paste' harks back to my days in the graphics and print industry, where a piece of paper or film would literally be cut and pasted where required. Believe it or not, I have absolutely no idea of how to do it on one of these new fangled electric confuser machines !!

 

[Wurger]

..... This 'new' forum pic uploading system does my head in - I ensured that there was proper spacing etc before uploading the pics, and still the text is mixed up with the pics !!

Terry , the system works quite good I would say. It's just a matter of editing or way of uploading your pictures. It should be memorised to hit the Enter key in order to move the cursor to the new line below the text already written before uploading pics.

As you may notice you had the cursor set in the middle of the text while you started attaching images although the space was added.

And here the edited post...

 

[Crimea_River]

.....and waiting until ALL pics have finished uploading before selecting the full image option.

 

[Wurger]

Yep that's a good idea. Also I woud suggest using the basic editor for posts. It can be set in user's preferences for all time or using of it just for the current post ( the last icon on the right at the post bar ) . Instead of seeing attached shots in the post window , the lines with image numbers and tags are seen. It makes the editing easier and gives a better look at the post layout.



BTW.. I would like to remind that pics can be attached using the "drag and drop" way for the forum too. It can be done directly into the post window without using the pic selector for that. Also it can be done by using the "Copy" and "Paste" options. But the moving of the cursor to the proper location has to be remembered too.

 

[Airframes]

Well that is strange. I had the cursor at the end of the last word of the last paragraph of text, then hit 'Enter' three times, to create three spaces. I also ensured that all pics had uploaded, before first re-reading all of the text, and then hitting the 'Full size' button, then checked that they had finished, before hitting the 'Upload' key.
Next time, I'll send a request in writing, in triplicate, and make sure I say 'Please' !

 

[Wurger]

Do you use the mouse or the touchpad?

 

[Airframes]

Using a mouse on my home computer my friend, but this particular mouse has a fault (loose cable connection I think) and often 'drops out'. Using it until I can get into town to get a new one, to replace the 'wireless' mouse that has just died on me.
I seem to be having a 'bad electrics day' today - mobility scooter battery died on me this morning, even though showing fully charged, the campervan battery is flat, batteries in all three cameras needed charging, one of my watch batteries is showing signs of dying, a light bulb exploded in my face, and now the darned wireless mouse !
I guess I picked the wrong day to give up glue sniffing ................... so i'm definitely not going to do any more modelling tonight !!

 

[Wurger]

Well.. the mouse can be the reason for that then. A couple of not controlled electrical spikes from that device can move coursor without your knowing.

I'm very sorry to heat that the day isn't your best. We call it here " złośliwość rzeczy martwych" - perversity of inanimate objects.
I hope you can get all the problems with the batteries sorted out. Head up.