Mosquito, which kit is best

[T-Tango]

Quick question;

Which mosquito MkII kit is best, Airfix or Tamiya, any of you guys built one or both??

Pete

[Dave Williams]

In 1/48 scale, Tamiya

[Radio Gnome]

I have built both in 1/48 in various versions

Both build up into nice representations of the Mozzie but the Tamiya kit is a country mile ahead of the much older Airfix tool in terms of detail and quality of fit.

[T-Tango]

Thanks, but I was thinking 1/72

Pete

[pingu1]

Which is not to say that the Airfix kit is bad, because it isn't - good levels of detail, accuracy and fit, one of Airfix's best ever kits, scaled down from the masters of their still-born 1/24 Mossie - but the Tamiya kit's tooling is some 25 years younger than the Airfix, and produced to Tamiya's highest mid-1990s standards, and it shows. Plus, in the UK at least, they're both the same price - £16.99. No-brainer, really - go for the Tamiya.

In 1/72, still the Tamiya. The Airfix is perfectly OK, and good value at £6.99, but the Tamiya, which is, to all intents and purposes, their 1/48 kit scaled down, has much better levels of detail and fit, accurate, well-printed, in-register decals and is a better quality product all round. Easily worth the extra £5 - you'll probably end up spending more than this on aftermarket decals for the Airfix, anyway.

The Hasegawa kit is inaccurate, inadequately detailed, and very poor value for money. Avoid.

Cheers,

Chris.

Edited April 5, 2007 by pingu1

[Serelle]

In 1/72, still the Tamiya. The Airfix is perfectly OK, and good value at £6.99, but the Tamiya, which is, to all intents and purposes, their 1/48 kit scaled down, has much better levels of detail and fit, accurate, well-printed, in-register decals and is a better quality product all round. Easily worth the extra £5.

Chris has said it all! Tamiya worths the extra money invested on it!

Serelle

[Cop]

1/72 Tamiya

1/48 Tamiya

1/32 Revell because its the only one in that scale.

[Steve N]

Gotta agree..the Tamiya kit is by far the best in 1/72. The only beef I have with it is that they give you separate bombay doors but nothing to put inside the bombay. Ares makes a bombay interior for the fighter version, but I don't think anyone makes an aftermarket bombay for the bomber.

The old Airfix kit is actually pretty good. A little simple by today's standards, and with a thick canopy, but still builds into a nice model.

SN

[pingu1]

If money is not especially an issue, the Hasegawa 1/72 kit includes bomb bay detail - to kitbash with the Tammy kit, not instead of it.

Cheers,

Chris.

[T-Tango]

Thanks for the input guys, will go for the Tammy, as I am planning to do the NFII in all black (Circa 1942/3) I will more than likely do it with the bomb bay doors closed.

Cheers

Pete

[Chuck1945]

Thanks for the input guys, will go for the Tammy, as I am planning to do the NFII in all black (Circa 1942/3) I will more than likely do it with the bomb bay doors closed.

Cheers

Pete

May as well, since if you build it as a night fighter and not as an intruder, it wouldn't have carried any bombs anyway.

Edited April 5, 2007 by Chuck1945

[T-Tango]

My thoughts exactly Chuck

Pete

[agboak]

The intruder would, or at least could, have carried bombs in the rear half of the bombbay.

[Chuck1945]

The intruder would, or at least could, have carried bombs in the rear half of the bombbay.

Hasty editing the first time around, the word 'not' was accidently deleted, fixed now

[agboak]

I'm a little surprised at the definite nature of the preference expressed: as I recall from the time of the release, opinions were 50-50 on which was the better kit. I did get both bombers, and decided I preferred the Tamiya, but have since heard other comments on the latter.

So today I hauled out both of them, unmade, and an unmade "gold standard" Airfix to compare with them.

Canopies. The Airfix is for a fighter, is too long, and too thick. The Hasegawa is split down the middle, spoiling a clear panel above the crew. The Tamiya shows this as two panels, with a join line down the middle, and the side bubbles as separate pieces. No points for anyone there.

Cockpits. The Airfix is unsurprisingly the crudest. The other two are much the same, though the Tamiya does show the rear of the instrument "pots" behind the panel, a detail that doesn't move me, it might you. Points to H&T.

Other interiors: Hasegawa has a detailed bombbay with bombs. (I lifted a couple for a Typhoon.) Tamiya has extra details for the PR version, including a camera inside the rear fuselage. Again, interior details don't excite me, but it depends on the version you want to do. Points to H&T.

Nose to bombay: Hasegawa looks too squarish here, and to my eye this does spoil the lines. Airfix looks much rounder, but perhaps is too round for the bombbay further aft. Tamiya has the same section fuselage side as the Hasegawa but has a rounder belly. Airfix has a closed bay area, and the scribed line shows a curved, or perhaps segmented, hinge line. The other two are straight, which seems to match the photos. The Tamiya bay is longer and narrower than the other two. Frankly, no positive points for anyone, but maybe a negative one for Hasegawa. Perhaps it will be possible to sand some of the squareness off, and hide it by using open bomb-bay doors. .

Wing. Airfix and Hasegawa have identical shapes. Tamiya has a much longer (in chord) radiator segment and a different taper ratio - the tip is larger in chord. I don't have a fully reliable plan, so I had a quick check with the Squadron Signal In Action (I know, but it was convenient) and the taper matches the A&H. Points for A&H.

Engines: Nothing in it.

Undercarriage: Hasegawa lacks the obvious x-frame (boo, hiss) present on the other two. Frankly, any modeller who can't make a little X-piece doesn't deserve the name, but.... Tamiya has an additional tank (purpose?) mounted on the upper undercarriage, where it can't be seen. Points for A&T

Tailplane. Nothing in it.

Fin. A&H match, the Tamiya is taller. The difference is at the base, with a taller trim tab. Otherwise it would be dead easy to fix - but it ain't. Maybe take the rudder off, shorten it at the base and the fin at the top. Not too difficult, but the points go to A&H.

Rear fuselage. Airfix and Hasegawa match. Tamiya taper ratio is odd-man-out again, ending up with a slightly deeper fuselage at the rear. Points to A&H.

So checking on these 10 points, Airfix has 6, Tamiya 5, Hasegawa 6 (thanks to 1 negative).

The Hasegawa faults (particularly that nose/bombbay section) may be more obvious, but overall it appears to be more accurate than the Tamiya. Having both already, I shall use the Hasegawa for the Paragon Highball, or maybe another bulged bombbay alternative, thus hiding the flaw. It is rather more difficult to change the Tamiya outline, if that matters to you. It may be, of course, that a proper high quality plan will show that Tamiya are right and the other two wrong. Perhaps. Until then, I'd advise an Airfix and a bomber nose conversion for a bomber/PR, and the straight Airfix for a fighter or fighter/bomber.