Coastal Command Mosquito FB.VI

[11bee]

Small update, just adding details of the wheels and landing gear.  Still weathering the tires but one thing I noted was that the Merlins were considered prodigious oil leakers.   While looking at some pics of Strike Wing Mosquitoes, I noticed in this pretty commonly seen picture that the tires had numerous oil drips and stains on them.  Fun fact - many (most?) Mosquitoes had canvas covers placed over tires between missions.   This was to keep the oil from leaking onto and damaging the tires.    For whatever reason, they don't seem quite as common at RAF Banff.    A few other comments on this picture - note the early rocket launchers.   This configuration made it impossible to mount the 100 gallon "slipper" tanks on the wing.  In early 1945, a modified launcher assembly was introduced that allowed two rockets to be mounted on each outer set of brackets, which then freed up room for the tanks to be installed.   Note also,   the rockets have solid shot armor piercing heads.   No explosive filler at all.   The crews aimed these rockets immediately below the waterline of the enemy ships.  By all accounts they did a great deal of damage, often times passing out the other side of the unfortunate vessel.  Lastly, note the very unusual camo scheme.   I assumed it was the Coastal Command special duties scheme of Extra Dark Sea Grey over Sky but I can also seem what looks like the original grey / green on the aft fuselage. You can also see the area under the exhausts in unpainted aluminum, apparently this aircraft had the original flame hiding exhaust cover installed when it was repainted and then later had the cover removed, showing the bare metal. Bottom line - I have no idea exactly how this bird was painted! 

[11bee]

Not sure what the issue is with this website but just realized a lot of my post above didn't get saved.  Here's the picture I referenced in that post:

[11bee]

Here's the rest of the post based on the picture above.   I decided to add some staining to my tires.  Not finished yet, here's the first one.

Note also that I applied a black wash behind the brown "bakelite" rollers on the landing gear to give the illusion of this molded on part being cylindrical.   I think it came out pretty nicely.   I still need to touch up the weathering on the tires but I'm pretty happy with the overall look of these assemblies.     

 

Next, I did an oil wash on the gear retraction assembly and added decals to the mudguards.

 

Lastly, I dry fitted the landing gear to the nacelle, looks good to me.   Note that this is the "un-detailed" engine that will be covered by the cowling sections. 

To me, the Mosquito's wheels and undercarriage always seemed a bit out of proportion to the rest of the aircraft but that's what adds some of the charm I suppose.   

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by 11bee

[11bee]

Model is completed!   I decided to replicate the famous DH206 remotely piloted, flying wing!

I guess I shouldn't quit my day job for a career in standup comedy.   

 

Anyhoo, I've completed most of the updates to the starboard engine, which will be left mostly exposed.   I installed the exhaust housings.  They actually cleared the sparkplugs I added but also completely hid them (which is what I was hoping for, given how horrible they look).   The only thing visible if you look from the bottom is a small portion of the spark plug leads.  Disregard the rough looking interior of the exhaust housing, once the exhaust stacks are installed, nothing will be visible.  At this point, I plan on installing the lower cowling section and leaving the side and top cowling sections off to show off the Merlin.  Last tasks remaining on this motor will be to clean up some of the wiring and add a few bits of piping to the wing root interior.  If anyone has pictures that show this area, please share!  

 

 

 

At this point, I added some final bits of wiring to the landing gear bays.   Here is a nice shot of the real thing, from the walkaround posted here at LSP:

 

To my existing details, I added the brownish electrical wires and a black hydraulic hose to the aft sections of the gear bay.   Hard to get a good picture of these bits but they are there, trust me!   This picture also shows in detail the springs used to retract the landing gear doors.  Once the doors are added, I'll install the two lengths of bungee cord that connected the springs to the aft ends of the doors 

 

Still need to do some additional weathering to aft section of the gear bays.  It looks too shiny for a hardworking warbird. 

 

I also installed the main landing gear assemblies.   I still have to add the brake lines (included in the kit) and the bungee cords that attached to the landing gear doors (to be scratchbuilt).  

 

That's it for now, thanks for looking and for all the good feedback! 

[11bee]

Just a small bit of progress to share.   I completed the piping around the firewall.  Just need to run an oil wash to around those copper coolant lines to tone them down and I think I'll be complete with the engine.   For S&G's, I dry fitted the fuselage section just to see how it looks.

Hard to find pictures that show the upper firewall area, I did the best I could by adding some hydraulic lines along the inner wing area.  

 

 

 

That's it for now, thanks for looking! 

[Slartibartfast]

Is the copper piping sprue or large gauge wire?

[11bee]

7 hours ago, Slartibartfast said:

Is the copper piping sprue or large gauge wire?

The larger diameter copper coolant lines are pretty much all kit bits.  I added a couple of smaller diameter lines from copper wire as well.   All the other wires / lines were added by yours truly. 

 

 

[11bee]

Plodding along slowly.  I'm back to the cockpit interior.  Specifically, the "shelf" aft of the crew seats.   Not a lot of pictures out there that show this area in detail, thankfully a kind gent on LSP shared some of his personal pictures of a beautifully restored FB.VI and I also found this trolling on the net:

 

 

You can see the folded down navigator's armor plate and against the rear of the bulkhead, the IFF transmitter and reciever units.  Also note the electrical and hydraulic lines running along the sidewall.   This shot is of an aircraft mid-way through restoration so some of the lines and black boxes are missing. 

 

Before I dive into modeling, first - A brief sidebar on the avionics used on the Mosquito.  Early variants had pretty much nothing but a large radio transmitter and equally large radio receiver mounted in this area.  A bit later came the IFF sets.   Prior to deciding on the subject of my build and doing research, I purchased the beautiful Barracudacast resin Mosquito  Radio set.  Truly a work of art (like all of their stuff is) and i was quite excited to use these bits..  

Unfortunately, as I started researching Mosquitoes I found out that the position of these radios changed over time.    First the Mosquito was fitted with the "Gee" long range navigation system (sort of like the old LORAN system).   To make room for the Gee gear, the transmitter was moved to the aft fuselage.   Later, starting in 1944, (which is the time period my Mosquito is from), the receiver was also relocated to the aft fuselage, leaving just the Gee receiver and display taking up the rear shelf, along with a small electrical junction box.  Here's a nice shot of a Mosquito's Gee setup:

Just note that this was a prototype.   Operational units were finished in overall black. 

 

So here is where I am at so far - 

 

Built up the shelf using kit parts.   Tamiya's Gee receiver is quite nice and comes with a PE cover so that all the cooling holes in the case are replicated.   Only thing I've added to the this area is a handle on the receiver and various electrical lines.   Still much more to do.  Note that for the three lines coming off the small junction box, I only added the sections that would be visible.  No sense doing work that will be invisible, right?

 

Also extended some electrical lines along the right sidewall.  These will terminate into the aft bulkhead once everything is assembled.  Sorry for the substandard paintwork on these lines, you'll only be viewing them from the top.

 

And here are a few shots of the cockpit with the wings dry fitted.   I like the "busy" look of the Navigator's area.  

 

 

 

Still more to add in this area, followed up some more weathering and touchup work.    That's it for now, thanks for looking guys! 

[kurnass77]

Love!

The detail are so juicy...

 

Gianni

[11bee]

Thanks Kurnass, greatly appreciated! 

 

I've completed the aft deck.   Added more hydraulic and electrical lines and think this replicates the overall look back there.   

Don't worry about those hanging electrical lines, they will be completely invisible once the fuselage is installed!

 

Also added some wiring to the IFF set against the rear bulkhead.

 

Next up is a major milestone - I've attached the fuselage.   Again, kudo's to Tamiya.  With the complexity of the wing assembly, it just clicks into place and is secured with a single screw that will be hidden under the dinghy hatch cover just aft of the cockpit.    A perfect fit. 

 

 

 

Next up is a section I've been looking forward to - the bomb bay!   That's it for now, thanks for looking! 

[11bee]

My work since the last update consists of gluing on the dinghy hatch behind the cockpit canopy.   Fun Mosquito fact, this hatch was connected to an immersion switch which would automatically deploy the dinghy in the event of ditching.   That's about the extent of my update but since attaching the wings is a major milestone on any build, I celebrated by taking some pictures.   I'm using this interlude to also completely clean off my worktable.  Given the size of the kit and all the clutter I've accumulated since starting the build, I think it's a good idea to start fresh.   Feel like it's only a matter of time before I knock over an open bottle of paint or spill glue over the model.     A clean table is a happy table!

 

She really is a big bird! 

 

 

 

Here's the subject of the next phase of my build.   Going to be a bit of a challenge working with the wings attached.  Part of me is thinking I could have installed the cannons and their ammo boxes (they are going into the forward part of the bomb bay) before attaching the wings.   Would have made things much easier to handle but at this point, it is what it is.

 

That's it for now, thanks for looking! 

[Slartibartfast]

👍🏻

[phantom]

Outstanding detail.

 

[11bee]

Thanks very much guys, it's nice to get some positive feedback!

 

On to the 20mm cannons.   All fighter and night fighter versions were equipped with 4x20mm cannons in the forward section of the bomb bay.  it was a pretty neat installation and gave good access to the weapons and their ammo boxes by simply opening the bomb bay doors.     Here is a great picture of a restored Mosquito cannon bay.

 

 

Note the glossy black (I used semi-gloss) metal support structure and higher up, you can make out the dark brown wooden ammo boxes.  Also note the natural metal pneumatic lines and their solenoid valve.  These were used for cocking the cannons prior to being fired. Also note the "bottomless" housing on the cannon's receiver assemblies.  

 

Here is where I'm at so far:

I've completed the ammo boxes, the three metal support assemblies and added the interior green gun heating duct.     Everything goes together in neat subassemblies.   On top of this base, I'll add the cannons, their ammo feeds (more on this later) individual heating ducts and some misc bits.    

 

I added a few details.   My crappy pics don't show them very well but I drilled out the ends of the support tubes and added some bolts to the ammo box mounts.

I also did a fair amount of weathering in this area.   Given that they were being rearmed quite often, I figured the all these parts would be dinged up.   I used a silver artists pencil to add a bunch of scratches to the black metal frames (hard to see in the pictures but in RL, it looks quite nice), used a mix of dark brown to replicate scratches to the heating duct and a bit of light tan for wear on the lacquered wooden ammo boxes. 

 

Looking at the rear of the assembly, you can see the pneumatic solenoid valve. I'll be adding air lines and some other bits once the cannons are mounted. 

 

That's it for now folks, thanks for looking!

[11bee]

Made a little progress on the cannons.   Painted them a semi-gloss black with a very small amount of flat steel, after that dried, I rubbed on some graphite to try to replicate the gunmetal finish.   I also painted the bolts that show through the bottom a lighter shade of gunmetal.   I added the feed drums and then glued the cannons in place.   Tamiya thoughtfully provides guides to make sure the barrels are properly aligned. 

 

Keep in mind that this assembly is upside down   When installed in the Mosquito's bomb bay, the ammo boxes will be above the cannons.  

 

 

The copper colored fitting on the end of the cannon will be connected to the pneumatic lines I'll be installing.  Still have to add some hardware such as heating hoses and clamps but we're getting there!

 

Here's a picture of a 333 Squadron Mosquito being rearmed.  Note the pneumatic lines hanging loosely, I assume this was a safety measure to prevent the weapons from firing while being serviced?

Note also that the example above has a long-range fuel tank mounted in the aft bomb bay.

 

That's it for now guys, thanks for looking! 

[cruiz]

The end is near!  (I think)

 

I'm enjoying every update of this build; do you plan to detail other areas of this bird? Because this should be the last one before closing everything.

 

I'm waiting to see the final weathering.

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Carlos

[kurnass77]

Grerat amount of work,undoubtely, but will pay in final mate!!!

Love it!

 

Gianni

[11bee]

Cruis - Yes, the end is getting near.   Still have a great deal of work but we're getting there.   The biggest challenge will be all the details that get added to the bomb bays after the cannons are installed.    Thanks very much for the compliments Kurnass! 

 

Continuing on with the cannons, I've completed the ammo feed chutes.   The Tamiya parts just show empty feed chutes. I opted for the Barracuda resin replacements.  They have amazingly detailed 20 mm shells cast into them.   Looks great but quite a challenge to paint them. I opted for what looks to be a standard mix of 1 AP shell (black) and 5 SAP rounds (red with a tan tip that is hidden in the chutes).  Not 100% happy with the end result, I think I still need to do some touchups here.    Aside from that, I just need to add the pneumatic charging lines and a few wires and I think this assembly will be done.   I love this kit.  Each assembly is like a miniature kit in itself. 

 

Note the "Port" and "Stab" lables on the feed chutes, per the real thing.  Amazing attention to detail here.  

 

 

This area will look a bit "busier" once all the lines are added. 

 

That's it for now, thanks for looking! 

 

 

[11bee]

Add a few details to the cannons.   I installed an electrical cable that runs to the solenoid valve and installed individual pneumatic lines to each cannon, per the pictures I posted above.   Just for S&G's I dry fit the assembly into the weapons bay.  Fits perfectly and looks pretty decent.   Still much more to do in this area, also note that i have yet to install the bomb bay sidewalls.  

 

 

 

 

That's it for now, thanks for looking! 

[11bee]

I've been puttering in a few areas.    The subject I'm building is a later production Mosquito and as such, it has a bulged housing aft of the tailwheel.  Originally, it was thought that this was a housing for "Monica" tail warning radar.  After a deep dive into this subject over on Britmodeler, it was determined that this bulge covered an IR "flasher" light.   This was a primitive form of IFF to reduce the chances of Mosquito nightfighters and intruders being shot down by friendlies,.  No such need for this device on Strike Wing or tactical fighter bombers, so in these cases, it was plugged with a bit of plywood.   Tamiya didn't include this plug, so I simply added it from plastic card.

 

Now moving forward to the bomb bay.   Tamiya has opted to provide separate side walls for the bomb bay.   Nice idea, it allows you to add extra detailing without having to work on the model itself, while it is upside down.    Here are the kit side walls.    Only mods so far are to drill out a lighting hole in one of the door retraction arms and to start adding some of the wiring on the side panels.  

 

Next up is one of the bay door hydraulic retraction arms.    I added a total of 13 extra bits to replicate the various hydraulic lines and fittings.     Sorry for the crappy pictures, it looks better in real life (and much better than the basic kit part).  Trust me! 

 

Here is a great shot of the actual bomb bay (provided by a very kind gent over on Brit Modeler).  You can see the hydraulic arms that I detailed immediately behind the cannons. 

 

This picture also gives you an idea of how "busy" the bomb bay was with dozens of control cables, fuel, hydraulic lines running to and fro. I'm going to try my best to replicate this mess.   I'm not going to capture ever single line, I'm also not going to add details which will be hidden once the bomb bay is finally completed.    

 

Speaking of which, just to see how it looked, I dry fitted the side walls.   This gives you an idea of how large the Mosquito's bomb bay was.   Later bomber versions were able to squeeze a 4,000 lb "Cookie" bomb into this space.   Compare this to similar American medium bombers such as the B-25 which had a much lighter bomb load, much less speed and range and many more crew members who had to go into harm's way to deliver that payload.    

While i was at it, I added a windshield washing fluid line running from the silver holding tank to the forward cockpit bulkhead.   

 

Just for S&G's, I added the cannons to see how the whole area will look once done.

Note that the side walls adjacent to the cannons are complete blocked so there is no point of adding details in this area.   Gotta work smarter, not harder, right?

 

That's it for today lads, thanks for looking. 

[11bee]

Slowly adding details to the sides of the bomb bay.   Mostly stretched sprue and copper wire to replicate the large number of hydraulic lines present (see picture above). As mentioned, I didn't bother detailing the portion of the sidewall that will be covered by the cannon assembly, nothing will be visible and I'm worried about messing up the tight clearances in this area. 

 

I'm trying to get as much done while the sidewalls are removed.   Once done, I'll have to add the rest (more hydraulic lines, control cables and some larger fuel lines with the bomb bay buttoned up.   Gonna be tight but I think I can do it!   Also wondering if I'm going to add the two 500 lb bombs and the bomb racks in the aft bomb bay.   At this stage, I'm thinking I'll add the racks but leave the bombs off.  First off, I haven't seen much documented about these aircraft using bombs in their anti-shipping role. and secondly, with the bombs in place, you won't be able to see much of the details I've been adding. 

 

Here is where I'm at so far.  Much more to do in this area.

 

Thanks for looking! 

[Incaroad]

Down right nice job right there!

 

Cheers!!!

 

Larry

[Allan31]

Just found this thread, DH-98 is my favorite a/c, I have 9 built with about a dozen in the stash but mostly 1/72, some others.

You obviously have a very deft hand and artistic sensibility, your photos of your model look more realistic than the reference photos you're using.

Seat is back, feet up, pop-corn almost done awaiting the spectacular finish that is sure to happen.

[11bee]

10 hours ago, Allan31 said:

Just found this thread, DH-98 is my favorite a/c, I have 9 built with about a dozen in the stash but mostly 1/72, some others.

You obviously have a very deft hand and artistic sensibility, your photos of your model look more realistic than the reference photos you're using.

Seat is back, feet up, pop-corn almost done awaiting the spectacular finish that is sure to happen.

Thanks Alan and Larry!

 

Alan, I still have multiple opportunities to screw this build up.   I plan on cutting out the canopy escape hatch to better show the cockpit interior and the paint scheme is actually more complex than it initially looks.   From what I’ve read, many Banff Mosquitos had their standard green/grey camo overpainted in a thin coat of extra dark sea grey.  This is going to be tough to replicate.  
 

We’ll see how it goes.    

[11bee]

Still "busying up" the bomb bay.  It's really quite mundane work.   There is no way I can accurately replicate everything going on in this area.   Instead, I'm just trying to produce a general representation of the various lines, cables, fittings, etc.  

 

Here is where I'm at on the starboard side with the sidewall and cannons dry-fitted.  in addition to the hydraulic lines, I've added a fuel line running across the two tanks.  This will be connected to the fuel manifold housing (aka "fuel gallery") mounted above on the sidewall.   Still much more to do.  

 

I've also added the bomb rack support structure below.   I've opted not to add the 500lb bombs (fun fact - the Mosquito was originality designed to only carry 250 lb bombs, during it's testing, DH figured out that if they cut back the tail fins of the 500 lb bomb, these weapons would fit in the bomb bay) as they would restrict viewing a lot of the details I'm adding.  Plus I don't think 333 Squadron, doing the "Outrider" recce and anti-ship missions would often be carrying bombs.   More likely would be a long range fuel tank in lieu of bombs.   i'm honestly not sure that the racks would have even been mounted but they add a bit of visual interest so I'm going with them.   Still have to add the actual bomb carriers to these racks.    

 

Lastly, i stumbled upon this pretty cool picture of a 333 Mossie shooting down a German He-115.  Looks like it was snapped by the Navigator as they overtook the dying floatplane.   In addition to their normal aerial foes, (the Fw-190's of JG 5), Strike Wing Mosquitoes often came across some unusual Luftwaffe aircraft such as this one. 

 

That's it for now, thanks for looking.