Coastal Command Mosquito FB.VI

[Dutch]

WOW!  Great work and paint!  

[11bee]

Thanks Dutch, glad a few folks are enjoying this build! 

 

Just a quick update - Installed the flaps (still have to add the hinges on the underside).   As I understand it, these aircraft were camouflaged at the factory by laying rubber mats down and spraying the dark green over the base Medium Sea Grey.   As such, I have to believe that the area of the flaps that was hidden when they were retracted would only be left in the base MSG.  The few pictures I've seen of vintage Mossies that show this area seem to confirm this.  When they were over-painted with the dark grey color, I'm guessing that they didn't bother to drop the flaps so they could paint this area either.   Therefore, I masked this off prior to painting.   I think it adds a nice bit of distraction from the overall dark grey scheme. 

 

I also added the cannon and bomb bay doors.   I like the look of this area quite a bit.  The cannon bay doors weren't designed to be opened in flight, so they are simple hinged doors without the hydraulic pistons used on the bomb bay doors.   As such, I adjusted them to be just a bit out of alignment with the bomb bay doors. 

 

 

That's it for tonight, thanks for looking! 

[Slartibartfast]

👍🏻👏

[11bee]

Added the flap hinges.  Like everything else on this kit, they have great detail and fit perfectly.  Flaps are now fixed in place.  Like the bomb bay doors, they are pretty delicate so I need to be very careful handling the model.  

 

I also added the cowling parts for the port engine.   I'm only going to have the starboard engine on display (too lazy to super detail both Merlins) so these panels were glued in place.   Could have left them unglued, they snap in place perfectly,using a combination of tabs and magnets but I opted to glue them.  They were a bit difficult to get in place around the exhaust stacks but it all worked out.  

 

 

On the subject of exhaust stacks, note the bare aluminium area underneath the stacks.    These Mosquitoes were delivered from the factory with a shrouded exhaust to eliminate glare during night operations.   In many Mosquito units that were flying primarily daylight ops, these shrouds were eventually removed to reduce drag a bit.  When removed, it was noted that the area under the shroud was never painted.  Seems like they added these and then painted the airframe.   It's a neat little feature that adds a bit of color.  Tamiya thoughtfully provides silver decals for these patches but I opted to do it like the originals.   I sprayed the general area dull aluminum, tack glued the shrouds in place and then painted the camo colors.   Once done, I popped the shrouds off and viola!   

 

Here's a nice picture that illustrates what I'm referring to.  Also a good illustration on weathering and on how tough these aircraft were.   It should be noted that the Strike Wings flew a mix of Beaufighters and Mosquitoes.   The Beau pilots didn't think the Mosquitoes were as durable as their aircraft but in return, the Mossie pilots got an aircraft that was substantially faster.  Too each their own but regardless, both aircraft suffered heavy losses due to the nature of the missions they flew.

 

That's it for now, thanks for checking in.  

[11bee]

KK-Q now has all of her markings.  I had previously sprayed Tamiya X-22 gloss coat (2 coats actually) and gave it a day to dry.  This stuff is amazing, so much better than Future or anything else I've used over the years.   Unlike a lot of gloss coats, this stuff works best when you apply "wet" coats.  If you go light, it tends to just give you a satin finish.  

 

Decals are a mix of Aviaeology (national markings, squadron codes, serial numbers) and Barracuda stenciling.   The Barracuda markings went down extremely well, as their stuff typically does.   I didn't use any of their markings on the upper surfaces except for the prominent radiator keep off warnings on the inner wings.  As best as I can tell, when they sprayed the dark grey over the original paintwork, they didn't bother to restore the dozens of servicing stencils, etc.  These were simply over painted.  I took a guess and kept the radiator warnings since a ground crewman who wasn't paying attention could walk on that area and seriously damage the sheet metal.   If anyone knows for sure whether other stencils were applied to the upper surfaces, let me know ASAP please!   Speaking of the radiator warning decals, those were large decals with a great deal of clear film.   It took multiple tries to get them to set up properly.  After they dried from the initial application, I went back with Micro Sol and worked on various bubbles, letting them soften and then pushing down with a clean cloth.   Once dry again, I used a new Xacto blade to carefully slit the remaining bubbles open and then used another application of Micro Sol.   Just have to be patient and keep working at it. 

 

Regarding the Aviaeology decals - The good news is that they are thin, strong and when dry, you can't seen any carrier film.   The bad news?   I've never seen decals that instantly adhere to a surface like these do. Micro Set actually made it worse but even with copious amounts of water, these things are quite difficult to apply. I ended up holding the decal while still attached to the paper with a pair of locking tweezers just above the area on the model it's going on and while keeping my one hand as steady as possible, I tried to quickly slide the decal into place on the model.  You've got about 5 seconds to get it exactly lined up, otherwise, you are pretty much out of luck.  I had issues with one of the "K"s but thankfully, the sheet has spares for that particular letter, so I could remove the set decal and replace it. Unfortunately, I also had issues with one of the serial numbers.  No replacements for that one so I'm not quite sure what my next step is.    I was truly nervous applying the Q's because there were no spares on the sheet and I'm pretty sure this sheet is currently sold out.  If I botched those letters, I would be SOL.    Anyway, the codes went on ok.  Note that the originals were on a bit of a slant, it wasn't an error on my part. 

 

Here are a couple of pics.

 

 

[cruiz]

I'm getting up to date with your build, eager to see the final weathering job you will do.

 

Regarding the slipper tanks, how do you plan to attach them? I don't remember if you took provisions about the alignment or fixing points.

 

Good luck with the final stretch.

 

Carlos

[aircal62]

Your builds are amazing.  I learn so much from your builds, and the painstaking research you do.   On the decal side, have you added a drop or two of liquid dish detergent to your decal water?  It breaks down the water tension and adds just a little bit of lubricant for the decal to slide, but not enough soap to be an issue.  Give it a try on some spare decal.  Awaiting to see your finished model, it is inspiring.  

[11bee]

Thanks very much guys, i really appreciate the feedback.   Wasn't sure many folks were following along.   With regard to the slipper tanks, I lightly scribed their mounting area prior to painting.     Aircal - I ended up using a bit of saliva.  It helped but those decals are tough to work with!    I'll try the soap approach next time.

 

As noted above, I finally bit the bullet and removed the out of alignment serial numbers.   Using some unused decals from the Aviaoelogy sheet, I was able to replace all the missing letters/numbers.    I think it looks much better but still not 100%.   Applying these decals is a real challenge!   Even with liberal applications of 11Bee Enterprises Premium Decal Lubricant (see above), I still had issues doing rushed final adjustments before the darned decals froze up solid.    

 

After that task, I hit the model with a light coat of X-22 gloss to seal things in and then after letting it dry, did a final clear coat.   For anything besides a gloss finish, I go with Testor's Dullcoat lacquer.  Been using this stuff forever and to me, nothing works better.  Just need to go with a high percentage of thinner to have it airbrush properly.   Unlike X-22 that needs to go on "wet", I do a few light coats of this stuff.   I think a totally flat finish is usually not appropriate for a model.   Even heavily weathered aircraft often have a little bit of luster to their paintwork.   So I went with a mix of 2:1 Dullcoat and Testors Gloss.   In theory I think I could have used Tamiya X-22 instead of the Testor's Gloss but I didn't want to take any chances with incompatibility.   So anyway, this concludes the base paint job.   Still have a few small touch-ups but the next step will be weathering.   I need to put some thought into the exhaust soot, the Mosquito has some pretty distinctive staining.  In retrospect, I should have done this before attaching the bomb bay doors since the inner nacelles are going to be a challenge to airbrush.   

 

That's it for now, here is where we are currently at:

 

 

Thanks for looking

Edited November 21, 2020 by 11bee

[11bee]

Added the external "slipper" tanks.   As noted previously, these are long-range 100 gal versions that Coastal Command started using late in 1944.   Most Mosquitoes used the smaller 50 gal version which the kit provides.   My tanks are resin ones from AMS.   Nicely cast, just requires a fair amount of cleanup to get them to fit flush to the undersides of the wings.  

 

These wooden tanks were typically painted overall aluminum.   It seems that on occasion, the upper tips of them were sprayed in the field with Extra Dark Sea Grey, either for camouflage or to reduce the glare off of them which could distract the crew.   The fresh EDSG makes a nice contrast to the weathered finish of the airframe. 

 

 

 

That's it for now, thanks for looking! 

[11bee]

I've started the weathering.  Some of these aircraft ended up pretty grimy.  A kind gent on Britmodeler posted this pic.   A really nice example of a heavily weathered mosquito. 

 

Note the staining on the undersides of the horizontal stabs.

 

Here is where I'm at so far.  Only the first step, still have much to add.  I typically start with airbrushing, then follow up with various washes and some pastels.  

 

[11bee]

Here's another great picture that was posted on BM.  Apparently even brand new aircraft couldn’t escape a few patches of "red dope" here and there.   This stuff was pretty commonly seen on RAF aircraft, used for sealing cannon openings, panel lines that needed to be waterproofed and repair of battle damage. 

 

I've added a few patches on KK-Q, I'll post an update soon. 

Edited November 17, 2020 by 11bee

[Bounce]

astounding

[Niels]

Nice! Have to follow this one 🙂

[82Whitey51]

HOLY SHHH...nikeees....

 

Man, this is looking awesome! Nice choice on the specific subject. I have this kit also, planning on doing one of the "Operation Jericho" birds, so I need to scroll back through and look at how she goes together and what cool stuff you added.

 

I happened to score the kit for free 😬, while down at the Virginia Military Museum checking out their Mosquito...I'm friends with the maintenance manager down there, we're in his office shooting the BS, and he had stack of them sitting there. Tamiya used their aircraft for reference, as you see in the pamphlet in the kit, and sent them a box of them. He's a sci-fi modeler himself, so he says "Hey man, want one?"...AHHH, YEAH!! 

If you can get down there for their WWII show (Usually in May...if it happens this year 😕) go check it out! I'd recommend getting there for set up on Friday...no "FAA Box" so all the flying is done right down the flight line; pilot check outs, maintenance hops, photo flights, just general all day ops. Great time.

[Falcon50EX]

I am totally digging what i see so far!

[Gator52]

Really nice!

 

Chris

[11bee]

Thanks very much for the compliments guys.   Andrew, good luck with your build, this kit is amazing.   As far as I am concerned, it and Tamiya's 32nd F4U series are the ultimate in plastic aircraft models (YMMV).   Never knew there was a museum down in VA.   My middle daughter just moved down to Norfolk with her BF (he's assigned to an East coast F/A-18 squadron, currently stuck on the USS Ford).   When I head down to see her post-COVID, I'll have to check this out. 

 

BTW, regarding "red dope", here is a great picture courtesy of Chuck over on LSP that shows one of the very few Spitfires in original paintwork.  Note the multiple red dope touch-ups.

Edited November 18, 2020 by 11bee

[11bee]

duplicate post. 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by 11bee

[11bee]

I've continued with the weathering on the undersides.   Not much to really share, still a work in progress.   Also waiting for my Florey Washes to arrive.   Very interested in trying this stuff out.  

 

In the mean time, I added those screens in front of the carburetor intakes. In the official drawings, they are refered to as "Snow Screens".  I really don't know what purpose they served except as basic FOD screens.   If they were for snow / ice protection, I figured the mesh in front would get plugged up, ice over and would actually restrict airflow to the engines.  This area is the one part of the kit that I feel Tamiya dropped the ball on.   They replicated these with a single clear part with overly thick mesh molded in.   No idea why they couldn't add these to the existing PE frets.   To fix the problem, I went with the outstanding (and very reasonably priced) RB Products PE set.   As I mentioned many pages ago, the set also provides very nice radiator grills that I feel are superior to the Tamiya PE.   After assembly, I painted them in a dark chocolate brown, to replicate the rubber coating on the real thing.   Don't mind the oily smudge on the cowling below, it will be gone once I touch up the model after weathering is complete. 

 

I also added the landing gear doors and the brake lines.  Still need to add the tiny bungee cords to the doors.   Also note - I drilled out the small air intake right below the aft exhaust pipe. 

Note the Norwegian flag on the nose.   These were applied to many (but not all) 333 Squadron aircraft.   None of the pictures of KK-Q show this area in detail so i went for it.   The decal sheet provides these markings in bright red and also Dark Dull Red, all the pictures of this flag are B&W and it's not possible to tell what shade is used.  Nice touch by Avieaology.   You can also see the fine PE work that RB does.   Very impressed. 

Edited November 18, 2020 by 11bee

[11bee]

Lastly, I decided to take the masks off the canopy.   This is always a high stress moment.  Kinda like a kid opening up his big present on X-mas day.  You just never know what you are going to get.   I've had more than a few over the years come out with horrible paint stains.   In this case, things worked out "ok".  I've got some touch up to do, but nothing a sharp wooden toothpick shouldn't be able to handle and a bit of touch up on the paint.  After all that, I'll hit it with some plastic polish and I think it will look pretty decent.   Note that in these pics, the canopy is just press-fitted in place and has many smudges.  One other note - I decided to leave the framework in the original grey / green camouflage.   Given that the coastal Special Duties Scheme was often applied in a rush (hence the original camo showing through), I can't believe those hard working maintenance folks would take the time to mask off all those frames.

 

 

 

That's it for now, thanks for looking.

[Slartibartfast]

👏

[southwestforests]

7 hours ago, 11bee said:

 Note that in these pics, the canopy is just press-fitted in place and has many smudges.  One other note - I decided to leave the framework in the original grey / green camouflage.   Given that the coastal Special Duties Scheme was often applied in a rush (hence the original camo showing through), I can't believe those hard working maintenance folks would take the time to mask off all those frames.

Sounds reasonable to me.

[southwestforests]

7 hours ago, 11bee said:

In the mean time, I added those screens in front of the carburetor intakes. In the official drawings, they are refered to as "Snow Screens".  I really don't know what purpose they served except as basic FOD screens.   If they were for snow / ice protection, I figured the mesh in front would get plugged up, ice over and would actually restrict airflow to the engines

Random thought and having not researched WW2 aircraft for over a decade - any chance those grids might have been somehow heated, electrical resistance heating, or something?

[82Whitey51]

On 11/18/2020 at 9:11 AM, 11bee said:

   Never knew there was a museum down in VA.   My middle daughter just moved down to Norfolk with her BF (he's assigned to an East coast F/A-18 squadron, currently stuck on the USS Ford).   When I head down to see her post-COVID, I'll have to check this out. 

 

Great musuem! And if you can make the "Warbirds Over the Beach" show, well worth the trip!

 

https://militaryaviationmuseum.org/

 

 

[11bee]

On 11/18/2020 at 6:07 PM, southwestforests said:

Random thought and having not researched WW2 aircraft for over a decade - any chance those grids might have been somehow heated, electrical resistance heating, or something?

Not sure, it would make sense to have a heating element.  Your guess is as good as mine on them.  

Edited November 21, 2020 by 11bee