Jump to content

A Separate Little War - Strike Wing Mosquito FB.VI


John1

Recommended Posts

On 6/29/2020 at 4:49 PM, Vincent said:

Pity that the Barracuda covers bolts positions don't align with the kit's ones

 

Thanks for the catch.   That could very well be on me, not an issue with the resin.  It's amazing how easy it is to catch issue like this from the pictures, I didn't even notice this during the assembly.  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I'm pretty much done with the engines.   I'll be leaving one Merlin partially exposed, the other will be sealed up in it's cowling.   In retrospect, I could have saved some time and effort by only assembling the basic engine parts and skipping the painting stage entirely.   Oh well..    I've added some bits to the Merlin that will be partially exposed.   Tamiya did a fantastic job recreating the motor but they left off all the wiring and the various oil and coolant lines, of which there are quite a few.   I just don't have the time (or skills) to replicate every single hose and fitting on these motors. I added the ignition harness (on each side and the top), as well as a selection of lines and pipes.   I simply want to make this engine look "busy" when it's installed.  After all this, I added additional weathering with pastels, a few oil washes and picked out various nuts and bolts with a silver artists pencil.  Here are some pics of the modified engine with the stock one so you can see the additions.    

 

Note - excuse the horrible spark plugs sticking out.   They will be completely covered by the exhausts and at best, you will only be able to see the ignition wires.

IMG_1093

 

IMG_1091

 

IMG_1094

 

I'll probably still do some additional weathering but for the most part, I'm finally done with this step!   That's it for now, thanks for looking and for my American friends, Happy 4th of July, Happy Birthday America! 

Edited by John1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually got a bit of extra modeling time today.   Got the starboard engine mounted in it's support frame.  Once installed, I added the large oil tank to the backside of the firewall, some additional coolant lines and a few other bits of hardware.   I'm amazed that all these winding hoses and pipes mate exactly in the right spot.   Tamiya magic at work!  I'll be doing the final painting and will then add a few final details to the engine.  At that point, I'll finish up the nacelles.   

 

IMG_1096

 

IMG_1099

 

IMG_1097

 

Doing my best to replicate the grunge found on operational engines.  Supposedly those Merlins leaked oil heavily.  Don't use modern pictures of "warbirds" as guides for weathering, those birds are meticulously maintained and often times, completely cleaned after each flight.  Operational Strike Wing Mosquitoes were flown hard and all maintenance was done outdoors in the harsh Scottish weather.  I highly doubt those hardworking crew chiefs spent much time worrying about accumulated grime on those engines. 

 

Still more weathering to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice work John,

 

A word of caution though. Make sure you test fit the exhaust heat shields and exhaust manifolds before going too much further. You may find that your spark plugs may extend out too far and not allow the heat shields and manifolds to mount properly. That was very much the case with my Spitfire's Merlin.

 

Cheers,

Wolf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Wolf Buddee said:

Nice work John,

 

A word of caution though. Make sure you test fit the exhaust heat shields and exhaust manifolds before going too much further. You may find that your spark plugs may extend out too far and not allow the heat shields and manifolds to mount properly. That was very much the case with my Spitfire's Merlin.

 

Cheers,

Wolf

Thanks Wolf, I think you are going to be correct.   It shouldn't be a major issue.  I can easily remove those plug and trim the leads so that they are just visible going under the heat shield. 

 

Speaking of exhausts, this is an area I don't have much experience in.  The Mossie's exhausts are very large and very exposed.   If anyone has some finishing tips, I'd be interested.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now that the engines are mostly behind me, I can get back to the fun parts of the build.   I'm gradually getting the nacelles ready to be glued together.   Before that happens, I need to add some additional details and weathering for the wheelwells.  Right now I'm focused on the area aft of the engine firewall.   Here's a nice picture that shows this area:

  

123-30

This is a restored Mosquito bomber version in the RAF Museum.  Just note that there are a few detail/color differences between this and a WW2 vintage FB.VI.   Picture is from the awesome walkaround file on LSP (   https://www.largescaleplanes.com/walkaround/wk.php?wid=123 ).  I've had a hard time finding detail pictures of certain parts of the Mosquito.  This is probably the best resource I've found on the net.  In addition to great detail shots, it's got a wealth of text that explains what you are looking at.  Well done Max Otten!  

 

In the picture above, note oil feed lines at the bottom of the oil tank and running up the strut to what I assume is the oil transfer pump. Also note some additional hydraulic lines.   I added these lines, tanking account some differences between this example and the Tamiya kit (the oil feed pump is on the opposite side of the Tamiya kit and some hydraulic lines are different.  Here is what I've added so far:

IMG_1108

I've also added additional grunge to replicate oil leaks and built up filth.  Aside from the engine compartment, the wheelwells are typically the dirtiest area of any aircraft. 

 

Here are some additional pics to show you my progress.

IMG_1101

 

IMG_1117

 

IMG_1110

 

IMG_1112

 

And lastly the aft section of the wheelwell.   Weathering still in progress but note the exquisite springs that Tamiya provides.   This was a trademark of the Mossie.  Instead of complicated (and heavy) hydraulic pistons or other mechanical devices, DH attached the aft end of the landing gear doors to heavy duty springs with a length of wire.   Simple, light and it works. 

IMG_1118

 

So that's it for now.   As always, thanks for all the feedback and thanks for looking! 

Edited by John1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks very much guys.   No building today but just for S&G's I dry-fitted one of the nacelles to the wing.   Perfect fit, no need for any putty and if I was inclined, I could probably skip gluing it and it would lock firmly in place.   Wheelwells are an area that most kit makers skimp on.   To their credit, Tamiya did a fantastic job.   Between the PE ribs and the smaller detail parts, they are pretty much 75% of the real thing, which says a great deal about the quality of this kit.  Many other manufacturers give you a rectangular box with nothing but a few semi-defined shapes molded in place.  I've still got some additional bits to add but I really like they way they look.   If I get close enough, I think I can catch a wiff of avgas and motor oil!  

 

IMG_1122

 

IMG_1124

 

Notice how the gear door retraction springs anchor to the rear wing spar.   The gap aft of the spar is per the real thing.  

IMG_1123

 

And a view of the upper surface.  Just note - this is the un-detailed engine that will have the cowling panels glued in place. The other engine has the additional parts added to it.   I'm glad I opted to leave one engine exposed, it would be a shame to cover all this great detail.

IMG_1126

 

That's it for tonight, thanks for looking! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Small update - I've gradually been adding some extra bits to the starboard engine, which I plan on leaving partially exposed.   So far, I've just focused on the inboard side.   At this point, I've added approx 10 additional bits, ranging from a cylindrical (filter?) housing on the forward engine bearer, to the yellow high voltage cable that runs off the side-mounted generator, to multiple small diameter hydraulic and instrumentation lines.  Again, I'm not attempting to replicate every single fitting / line perfectly, I'm just striving to generally represent the cluttered nature of the Merlin engine.   Here's a shot of the real thing.  Note also, this is a modern warbird, which may not be completely accurate and certainly is much cleaner than engines on operational aircraft. 

img_2121-1024x683.jpg

 

Here is my "enhanced" motor (sorry for the poor pics, I was losing the light as I took these):

 

IMG_1129

It does appear that the exhaust heat shields will cover the spark plugs.  I'm going to remove the plugs and just leave the bottom part of the leads which should be visible.  Probably a big improvement, given those plugs are pretty "rough". 

IMG_1130

I'll add my standard disclaimer - I'm still in the process of incorporating a few more bits and still need to finish my final painting / touchups / weathering.  

 

Lastly, I stumbled upon this nice picture of a 333 Squadron Mosquito online.  It's painted in the Coastal Command scheme of Extra Dark Sea Grey over either Sky or Medium Sea Grey (can't tell which from this B&W picture).  Note the Norwegian flag on the nose, the very dark framing on the canopy and the rough finish and multiple touch-ups around the MG ports.  Also note that this aircraft had the mesh "snowscreens" removed from the carburetor intakes.  

Norwegian Mosquito - airmen  333 Squadron .

 

That's it for now, thanks for looking. 

Edited by John1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/18/2020 at 6:18 PM, John1 said:

Still looking for reasons not to start working on the engines.   To kill more time, I did some weathering and installed the interior fittings to blank off the wing openings in the engine compartments.  Like the firewall, these are metal, finished with aluminum lacquer, so they got a coating of the AK Matt Aluminum.  After it dried, I painted the wooden sections that the cowling was secured to.  I then hit the bits with various color washes to highlight the very nice detail and add some filth. Both the wheel wells and engine compartments on combat aircraft were typically filthy.  Want a good example, open the hood of your car.  In addition to the washes, I used some dark grey pastels.  Still much more to do but I like the look so far. 

 

Sorry for the dark pictures, I was losing the light when I took them.   Note the exquisite plastic spring.   Tamiya truly has done some wonderful work here. 

IMG_1071

 

 

 

 

All that is kit supplied? Dang!!! That is fantastic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...