1/32 Tamiya Mosquito FB Mk. VI, 235 Sqdn, Overlord (Complete)

wpwar11

It really is stunning.  Forgive me if you mentioned this before but how long have you been modeling?

 

Thanks wpwar. How long? Yikes. I built my first model when I was about six and then built aircraft, armor, ships, figures pretty regularly through school. After a 37-year hiatus, I jumped back into the hobby three years ago. 

It's absolutely amazing to me how much has changed over the decades -- paint types, glues, tools, techniques, etc. With the web and communities like FSM, I learn new things all the time. 

1943Mike

Magnificent modelling!

Insanely beautiful job on that kit.

 

 

Thanks for the encouraging comments. Much appreciated. 

Tanker-Builder

Okay;

 How does such a beautiful aircraft get such a Ignominous name? I mean Mosquito? How about Work of Art? That's referring to your model of course! I have always loved the " Mossie"

 

Thanks Tanker-Builder. 

Nikola

Hi Hoss, 

That is simply master class! Amazing work man! Congrats! Brilliant details and paintwork. 

How many hours did it take you if you know?

 

Best, 

Nikola

 

Thanks Nikola. Much appreciated. I'm guessing it took ~125 hours. 

It really is stunning.  Forgive me if you mentioned this before but how long have you been modeling?

Magnificent modelling!

Insanely beautiful job on that kit.

Okay;

 How does such a beautiful aircraft get such a Ignominous name? I mean Mosquito? How about Work of Art? That's referring to your model of course! I have always loved the " Mossie"

Hi Hoss, 

That is simply master class! Amazing work man! Congrats! Brilliant details and paintwork. 

How many hours did it take you if you know?

Best, 

Nikola

Mopar Madness

Wow that is seriously nice!

 

Thanks Mopar.

Aggieman

That is fantastic work.  Your paint job is top notch, as is the weathering.

 

Thanks Aggieman 

keavdog

Magnificent!  Love the engine detail. 

 

Thanks keavdog! 

Shipwreck

Hoss WA, that is really a fine job you did on that bug. When I look at your photos the only things that might be a bit off are the invasion stripes. The grays are very well modulated, but the whites and blacks of the stripes look like they were just painted a hour ago! I might have to give you an A instead of an A+. Thanks for sharing.

 

Thanks shipwreck. I intentionally avoided weathering the invasion stripes since they would be newer than the rest of the camo. However, I agree with your point. I should have made them a little more organic. Without at least some basic weathering they are too stark. Also, for my next invasion stripes build I'm going to paint the stripes on after the camo instead of before as I did on this one. That would help give a more painted on vs a factory look.  Thanks for the feedback. 

crown r n7

fantastic job, that build must have some heft to it.

 

Thanks crown. Yes, it has so much heft I don't have a good place to display it. Tamiya actually did a great job -- the wings are held together with screws and the landing gear is very robust. 

Buckeye2

You did a superb job with an awesome kit!  Outstanding!

Mike

 

Thanks Mike

patrick206

Well, Hoss, that's just among the best examples of fine craftsmanship I've seen here at FSM. A truly excellent build, I spent quite a long time over the length of the project, just enjoying watching your efforts proceed and then turn this beauty out.

Very well done, thanks for the posts, details and photos.

Patrick 

 

Patrick, Thanks for the comments. Very much appreciated. This was a fun project and I'm glad you liked the updates and finish. Thanks again. 

Wow that is seriously nice!

That is fantastic work.  Your paint job is top notch, as is the weathering.

Magnificent!  Love the engine detail. 

jeaton01

Simply Gorgeous!

 

Thanks John

TheMongoose

Hass, Wow that looks just sublime! The paint tones and variation in combo with the weathering make a great show piece!

 

Thanks Mongoose. I put quite a bit of time into fading and shading during the main painting steps as well as weathering. I tried a few new techniques -- one being adding light and dark areas with sponges -- to add some variation to the color and texture. I also sanded and buffed each layer of paint to a smooth finish before applying the next layer. I also did not apply a general gloss coat over the entire airframe, which kept the paint layers to a minimum. I'm happy with the way it came out. 

fantastic job, that build must have some heft to it.

Well, Hoss, that's just among the best examples of fine craftsmanship I've seen here at FSM. A truly excellent build, I spent quite a long time over the length of the project, just enjoying watching your efforts proceed and then turn this beauty out.

Very well done, thanks for the posts, details and photos.

Patrick 

You did a superb job with an awesome kit!  Outstanding!

Mike

Simply Gorgeous!

Hass, Wow that looks just sublime! The paint tones and variation in combo with the weathering make a great show piece!

Happy New Year! The Mossie is now complete. Since the last update, stencils were applied to the non-invasion stripe areas, weathering to the exterior was applied and the landing gear, doors and various doodads were attached. The canopy was also cleaned up. 

The kit decals were used for the stencils and they worked well. Maketar included the crosses on the wing radiators in their mask set so I used those instead of the decals to avoid dealing with the large film area. The masks actually worked perfectly. I only applied gloss clear to areas receiving the decals. 

For the panel lines, I used a fine pencil for the underside and heavily thinned Tamiya X-18 black as a pin wash for the topside. Panel lines are sparse on the wooden wonder. 

A thinned Tamiya Red Brown and Flat Black mix was airbrushed onto panel lines and in the engine and exhaust areas.  Photos show major exhaust grubbiness and I tried to replicate the effect. The engine areas received an extra treatment of oil and exhaust stains by brush. Chipping and scratches on metal areas were applied with colored pencils. Alclad Matte was the final flat coat. 

As for final thoughts on the Mosquito, it's an impressive plane and looks great in the Coastal Command livery. Speed, firepower and payload are certainly on display when looking at the completed beast. 

Regarding the kit, Tamiya simply did a fantastic job. Everything is out of the box except a few decals and the masks for the markings. The engineering of the various assemblies is thoughtful and precise. One weak area in my view is that the fit of the snap-on and magnetic engine covers is a bit sketchy. I was not able to get them perfectly oriented without them falling off or shifting position. You'll see some gaps in the photos. It's not an issue of course for those that want to display both engines.

It's definitely the best engineered and most-detailed kit I've attempted and I'm very happy with how it came out. It was by far the longest build I've done and I'm ready to return to 1/48 scale for a while. 

Enjoy the photos!

KrisYYC

Amazing detail and realism!

 

Thanks Kris.