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

The main painting and large markings are now complete. All the paints for this stage were MRP.

I tried a different sequence for the stripes, masks and main painting. I started with MRP primer, which worked fine. Then I painted the white areas for the invasion stripes and markings. The markings were next using Maketar masks, which have worked well so far. After masking the markings and the white stripes, I painted the black stripes and masked them. 

Sky on the underside was next followed by Extra Dark Sea Grey on the top, including all the miles of masking tape used for this big bird. I faded and shaded the main colors to show some variation across the large surfaces and left the metal panels slightly lighter than the wood surfaces for a little subtle contrast. 

After removing the masks I found the inevitable touch up areas, including a couple of spots on the fin flash where the paint lifted when the masks were removed. 

Minor markings and weathering are next. 

tempestjohnny

Absolute museum quality work

 

Thanks Tempest. Much appreciated. 

lawdog114

Incredible work Hoss.  Work of art.  It's my understanding you use Flory for your washes.  It's quite convincing.

 

Thanks Lawdog. Very much appreciated. Yes, I'm pretty happy with Flory washes -- so much so that I'm haven't found a reason to try anything else at this point. 

DRUMS01

You are presenting an exceptional build with great modeling skills and photos.

Keep up the wonderful work....

 

Ben

 

Thanks Ben. I'm making slow progress. 

crown r n7

Beautiful work on those little details does that kit have removable access panels held with magnets ?

 

Thanks Crown. Yes, the kit has removeable panels for the engines and the nose MG's. The fit is pretty good. I'm painting the panels separately to avoid paint getting in the gaps between the panels since I have one of the engines detailed. 

Incredible work Hoss.  Work of art.  It's my understanding you use Flory for your washes.  It's quite convincing.

You are presenting an exceptional build with great modeling skills and photos.

Keep up the wonderful work....

Ben

Beautiful work on those little details does that kit have removable access panels held with magnets ?

Mopar Madness

Man Hoss, that is just too awesome!

 

Thanks Mopar! 

Xraylizard

Could not have learned more about this plane if I saw it in real life !!

 

Thanks Xray. In fact it's my first Mosquito build so it's a learning experience for me too.  

Man Hoss, that is just too awesome!

Could not have learned more about this plane if I saw it in real life !!

The 20mm Hispano cannons and the bomb handling racks are now complete. Tamiya did a nice bit of engineering on the cannon unit. All OOB for this step with no issues. The fixtures on the cannon barrels are alignment jigs to hold position while the glue dries. 

Here's the cannon and bomb bay with the goodies installed. I've opted to not mount the bombs since they would obscure the nice detail. 

Most of the heavy lifting is now complete. Next is getting the big beast ready for main painting. 

jeaton01

It's going to be a shame to put the Merlin oil stains on that fine work!

 

So true! Thanks. 

Also known as Rob

That's looking really good.

 

Thanks Rob. 

Tanker-Builder

OHMIGAWD!!

 That is so perfect! Love the detail,but where would I put it? Oh Man,You are good. Luv Your work!

 

Thanks Tanker-Builder! 

It's going to be a shame to put the Merlin oil stains on that fine work!

OHMIGAWD!!

 That is so perfect! Love the detail,but where would I put it? Oh Man,You are good. Luv Your work!

The wings, fuel tanks and landing gear are now complete. No issues at all during these steps as the fit is perfect and the engineering is superb. I'm really starting to wonder where I'm going to display this beast...

The wings are actually mated to the main spar section with eight screws. 

The gear on the "shelf" behind the pilot and navigator seats is nicely detailed. 

Here's the engine that will be displayed with covers removed.  

The PE radiator and frame detail is superb. 

Nice detail on the fuel tanks, which will be tough to see once the cannons and bombs are added. 

Jigs hold the landing gear together. I'll hold off on installing until after main painting is complete. 

Integrating the wings and fuselage is next, followed by the cannons and bombs. 

TheMongoose

Ohh just awesome. The detail you described on the exhaust really comes across superb. Worth every hour you invested. 

 

Thanks Mongoose. 

lawdog114

Your attention to detail is quite impressive.  That cockpit is one ofthe best I've ever seen.  I look forward to the rest. 

 

Thanks Lawdog. Much appreciated. 

Ohh just awesome. The detail you described on the exhaust really comes across superb. Worth every hour you invested. 

Your attention to detail is quite impressive.  That cockpit is one ofthe best I've ever seen.  I look forward to the rest. 

nearsightedjohn

Really like the look of those exhaust manifolds - what paint(s) did you use to create that look of a slight start of corrosion? I've had some luck airbrushing a light spray of Tamiya Red-Brown XF-64 over flat black.

Thanks for sharing your excellent build in progress, looking forward to seeing this big boy come together!

 

Thanks John. Much appreciated. I used Mission Model paints this time but I think Tamiya would have been fine also. 

I tried a different technique this time. I started with a gray primer, then painted the entire manifold dunkelgelb - a light tan. Then I mixed black, red brown, and "burnt metal" (a translucent gray-brown metallic) and applied the mix, avoiding the tips and feathering it across the manifold. I then applied each individual color in random spots and patches to create variation. I applied a light gray very thinly to the exhaust tips, except the front ones, to reflect the flow of exhaust gases over the manifold. Finally, I painted some random sharper lines with a very thin black-brown mix. 

wpwar11

Your killing it.  This is great work for sure.

 

Thanks wpwar!

Xraylizard

Fantastic craftsmanship !

 

Thanks Xray!

Mighty fine engines 

Those Merlins are so detailed!  Excellent finish.