Tamiya's Masterpiece - Their 1/32 scale Mosquito

[BarryW]

I made a start on the cockpit last night. There really is very little clean up on the parts. Even the mold seam is barely imperceptible and takes just a light wipe with a sanding stick to remove. The kit is engineered to help you with the build. Location pegs of different shapes to avoid fitting a piece the wrong way around is just one minor thing they do.

You do have to be careful about planning ahead for painting given the detail and number of smal parts. It is also clear that I will be using more decals than I thought thanks to a lot of internal placards being included.

Here are a couple of shots of where I am at.

[Jim R]

Hi Barry
Good to see this started. Sounds as if you are already impressed with the kit quality. Amazing detail on large scale planes compared to the 1/72 I have done.
Jim

[RM6239]

Barry
I'll pull up a pew if you don't mind.

cheers
Ross

[papa 695]

I’m in watching this one too Barry, and a nice start.

[BarryW]

Managed a couple of hours this morning as the Missus is not around!!!

More sub assemblies done for the pit ready to paint.




I will spray a black primer with a view to completing up to this stage, minus the pilots of course, as I do not want them to obscure the superb detail.


I will make a start on the machine gun fitting while waiting for parts to dry.

[stona]

Great start Barry.

I've been eyeing one of these up for a while, but an upcoming tour means I haven't taken the plunge. I will definitely be following yours and may take that plunge when I finish in the autumn. It'll probably cost more than 200 quid by then!

Cheers

Steve

[BarryW]

A few more progress shots:

Interior green sprayed


Machine gun assemblies completed ready to fit.


Some detail added in the cockpit area.


I.P. Under way. Tamiya have the best method of doing this I have ever seen.

p.e. panel fronts painted black glued to transparency. The decals are reverse printed and are applied to the back of the ip so the dials can be viewed from the front. I have just painted the p.e. and glued it to the transparencies. The decals will be done later.

[prichrd1]

Barry,
Looking good so far, looks like a very detailed kit. :thumb2::thumb2:
What do you hold the parts to the "lollipop" sticks with?

Paul.
:smiling2:

[BarryW]

I use some double sided tape though sometimes white tac Paul.

[Guest]

Watching with interest.
1/32 is beyond my storage capabilities, but have always fancied a spitfire at this scale. Hope for some tips!

[Allen Dewire]

Evening Barry,

I'm not a wing thingy builder, but the Mossie was/is one of my favorite planes when I was growing up. Maybe it had to do with the film "633 Squadron", I don't know. I'll be following your build if i may and enjoying the hell out of it. I just wish I had €185,00 to get my own kit. Have fun Sir!!!

Prost
Allen

[BarryW]

Thanks everyone.

Progress is quite rapid thanks to the minimal part clean-up and the fact that this kit is just so compelling... As my missus was away I was able to just keep returning to it on Sunday... She is back now so progress will slow down a bit.... Anyway tonight I will start some detail painting on the interior and I have a couple more progress shots.

I joined the front of the fuselage to the rear and this really underlines the thoughtful engineering of this kit.


You can see the large location pins to make sure that parts is perfectly located with a lot of 'join area'. Some thin cement applied to the join on the inside and when you turn the parts over...

You cannot even tell that it was two parts in the first place!

Next up some lights and before location the fittings into the fuselage I use my chrome pens on the reflectors.

The photo does not show this very well, but the chrome pens really do give a great shiny chrome look. I will next use transparent paint, of the correct shades, on the inside of the transparencies then with Gator Glue fix them into the light fittings. The Montex mask set includes a full set of masks for transparencies including these lights which is handy as the supplied Tamiya ones need cutting out, not the easiest of tasks.

Detail painting tonight. More pics tomorrow.

[Neil Merryweather]

Ooh Barry , this is utterly drool-inducing!
Like others the cost is scary for me, but there is always the argument of buying it while I am still in work, ready for retirement.
I'm talking myself into it......
And how on earth do you keep such a tidy bench???
watching avidly
Neil

[BarryW]

Hi Neil.

For me it is about value not cost and it is about the 'build experience'. I would rate this kit as far better value than the old Revell Mossie that is a third of the cost. You can really take your time and enjoy the build and in a £/hour it is far cheaper than the same cost of say a premier league football match.

I would prefer to build a smaller number of high quality kits than a larger number of cheap kits. These Tamiyas may seem expensive when you just look at the price, but that really is only part of the story. I have seen people who think nothing about spending out on a.m. parts for cheap kits and end up spending more than they would on a more expensive kit for which little or no a.m. is needed.....

But then there are people who enjoy the challenge of carving, filling and sanding an otherwise poor kit into shape, not for me, all to their own I suppose.

[papa 695]

Very nice work Barry, and I agree with what you say.