1/48 Dehavilland Mosquito Pr.IV.
This is the well known Tamiya kit which I acquired at a swap meet for $15 USC a few years back. Another long term stash dweller who’s day on the bench finally came. There’s not much to say about this kit that hasn’t been heard by guys like us who frequent this site. It’s simply a great model. That said, I managed to create difficulties for myself with the clear parts. I Futured all of the transparencies with the idea that this would enable more of the nice interior to be seen underneath that heavily framed canopy. What I achieved by doing this was to screw up the fit of said parts. They were all really tight, on top of being a challenge to mask properly. An Eduard mask set helped with the later problem but I still needed to lightly sand the edges of the clear windows to get a decent fit. It’s not a contest winner, but it’s done. I also realized that this is only the second Mosquito that I’ve built in 53 years of modeling. I guess I’m more of a Beaufighter guy…..
I built it pretty much out of the box with the exception of the addition of some Eduard seat belts. The PRU blue is Xtracolor and everything else is painted with Humbrol enamels. Decals are from the kit and went on well using fairly hot water.
8 additional images. Click to enlarge.
Spiros Pendedekas said on June 10, 2022
A wonderful Mosquito, John!
Indeed, Future is great stuff but can a times cause more trouble than help. Everything looked great at the end, though. Love the PRU shade.
John Healy said on June 10, 2022
Thanks, Spiros. It is a great color.
Marcus Vinicius Teixeira Borges said on June 10, 2022
Very nice John,liked a lot.
John Healy said on June 10, 2022
Thanks, Marcus!
Tom Cleaver said on June 11, 2022
Nice result. Hard to go wrong with a Tamiya Mosquito.
John Healy said on June 11, 2022
Thanks, Tom. It got me interested in Mosquitoes. I have the Airfix 1/72 B.XVI but need to get back to the Vengeance first.
Bob Torres said on June 11, 2022
Great looking Mosquito, I really like the PRU Blue scheme. Great job on the whole build.
John Healy said on June 11, 2022
Thanks, Bob. That blue looks good on anything!
Eric Berg said on June 11, 2022
Nice and clean looking John. Tamiya’s Mosquito is a terrific kit. You nailed it.
John Healy said on June 11, 2022
Thanks, Eric! It’s such a good kit that it defeated my attempt to ruin it.
John vd Biggelaar said on June 11, 2022
Great Mosquito, John @j-healy
A pity about the future but in the end all looks nice.
Really like the way you present it with the opened bay and pilot entry doors.
John Healy said on June 11, 2022
Thanks, John. It has an interesting bomb bay and camera arrangement. Worth opening up.
Jim Altergott said on June 11, 2022
Another great build John. I have always admired your skill in cleanly and precisely installing the fine detail parts on aircraft. Something I struggle with and which can turn an otherwise nice model into something less than that. The problems you described with the clear parts doesn't look obvious to me in your photos. On the contrary, I think they look great! Well done my "right learned friend" 😀👍
John Healy said on June 11, 2022
Thanks, Jim!
Lis said on June 11, 2022
very good looking Mosquito! Nice color! What brand of paint did you use to paint Mosquito in PRU Blue?
John Healy said on June 11, 2022
Thanks, Lis. World’s Greatest Model Paint - Xtracolor enamel!
Colin Gomez said on June 11, 2022
Looks great, John. The PR blue-gray makes the Mosquito look sleek and dolphin-like. Tamiya kits have a reputation for ease of build but, like you, I had challenges with the canopy fit and framing. I solved this by using strips of decal, airbrushed in bigger pieces and cut to fit. They adhered well to the original painted frames and straightened up all the edges. Working with acrylics, I often find that the paint on the frames can flake off at the edges when masks are removed. Your framing looks good, given the challenges, so it doesn't need improvement. I include a pic for others who face challenges with the kit.
John Healy said on June 11, 2022
Thanks, Colin! Mr. Eduard will be helping me on my next Mosquito(Airfix 1/72) canopy again😂.
gary sausmikat said on June 11, 2022
Nice job, John.
John Healy said on June 12, 2022
Thanks, Gary!
George R Blair Jr said on June 11, 2022
I think it looks great, John (@j-healy). Mosquitos always look awesome, especially in PRU Blue.
John Healy said on June 12, 2022
Thanks, George!
Dan Lee said on June 11, 2022
Very nice Mossie. Wonderful kit too.
John Healy said on June 12, 2022
Thanks, Dan!
Louis Gardner said on June 12, 2022
John,
You have done a wonderful job with her ! Your Mossie looks incredibly sleek. Two thumbs up and I was sure to check the "like" button. 🙂
John Healy said on June 15, 2022
Thanks, Louis!
Greg Kittinger said on June 13, 2022
Lovely build - well done!
John Healy said on June 15, 2022
Thanks, Greg!