**FINISHED** Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

[moon puppy]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

Well that's very handy, staging WIP shelf. I tend to get two kits, cause I generally screw up the first one so bad...well.

 

[Scrodes]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

I build them simultaneously so that they're both equally buggered.



If you're interested, the plans for the shelving unit is in that thread. It's an Ana White project.

 

[moon puppy]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

Thanks, might be a nice project for the weekend.

 

[Scrodes]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

Well kids, the end is in sight. We're all filled, sanded, primed and ready for paint.

I chose not to prime the whole damn thing for a number of reasons.

I was going down my checklist of things to finish off, and I went to assemble the crew access door (okay, I went to paint it - forgetting I had already painted it). The damn thing had NINE ejector pin markings on it - it's barely bigger than a quarter!

I finally built my own powered ejector pin sanding tool and posted a write up of the process here to tackle this problem. This kit has so many of these it's almost offensive.


Here's the door for reference;

Disks were punched to fill the holes (yes they're deep enough) then they were sanded down, primed, sanded, primed, sanded until you couldn't see them anymore.

I used Alclad filling primer because Mr. Surfacer is a pain to get here in Canada. It works okay and is already thinned for airbrushing, but I wouldn't rant over it the way people do about Mr. Surfacer, so I'm sure I'm missing out.

All of the seams were sprayed and checked, some were puttied again.....and again. Now we're ready for paint. Literally waiting for it to come in.


Remember this?

And then this;

Well, now...(gun cover just sticky tacked on - this is my masking technique)

Crew access hatch, this took hours to get sanded out;

Some spots still need a little work. The wingtip fit was terrible to begin with. I'm surprised it came out this well.

Forgive the mess

 

[ij001]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

It's like you're having to beat-it-into-submission at every stage of the build !!. You must be looking forward to the relative 'serenity' of applying the paint.

Ian

 

[Scrodes]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

Quite the opposite - I'm worried I'll fall asleep and smash it with my head because there's so much paint to put down. It's going to be downright mindless.

I am looking forward to a new project though.

I'm not looking forward to figuring out how to ship this thing to Florida. :hmmm

 

[moon puppy]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

More I see of these really big builds, more I want to avoid them. They may get attention at the shows but they sure are work. Here's some sanding :zen

 

[chukw]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

The really tricky part is training the hamster to fly it.

 

[lupanzer]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

Amazing build

Luiz

 

[Barney]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

Just found this...

Absolutely unbelievable... I second what MP said... the more I see these monsters the more I am determined NOT to attempt one... I don't have the skills or the time.

 

[Scrodes]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

Thanks a lot guys - your compliments are what keeps me going some days.

Just found this...

the more I see these monsters the more I am determined NOT to attempt one... I don't have the skills or the time.

The trick there is that once you've spent the coin on a kit of this size you'll be determined to finish it. Your determination will drive you to do things you wouldn't have dreamt of doing before and you'll learn new skills. This is a commission build so I couldn't stop, nor could I switch to any other model - hell I haven't even opened my Airfix Typhoons (I'm a sucker for punishment)

The really tricky part is training the hamster to fly it.

That's the easy part - the tricky part is teaching a second one to navigate. :frantic

 

[Barney]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

Ah, but I would never spend $200+ on a kit... and if the wifey did, I'd kill her!

 

[phantom II]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

Quite the opposite - I'm worried I'll fall asleep and smash it with my head because there's so much paint to put down. It's going to be downright mindless.

I am looking forward to a new project though.

I'm not looking forward to figuring out how to ship this thing to Florida. :hmmm

It would be a lot more practical to ship without the props or wings installed for sure :hmmm

Excellent build Cheers, Christian B)

 

[moon puppy]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

Ah, but I would never spend $200+ on a kit... and if the wifey did, I'd kill her!

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

LOL!! I amlucky these days in that I don't have a "War Dept" (wife). :smack

Thus my spending is my own business. Have a B-17 kit in the stash that even I don't really want to know how much I have $ wise in that box. ( yeah it's THAT B-17 kit with every bit of Eduard crapola that they make) Only reason it is still in the box is all of my skills are not yet up to the build, plus I will need to make a coffee table. :S

 

[Scrodes]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

It would be a lot more practical to ship without the props or wings installed for sure :hmmm

Excellent build Cheers, Christian B)

Ahh, I guess I forgot to explain that on this forum - I did on Aeroscale, I was going to build it with the wing off and ship it that way, but because of the fact that the fuselage can't be built and neither can the bomb bay I had to attach the wings - then when I dry fitted the wings, the fit was so horrible, I HAD to glue it because it needed filling and sanding and I wouldn't want to make my customer do that on his end - because he'd have to match my paint in colour and technique. If the wings were two separate wings instead of a one piece top, I would have.

 

[phantom II]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

It would be a lot more practical to ship without the props or wings installed for sure :hmmm

Excellent build Cheers, Christian B)

Ahh, I guess I forgot to explain that on this forum - I did on Aeroscale, I was going to build it with the wing off and ship it that way, but because of the fact that the fuselage can't be built and neither can the bomb bay I had to attach the wings - then when I dry fitted the wings, the fit was so horrible, I HAD to glue it because it needed filling and sanding and I wouldn't want to make my customer do that on his end - because he'd have to match my paint in colour and technique. If the wings were two separate wings instead of a one piece top, I would have.

I understand that problem

I have shipped entire collections of 1/72 back and forth across the pond more than once but that is a very different animal .

Cheers, Christian B)

 

[Scrodes]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

After rounds and rounds of shimming, trimming, filling, sanding, priming and repeating, it's finally time....

for paint......a lot of paint.

I forgot how much I hate masking canopies, we've been spoiled by die cut masks.

It's interesting to note that Airfix is the first manufacturer to correctly depict the Mosquito's canopy. It's actually a tube frame cage with heated perspex bent overtop. The few portions of frame are where one sheet of perspex was joined with another. The Mosquito's canopy was built in one piece and installed as a cap onto the already completed airframe.

I'm really impressed with how Airfix modelled this.

 

[moon puppy]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log



Mighty pretty up on her legs now.

A little late now you got it masked but have you ever tried cutting painted decal paper for the frames?

 

[Scrodes]

Airfix 1/24 Mosquito build log

Sorry, I guess I didn't articulate myself properly - there's no need to with this kit - it actually has the tube frame moulded as a separate part! The Tamiya 48th scale kit provides you with decals for those frames, but they're a really weird colour that was nowhere near RAF interior green.