In mid-February TMN was fortunate enough to receive a parcel
in the mail from our good friends at HK Models. We eagerly opened the plain
cardboard box and within found the assorted sprues for the latest test shot of
HK’s upcoming 1/32 Mosquito. Adam looked at me and said “So do you want to
build it ?”
Mosquito Mk. IV
HK Models
1/32nd scale
Release date: April/ May 2015
Test shot build Part I
Full kit Review
Pt II of the build
Pt III of the build
Pt IV of the Build
HK Models
1/32nd scale
Release date: April/ May 2015
Test shot build Part I
Full kit Review
Pt II of the build
Pt III of the build
Pt IV of the Build
We thought about the best way to share the details about
what this kit contained (bearing in mind it is a pre-release set of sprues) and
quickly decided that basic photos of sprues would just not cut it. We needed to
build it to really share with you what the kit was like. So rather than make
you wait to get it all in one big bang it’s my intention to do small updates on
a regular basis as the build progresses.
With that in mind, today we present the first part of the
build, which focuses on the general engineering of the kit and then dives
(pretty deeply) into the cockpit. I want to say upfront that this is a PRE-RELEASE set of
sprues I am working with and can (and most likely will) change before the kit is
released for general sale.
From what we know the first boxing of the HK Mosquito will
allow you to build the early Mk IV Bomber and PR variants.
The kit as supplied to us comes with the Series II nacelles
and single stage merlin engines. HK have said repeatedly on their Facebook page
that they are working on parts for the two stage merlin and I’d expect those to
be provided in a future second boxing. I have not specifically seen any mention
of a FB version but that seems logical also.
I’d like to start off by saying I am not a Mosquito expert.
Like most of you I get what reference material I can from the internet and
books/magazine I have on hand. I usually don’t go too overboard when it comes
to detailing my usual 1/48 scale kits but I feel that 1/32 lends itself to
(almost demands) an extra level of detail which can be appreciated with the
naked eye in the larger size this scale affords.
Like most of us, I too have read much about the new moulding
technologies that HK are using to greatly simplify the fuselage and wing into
single piece moulds and having now seen and worked with them first-hand they
certainly offer many benefits (and perhaps some drawbacks, but more on that
later).
Based on my progress so far I’d say the general fit of the
parts is very good with very little trimming or adjusting needed. The moulding
is on par with HK’s previous kits such as the B-17. Shortly after our box of
sprues arrived we also got some preliminary assembly instructions in PDF form
which I am using during this build. We have yet to see the final decal or paint
schemes to be offered.
As you would expect construction starts with the interior.
Because HK have moulded the nose in a single piece they have needed to devise a
way to assemble the interior as a standalone module which can then be inserted,
when complete, into the single piece nose section. (Below are the test shot
instructions which are again not the final ones you get in the retail kit – but
close to it.)
Here we see the interior “module” dry fitted with tape. Note
the alignment channels on the side walls that ensure you will not have any
fitment issues when mating this with the nose section.
At this point I had not consulted any photos of the real
aircraft but was already feeling that the interior detail looked a bit sparse
for 1/32, and that it would therefore benefit from some additions. I want to
point at that I’ve yet to find any detail that I would consider inaccurate (ie
needed correcting).
The floor of the cockpit forms the roof of the bomb bay,
much like the real aircraft. I’ve yet to compare the detail in the bomb bay to
photos (more on that later on in the build) but it does look quite busy and
once painted up may be more than adequate.
Construction started with the pilot seat. I’ve never really
liked moulded on seat cushions as it seems virtually impossible for any
manufacturer to reproduce the look of the cloth/leather realistically. Removing
the seat pan cushion was achieved by discarding part T37 and building the seat
pan frame using some plasticard. The seat back cushion was a bit more of a
challenge as it is hollow and this results in a large cut-out on the back of
the seat. This needs to be dealt with as it will be very visible on the
finished model.
The single piece moulding for the seat back and cushion
means you need to either fill the hole on the rear like I have done or cover it
over. I think it would have been better if HK had melded the seat and cushion
in two separate parts rather than one in this case.
During my initial dry fitting I also noticed a number of
other things I added to my fix list. I noticed that the sidewalls of the
interior module did not extend all the way to the front of the nose and the
rear of the cockpit. This results in a noticeable step where the module parts
end and also means that any attempt to run wiring or cabling along the
sidewalls would be a challenge (if not impossible). I needed to find a way to
solve this so I put my thinking cap on.
Much like the cushion on the pilot’s seat, the navigator’s
seat is moulded in the same way, as a single piece. This time both the seat and
backrest cushion are affected. The seat cushion has been moulded onto the shelf
on which it sits. The underside of this part forms the top of the bomb bay. As
a result, the cut-out left by the cushion results in a large visible hole that
has to be dealt with in the bomb bay roof.
Here we can see the partially assembled cockpit as seen from
below. The cushion cut-out is very noticeable on the horizontal part. Also
notice the small square cut-out on the vertical wall caused by another moulded
on part in the cockpit. As before with the pilot seat, perhaps a better option
for HK was to mould the seat cushion(s) separately so they did not compromise
the parts they attach to.
My solution was to fill the hole with plasticard and replace
the missing detail on the bomb bay roof. It’s possible that this will be
addressed on the final release parts.
One last example of how the one piece seat cushions are not
ideal is on the navigator’s backrest.
Here I have added a back plate to both the radio
transmitter/receiver components and discarded the navigator’s armoured backrest
in favour of some 20 thou card. I have also removed the seat cushion and
repaired the hole with card. The R1155 radio receiver module has been raised up
on a scratch-built rack as this better matched photos and drawings I was able to
find of the normal configuration in wartime Mosquitos.
The instrument panel is quite nicely done when viewed from
the front. I would assume that HK will provide us with some decals for the
instrument dial faces. From the rear it lacks any instrument body detail or
cabling and so I added a few short lengths of plastic rod and some wiring from
0.3mm lead solder. The rudder pedals are also moulded in one piece with the
bottom of the instrument panel.
At this point I needed to figure out what I was going to do
about the sidewalls. My first idea was to use plasticard to extend the
sidewalls (parts M20 and M21) and you can see here I started down that path by
laminating some 20 thou card on the back of the right sidewall. This bit was
easy enough but the curves of the nose gave me a moment of pause and I wondered
if there was perhaps an easier way.
Decision time: After much thought and consideration I concluded
that the easiest way for me to get proper access to the full length of the
cockpit interior sidewalls so I could detail them was to cut open that
wonderful single piece nose. It seemed like a shame and some people would never
dream of doing this to a kit, but I decided that it was not that big of a job
when you consider it’s only four cuts (and then the subsequent seams to
re-join). The Mosquito has virtually no panel lines to be lost by cutting and
so my mind was made up. I measured carefully (and then measured again) and used
a 10 thou PE saw blade to cut along the centreline. Pactra vinyl tape was used
as a guide to ensure no slipups.
With the nose now separated, detailing the cockpit could
continue much more like a normal model. I realise it may seem odd to
essentially un-assemble something the kit maker has so carefully engineered,
but to me this hobby is about problem solving and the way the nose was moulded
was not working for me. Others may think I am crazy and perhaps there is a
better way, but for me this was the best solution.
The first task in improving the sidewalls was to remove the
step between the module sidewall and the fuselage. For this I tried something
new for me, Tamiya Epoxy Putty. This worked much as I expected and I finished
off the blending with plain old Tamiya Basic Putty. Using several sources of
reference I set about adding bits and pieces here and there.
The final result was actually considerably more than I have
originally planned. I was enjoying the detailing work so much that I just kept
adding things. There is always more you can add but once I got to this point I
decided enough was enough.
The port sidewall took a little less time than the starboard
but essentially I just looked at pictures and drawings and manufactured each
part I needed from copper wire, lead solder, some brass rod and lots of
plasticard. I also decided I wanted to move the instrument panel rearwards
(closer to the pilot) by about 10mm which meant the compass also needed to be
relocated.
With the sidewalls detailed up I returned my attention to
the floor and rear shelf. Magic-sculpt was used to create new cushions for the
navigators set and backrest and detailing was added to the R1154/T1155 radio
components mostly using my punch sets (round and hexagonal).
Wiring looms were added to give some visual detail to the
rear cockpit bench. Several sizes of lead solder was used to give some variety.
With most of the detailing complete I was of course curious
to see what it looked like when assembled. It’s the age old modeller’s dilemma,
why put effort into something you won’t really see on the finished model? My
take on this is that whilst you may not be able to see the specific detail of
everything that’s been added, it’s the cumulative effect that having all of it
“being there” that adds a “busy” feel to the cockpit and hence life to the
model, at least I think so.
I realize that most people will not want go this far with
their build. That is fine as there are many schools of thought, and opening it
up this way will not be for everyone. I like to challenge myself on each new
build and in this case I saw a good chance to try out some new scratch-building techniques. It’s a bit old school I guess using just plasticard, putty and wire
and a little bit of elbow grease, but it is rewarding and you get a real sense
achievement, more so that using resin that someone else has created.
So that’s where it’s at for the moment. Next step will be to
start applying paint and then move on and see what else this model has in store
for us. Stay tuned for more updates.
My very sincere thanks to HK for supplying us with a test
shot, it’s really quite exciting getting early access to a model like this, in
that respect I’m very much a noob. I almost feel like Indiana Jones “giddy as a
schoolboy”
Gary Wickham
The new 1/32nd scale Mosquito MKIV kit will be
available worldwide by the end of April 2015 from HK
Models Distributors worldwide.
