Airfix have come a log way over the years and recently really seems to have gone all out to make building and finishing the kits simpler to give satisfaction and confidence to progress to more ambitious projects. Bravo on your honest precise instructions and tips
Part of this is that their designers know about modelling from our end of the process - Paramjit especially is a keen model maker so knows the frustrations we can have and can think of ways round them. His work on the new 1/48th Buccaneer is world class IMHO.
What a great little kit . Airfix have certainly upped their game since I built a 1/72 mosquito back in the mid 1970's . Nicely filmed and presented Too , And extra marks for the steady hands . lol
@@primprim1660 It is the good ol' English superiority complex at work... Instead of being happy that all those non British modellers bother to do reviews in English. Such a luxury!
I still remember building the Airfix Mosquito in the very early seventies, I guess it must have been their first tooling. The cockpit was one big open hole and the pilots who looked like tiny frogs sat on pegs jutting out from the fuselage inside wall...lol. And then came the second tooling which was a vast improvement, but still nothing like this. Memories...lol
Indeed! This is an excellent vid! Not just for new modellers. It is a very useful relearning and revision experience for us, the older modellers! Thanks!
You said this kit was 'up to Airfix's usual standard,' but actually I think this might be one of their best aircraft kits. A lot of thought went into the design of this kit, and the CAD instructions are extremely well-done. I have the Airfix Mustang, Tempest V, Typhoon Ib and Spitfire Mk 1, I think this kit is superior to all of those.
The only thing really wrong is the design of the rear of the bomb bay, which is for a TT.35 not a B.XVI. But it does go together well and the PR version is similarly a lovely little kit.
Another good video, very nice result! I've got this on next year's "to buy" list - I must have built 4 or 5 Airfix Mossies as a lad, and was very pleased to see they were updating it. Your video has just made sure it doesn't get removed from the list!
Thanks Ian - I'm convinced that Airfix now have engineers who are experience modellers as they are finding good fixes to perennial problems! Have fun when you get your kit and let me know how it goes! Cheers, Gary
That’s a really well engineered model of a beautiful aircraft, and gorgeously built up. Well done and thanks for the video. One of the few models I’m really excited to get my hands on… and I usually build modern aircraft only
Cheers Persian, it is a very well designed kit all round, apart from a small issue with the fairing behind the bomb bay. The way you use the wing as a form for the undercarriage is very fine.
This is great! A very to-the-point review and explanation. It's a nice looking kit. Surprising amount of parts for 1/72 scale. I've run into weird pilot sizes in this scale on other airfix kits....Spitfire and tiger moth pilots were completly different sizes. Please keep doing these review/build videos. You do it much better than most.
Thanks for your kind remarks Rob! I remember getting a Harrier kit with a very obviously WW2 pilot figure. I’ve got plenty more planned - the Prone Meteor, maybe the Airfix B-17 re-box, of course the 1/48 Vampire when it arrives, and others. Cheers, Gary
A great find. Grabbed this kit today and am so looking forward to building it. Have to finish my English Electric Lightning first though 😁. Some great tips here. Off to see what other videos you have.
It's been many, many years since I built a model plane, and I just can't over the amount of detail in today's kits. When I was a kid, the cockpit detail would likely have consisted of two pegs onto which you could glue the aircrew. Open bomb bay? Forget it! Wings that actually fit to the fuselage without large gaps? Are you kidding? I was bit shocked at how prices had increased when I took a casual glance at a few planes I knew in a hobby store, but seeing how they have changed, it's small wonder. Thanks for your presentation. I appreciate that you're not one who finds "the wing lights scale out at 14 inches whereas our aircraft had the Bingley-Fansnworth 13-inch lights fitted, therefore a new wing panel with correctly-size hole must be cut into the wing..." I think you made a very presentable model from a very impressive kit.
Thanks! I made an old Frog kit of the Supermarine Attacker a couple of years back - the pilot was part of the fuselage moulding and jutted out of a blanked off cockpit. Things these days are so much better. The pilot in this kit just looked tiny. I also wonder why just the one crew member - things like the F-4 come with pilot and nav, why not the Mossie especially when both are shown on the box art? Not a big issue, I know, but just niggles me. BTW weren’t the Bingley-Farnsworths 13.47 inches 😜??? Thanks for taking the time to comment, hope you enjoy the upcoming videos! Gary
Thanks for the information on the build, I found a resin pilot and navigator standing online, and I also found an Airfix Bedford and Matador refuler set. I'm told they are 1/76 scale, but the size of figurines in the kit match the resin pilots.
As others, I build the old mould in early '70s, was the "gunship" version with the 57mm gun, naturally it wasn't a match for this new, beautiful model. This kit it's really good, expecially for these plastic masks, a clever idea.
SOME FOLKS on you tube have pointed out some errors in this kit showing how it's not the aircraft mark(s) it's boxed up as . The suggestion is it's a post war B Mk35 as the basic configuration which makes its portrayal as a late war bomber model somewhat bogus and even, compromised. (Happy to be corrected). A great watch as always though.
I believe it's the shape of the fairing behind the bomb bay - it has cut-outs here that are for target towing equipment I understand. One of the perils of 3D scanning and trusting that what you scan is what you actually want. Having conversed with the researcher, Luke, in the last few days about the Spitfire FR.IX I'm building, I'm confident such an error wouldn't get past Airfix again!
Nice idea to advise modellers to use unused parts as masks. e.g. as shown if you're planning to put the undercarriage down, use the closed doors for the raised undercarriage to mask the inside of the bay. I doubt that part was specifically made as a mask, but nice to see the instructions suggest using it as one.
In this kit it was made as a mask specifically - which is what was a surprise to me. But you are right, on other kits I've used closed gear and/or bomb bay doors as masks for spraying.
Hi Gary, just come across your channel. Glad I have. Great stuff.. when I eventually get back to videos etc I'll get a few shout outs for you. Your work is great and a talent like that needs to be shared. Hope your family and yourself are all OK and healthy. Stay safe. Steve
Great build.... Did the Tamiya version some time ago real joy to build, but do like the bomb bay detail of the Airfix version, think read though some inaccuracies though if your extremely fussy. Think it's a must have for the stash this Airfix version.😁
The rear of the bomb bay is a bit of a pain, the fairing behind the 'bulge' is wrong, but doesn't make any difference to the actual build IMHO. I'm sure there are correction sets in resin available if anyone wants them!
Wonderful concise review and build for all abilities. Obviously not going to do a version of pilot 'Pick' Pickard whose large build caused him to remark he would 'strap on a Mosquito', when occupying the pilots seat.
"Thanks" for sharing this with us, I was hoping for someone to a build on it and you nailed it on things to look out for. Keep up the GREAT work, looks like I will be getting a number of these.
You have done a excellent job and your presentation was also excellent, you alson have another subscrber, take care and keep safe and well in this crazy covid world, best regards from a Kiwi living in Australia.
Lovely work, Gary. What a superb kit Airfix have presented here! An iconic aircraft - the theme to the film “633 Squadron” is in mind..! Question: what airbrush would you recommend for a newbie user, more used to brush painting models? Really enjoying all your vids, but can you do some modern British armour, please…? I know you are not an armour modeller, particularly, but I’m sure you can turn your talents to a Centurian or a Chieftain…! Best wishes from Wirral.
I use a simple Timbertech airbrush, with a proper compressor instead of one of those little desktop things. If you go to my Amazon page you'll see it there... amzn.to/3AK9wQu It's about 80 quid or so I think. I've had mine a couple of years and it's still going. One thing I will suggest is making sure you keep it clean - there are many videos about this on YT - especially with acrylics because they dry in the nozzle really quickly. Spruebox does a very good cleaner and thinners for airbrush (spruebox.co.uk). As for the armour, I must admit to a hankering to do either a Chieftain or a Scorpion/Scimitar as I remember them very well from the 80s. But I've got half a year of videos in boxes on my shelves... let me think about it. I do also have an excellent book about building AFVs and doing dioramas that I'm going to review very soon. Cheers!
I can't say enough about these newer Airfix kits, the way parts fit together and the detail, especially the cockpit is just so far ahead of the old kits.I have a Boomerang coming, having already finished one I scored for nothing, and when I look at it and then the Mk1a Spitfire or Mk1 Hurricane I can only shake my head. I'm guessing it cost so much to retool for these kits they only do the big sellers.
That's right, the new tool design and manufacture is very expensive process - in the region of £300k if I remember correctly for the new 1/24 Spitfire so still going to be pretty expensive for smaller aircraft. Most of the cost of the smaller Vintage Classics releases is the new decal sheet!
Eric "Winkle" Brown I believe got his nickname when, sat inside the cockpit of a jet, someone actuated the ejection seat. Winkle wasn't strapped in so quickly crammed himself into the rudder space. He had to be winkled out, I suppose.
Clear and easy to follow video. Besides the pilot's scale this model seems to have almost no issues as the new Vulcan has. No filler was needed in any place! Nice plane to get and build. What glue did you use to join the undercarriage pieces together? The complete undercarriages were glued to the wings? Best wishes on your channel!
Currently building this Mosquito in the daylight colour scheme, but the paint colours airfix detail, don't seem to match the colours on the colour sheet provided. The 106 top Matt ocean grey is coming out very dark for me and 30 Matt dark green is more like a forest green. What colours did you use, or should I not take any note of the colour sheet, only the numbered paint colour
What Airfix did was scan a TT.35 Mossie, converted from a B.XVI, but forgot to change the fairing at the back of the bomb bay. On the TT.35 this has cut-outs for the target streamers to be deployed, on the B.XVI it was a plain fairing to account for the bulged bomb bay door. This is the issue when scanning museum aircraft, you've got to be absolutely sure that there are no later modifications.
Thank you for this very informative video, this must be one of the best build videos I have seen. Overall I think this seems more detailed and better engineered than Tamiya's 1/72 mosquito. Special hobby should also release a version of b mk xvi. You mentioned there's an aftermarket mask set available? I was trying to find some info, but couldn't find any. Is it Eduard's or some other? Regards Simon
Hi Gary, Im just wondering what gloss varnish you use? Im a brush painter and dont own an airbrush. I tried humbrol clear which gave me awful results with lots of frosting. As a relative newbie just wondering what the best gloss and matt varnishes are? Thank you!!
@@thomashood715 I use an airbrush, dilute the varnish a little with water. I have used both with brush painting though. If you are after a spray can then the Humbrl gloss is very good, the matt is pretty good but you must be gentle with application - gentle layers rather than get the effect in one go.
@@garys_stuff okay thank you! I recently bought Windsor and newton galeria gloss and matte varnish - very nervous to apply to my model 😬 when brush painting the varnish on do you add water or do you brush it straight from the bottle after a good shake? Thank you!!
@@thomashood715 with a brush I'd probably go for straight from the bottle. But, try it on an inconspicuous area first, like the inside face of one of the engine nacelles. Use it sparingly, don't put too much on in one go, brush it gently in different directions but for the last brush strokes go along the direction of the air flow (front to back). The let it dry a good few hours and see what it looks like.
Just got them online at a well-known general retailer. You can buy sets of straight, angled and reverse tweezers for little cash. Don't go for the absolute cheapest and do make sure you check out reviews.
The ones I use are Revell clamps - only because I happened to see them once and thought, "I need some clamps." You can get them on Amazon amzn.to/39rkJKk
The lack of alignment tabs for the wheels is the least of the problems with this kit. The bomb bay doors and rear fairing are completely wrong and are, in fact, for a Mosquito TT.35, a post-War target tug version. Airfix really screwed up with their research, or lack of, here. They based this kit on an extant airframe at the Cosford museum which is NOT a B.XVI but is, in fact a TT.35. Quite how they managed to make such an error is anyone's guess. The tail wheel is also completely wrong. Nice build though, nonetheless.
If you wish to model a mosquito from that movie, this is the kit for you. Most of the Mosquitos used in that movie were T T 35, and this is a good representation of a TT 35, not a BXVI. Only the decals are BXVI. Come on Airfix, you can do better than this, why not include a set of decals for the TT35?
