Quiz AMW’s team of contributors, regarding your own modelling mysteries…
Mossie Conversion
Q “I have just read Key Publishing’s Scale Modelling Mosquito bookazine and wonder if you can assist me. My family has a link in that my uncle, a pre-war carpenter, worked on Mosquitos during his RAF service. From the information I have gathered it appears he was with 140 Squadron in 1944 and probably repaired PR.XVIs.
I have Airfix’s 1/72 kit (NF.Mk.II/ FB.Mk.VI/FB.Mk.XVIII) and would like to know if there is any aftermarket with which to convert it to a PR.XVI, what the colour scheme would have been and if there is a supplier of the correct decals.”
Stewart Hurrell, Sudbury, Suffolk
AMW’s Assistant Editor, Stu Fone, says:
“Airfix’s 1/72 Mosquito is an early fighter-bomber variant, with single-stage Merlin engines, solid nose and fighter-style (flat windscreen) canopy. For the PR.XVI, you require a bombertype nose, twin-stage Merlins and apertures for the cameras; note you will need Airfix’s ‘paddleblade’ propellers.
Fortunately, you’re in luck for the major changes as Pavla produces a neat resin set (C72046) for Tamiya’s 1/72 Mosquito, which supplies a complete bomber/PR forward fuselage with full interior and could be modified to fit.