Andrew's 1/72 Tamiya Mosquito Mk XIII

[yak face]

Top work andrew , the nose job is coming along great , the styrene rods one looks solid enough to use , should hold up to a good sanding to the new shape , then filler to make up the finished shape . Milliput might be better for this as it is easier to shape with a wet knife and doesn't shrink or crack like styrene filler sometimes does if applying thickly. Cheers tony

 

[adt70hk]

Hi all

So as some of you may have seen here, I succumbed and bought the AM nose.

It's not that I was completely turned off the idea of doing my own nose but I'd already lost the best part of two weeks to it due the limited bench time I get and so if only for my sanity it will probably be worth it. That may be a bit of a cop-out but I don't want to lose the mojo on the build because of the nose.

I had done two drawings of the possible nose shape, with number 2 being the closest but still not perfect. The AM nose itself is not 100% perfect, although it's nicely done. The Quickboost AM Mk XII nose was a perfect fit, by contrast this needed a little of filling around the nose.

As you will see from the below pics, there is definite step between the nose I've fitted, compared to Lonesome Polecat's which appears to be a pretty smooth transition. I don't think is a trick of the light or camera no matter how I look at it. However, I've found a clearer picture of of HK428 and there appears to be a definite step unlike the initial picture I found. What's more one site shows Lonesome Polecat staring it is Mk XII......its not!

Oh and most artists' impressions of Mk XIII I have show them with a smoothly transition - but LP is an exception in one case!

In short I give up......and have fitted the AM nose for better or worse! Oh and it also comes with the gun camera and some very thin (too thin) resin for the wing aerials.

ACW as usual......and I promise to say no more on the nose issue after this post! Promise....I'm getting fed up with it and so you must really be!

ATB

Andrew

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LP's nose.....










HK428....








My efforts on 'DIY nose Mk II'....










The AM conversion kit with nose and gun camera fitted....

 

[JR]

There comes a time Andrew when it's best just to bite the bullet and press buy.
You had a damed good try in making your version, just think of it as an exercise in modelling , all good practice .

 

[Mickc1440]

Some excellent attempts Andrew but as JR said sometimes you just have to give in

 

[papa 695]

Coming along very nicely Andrew, think I’d have bought the nose cone straight away, but kudos for trying.

 

[adt70hk]

There comes a time Andrew when it's best just to bite the bullet and press buy.
You had a damed good try in making your version, just think of it as an exercise in modelling , all good practice .

Some excellent attempts Andrew but as JR said sometimes you just have to give in

Coming along very nicely Andrew, think I’d have bought the nose cone straight away, but kudos for trying.

Thanks chaps for the support, much appreciated.

Interestingly the only other AM nose I've seen - long gone by now - was also wrong. Although it has a better fuselage join, towards the tip of the nose there was a subtle but distinct edge rather than a nice fairly constant curve....I just have to accept that the 'perfect' nose does not exist for this version!

John - as you say, even if I didn't go the whole way it's been a useful learning experience.

Thanks again gents and canopy is next!

ATB.

Andrew

 

[Tim Marlow]

I must be honest Andrew, and say I don’t think the aftermarket nose looks much like the ones in the photographs. It does look like the nose in the second of your colour profiles, so perhaps that was what it was based on. The colour profile with 25 on it looks to be much more accurate in shape, so it’s a shame they never used that as the template
Still, if we hadn’t gone through this in such forensic detail I would have been completely unaware of the differences, so I’m sure your model will look absolutely fine

 

[adt70hk]

I must be honest Andrew, and say I don’t think the aftermarket nose looks much like the ones in the photographs. It does look like the nose in the second of your colour profiles, so perhaps that was what it was based on. The colour profile with 25 on it looks to be much more accurate in shape, so it’s a shame they never used that as the template
Still, if we hadn’t gone through this in such forensic detail I would have been completely unaware of the differences, so I’m sure your model will look absolutely fine

Hi Tim

Completely agree about the look of be nose being out. I must admit I have wondered about sanding the AM nose into the right shape but there's no going back if I do.....

That said I had forgotten about artist's impression 25 and so had no proper view to work from.

So as I'm sure the correct nose is slightly smaller than the AM nose, I might have a play with some more drawings to get the scale right this weekend.

Thanks as always.

Andrew

 

[Tim Marlow]

Hi Tim

Completely agree about the look of be nose being out. I must admit I have wondered about sanding the AM nose into the right shape but there's no going back if I do.....

That said I had forgotten about artist's impression 25 and so had no proper view to work from.

So as I'm sure the correct nose is slightly smaller than the AM nose, I might have a play with some more drawings to get the scale right this weekend.

Thanks as always.

Andrew

Have you got a scanner Andrew? If so, could you photocopy the “25” and rescale/zoom it to the correct size? That will give you a great start on the side view……

 

[Allen Dewire]

Evening Andrew,

"T'is not a perfect world we live in" as the old saying goes......With that said, I think you have done an excellent job installing the AM nose and even a more excellent job trying to scratch build one. Time consuming? Yes......Aggravating? Yes again......I truly hope this hasn't dampened your spirits or mojo on this build. You are doing a fine job buddy and keep going. In the end, it will an exquisite and fine addition to your project!!!.........

Prost
Allen

 

[Jim R]

Well Andrew you have a nose. Decision made so the build can continue. It looks fine and, like Ian, I think I'd have gone down the am route earlier. All credit to you for giving it a go yourself.

 

[adt70hk]

Have you got a scanner Andrew? If so, could you photocopy the “25” and rescale/zoom it to the correct size? That will give you a great start on the side view……

At work. Next in on Tuesday, will have a go then.

Evening Andrew,

"T'is not a perfect world we live in" as the old saying goes......With that said, I think you have done an excellent job installing the AM nose and even a more excellent job trying to scratch build one. Time consuming? Yes......Aggravating? Yes again......I truly hope this hasn't dampened your spirits or mojo on this build. You are doing a fine job buddy and keep going. In the end, it will an exquisite and fine addition to your project!!!.........

Prost
Allen

Hi Allen, it's ok, it's not got me beaten and I'm looking forward to the rest of it!

Well Andrew you have a nose. Decision made so the build can continue. It looks fine and, like Ian, I think I'd have gone down the am route earlier. All credit to you for giving it a go yourself.

Thanks Jim. I'm still in two minds about the nose but I've got other things I can do on it before I make a final decision!


Thanks again for stopping by.

Andrew

 

[adt70hk]

Ok....so I lied...I AM sorry!

I kept looking at the AM nose and going the shape is wrong.

I then remembered that I have Visio installed on my laptop and so I could the drawing of LP with the right nose to get some very accurate dimensions!!!

And then out came the needle file and some sanding sticks....and then I held my breath as I started the process of ruining a perfectly good AM nose......

It's still not finished and I need to work on the angles, especially around where it curves towards the tip. However, it looks much better already, so thanks @Tim Marlow for not letting me settle for 2nd best.....

....only thing is does this mean I have become one of modelling's dreaded 'rivet counters' ?!?!?!?

ATB

Andrew


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Your probably getting fed up with this shot...I know I am!!






For those not in the know, Visio is a Microsoft design package for designing all kinds of drawings and plans. Amongst other things it lets you define exactly how long a line is and tells you how long a line is when you draw it. Furthermore, because the length of the line is not changed by any zooming you do, it allows you to get very accurate measurements.

For example, it may not look like it but the vertical line is only 10.5mm tall - the height of the kit fuselage at that point - it's just zoomed in over 500%. That then allowed me draw a horizontal line to the right place on the tip of the nose and Visio told me how long it was!





And where I've got to so far. Not perfect but definitely heading in the right direction

 

[Tim Marlow]

You are not a rivet counter Andrew. That’s someone who criticises minor flaws in others work without producing any of their own. You are just someone who wants to get things right.

 

[adt70hk]

You are not a rivet counter Andrew. That’s someone who criticises minor flaws in others work without producing any of their own. You are just someone who wants to get things right.

I know but it's fair to say I have taken this hobby and especially the research far more seriously than I ever imagined but then given the nature of my personality and job, I shouldn't be surprised in the slightest!!

I was beginning to wonder if LP had some modification made to its nose by the ground crew because I was struggling to find any other MK XIII with the same smooth transition on the nose but then I came across another one (HK382) with the same nose, so clearly it was not a one-off. Just a shame no manufacturer has ever picked up on it!

Thanks as always for the support.

Andrew

 

[scottie3158]

Andrew,
All credit to you for wanting to get the nose right and you are doing a great job of it. The rest of the build is also looking good.

 

[adt70hk]

Andrew,
All credit to you for wanting to get the nose right and you are doing a great job of it. The rest of the build is also looking good.

Thanks Scottie. Glad you're liking it!

ATB.

Andrew

 

[JR]

This is what modelling is all about, each of us do what we want to build a kit. Andrew you've taken it to a high level , with your dogged research and determination.Good for you .
Think that programme Visio is great , suppose it costs an arm and a leg . I was thinking about buildings !
Off to have a look for it .

 

[adt70hk]

This is what modelling is all about, each of us do what we want to build a kit. Andrew you've taken it to a high level , with your dogged research and determination.Good for you .
Think that programme Visio is great , suppose it costs an arm and a leg . I was thinking about buildings !
Off to have a look for it .

Thanks John.

Visio is normally fairly pricey from what I know but I got it very cheap through a scheme Microsoft has with some employers, so I got it and the full version of office for well under £100 in total.

 

[Mickc1440]

Perfectly normal behaviour after inhaling glue and paint fumes like the rest of us. Wanting to make something look right is probably what we all strive for. Keep the excellent work going.