The “Wooden Wonder” makes an appearance in highly impressive 1/32
scale! That was the nickname given to the De Havilland Mosquito series
of aircraft, an ingenious and beautiful design which saw the versatile
airplane made almost entirely of wood. By the late 1930s, when design
work on the Mosquito started, metal was the overwhelmingly favored
medium. However, the Mosquito’s designer foresaw that metal would become
a precious resource in the probable war ahead; what was more, his
highly lightweight wooden aircraft would be able to outrun heavier metal
opponents. Constructed mainly from balsa wood sandwiched between sheets
of birch, the Mosquito was originally designed as a weaponless bomber;
once the armed forces and designers realized that the aircraft could
withstand enemy fire even if it was caught, a number of variants were
produced.
The FB Mk.VI debuted in the Spring of 1943: this fighter-bomber
variant packed four 7.7mm machine guns in the nose, plus four powerful
20mm auto cannons and the ability to mount four 500lb bombs. Its
outstanding speed and range ensured that the FB Mk.VI was used in a
range of missions, including raids on important targets and
infrastructure in the German homeland. It is often said that, until the
advent of the Messerschmitt Me262, the German Luftwaffe did not have an
adequate response to the “Mossie”.
The Tamiya 1/32 Mosquito release found in U.S. hobby shops will
include some special parts not found in other markets. The U.S. kits
will include two extra “F” parts and one extra “E” parts sprue. These
parts are special because they are molded in CLEAR plastic.
The standard and included “F & E” parts are molded in GREY. The
extra sprues are the engine cowling parts that cover the engine
compartment. Since they are clear it will allow U.S. modelers to
uniquely display the highly detailed Merlin engines found on the
Mosquito!
- Highly-detailed cockpit, plus depiction of four machine guns complete with ammo cases and belts.
- Paintable tires use assembly tread sections and capture compression caused by plane weight.
- Choose open or closed bomb bay. 20mm auto cannons and two 500lb bomb parts are found inside.
- Tail wheel mud guard and strut are depicted. Left and right sides
of horizontal stabilizer are part of the same piece, as on the actual
aircraft.
- The kit includes parts to recreate propellers with the early variant slim line blades, or wider paddle type blades.
- Detailed 4-piece engine cowling offers a selection of standard or longer intake-fitted tropical filter parts.
- The Merlin engines are breathtakingly recreated, including
depictions of the supercharger. Just like on the real Mosquito, the
engine mount and landing gear struts are integrated.
- The model can be assembled with exhausts uncovered or covered.
- U.S. Version contains EXTRA CLEAR PARTS sprue for the engine cover!
