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Tamiya 1/48 de Havilland Mosquito NF.II/FB.VI

By Michael Benolkin

When I first heard the announcement that Tamiya was planning to produce the Mosquito, I was puzzled. The Airfix kit has been the nicest Mosquito kit available in any scale. When I saw the photos from the Japanese Hobby Show, I was still unimpressed. Nonetheless, I know Tamiya’s reputation and I am a major Mosquito buff, so I ordered a few.

What arrived in the mail is easily the nicest kit that Tamiya has ever produced. As you’ll see in these accompanying shots, the Mosquito kit is nicely detailed and is comprised of quite a few parts. The nose is molded separately, so there is no doubt that a bomber Mossie is not far behind. What distinguishes this kit from its older Airfix brother include:

• Beautifully detailed wheel wells and main gear, including the oil tank in each well for the Merlin engine.
• Choice of two different exhaust shrouds or bare exhaust stacks.
• HIGHLY detailed cockpit, including radios and a radar set for the NF.II version.
• Bomb bay doors can be positioned open to reveal the bomb bay fuel tanks and two 225kg bombs.
• Choice of underwing stores, including slipper tanks, external bomb racks, or rockets.
• Positionable crew entry door and access ladder.
• Removable nose fairing to reveal the four 50 cal machine guns.
• Choice of wingtip types.
• Choice of narrow or wide chord propellers.

Markings include an FB.VI of 487 Sqn (EG-T), an FB.VI of 143 Sqn (NE-D), and an NF.II of 157 Sqn (RS-B).

This kit has definitely set a new champion for best Mosquito kit in any scale. The US retail price is $34.00, and let me tell you, it is worth every penny. I highly recommend this kit to everyone!

Does this mean that the Airfix and Monogram Mosquitos no longer have a place onthe shelf? Absolutely not! In the February edition of Internet Modeler, we will feature an all-Mosquito issue, which will not only highlight the new Tamiya kit, but also how to bring the Airfix and Monogram kits up to compete head-on with the Tamiya offering. We’ll also look at the detail sets available from companies like KMC and Paragon to create more versions of the venerable Mossie. Stay tuned!