De Havilland Mosquito

[GTX]

Or maybe a single seat Canopy variant:



Regards,

Greg

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Keep this up and Geoffrey de Havilland will be haunting you for desecrating his design. 

The single seat canopy might have been better served by using the fishbowl canopy of the bomber version of the Canberra or perhaps the later offset canopy of the interdiction version. 

Not even going to attempt a comment on your tri-motor Mosquito or the Sabre engine version.  You are a sick puppy.  :^)

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Single seat canopy?  Offset?  So yesterday.  I've built that:

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,21390

But only as far as being primed.  Needs more filling and sanding.

Lee,

Somehow I missed that thread on your Mosquito swarm when it was first posted.  Interesting line up you have there.  Looking forward to seeing what they will look like when you are finally done with them. 

[Maverick]

G'day Gang,

Just got a bunch of DVDs, including 633 Sqn, A Bridge Too Far, The Dambusters, The Desert Fox and the Great Escape.

A question to the enthusiasts.  Does anyone know what Mark of Mossie they used?  Obviously they're bombers with their noses painted over and guns added, equally obviously later versions with bigger Merlins and bulged bays.  I'm thinking post-War B.35s, possibly.

Regards,

Mav

[tigercat2]

From the Internet Movie Data Base (imdb.com):

Four of the De Havilland Mosquitos seen in this film were airworthy and three could taxi on the ground. The same crash at Abindon Airfield, U.K., shot from a different angle, was used with matte painting (by 'Tommy Howard (IV)''s Special Effects team) to look like it was crashing in Norway. No shooting was done in Norway in fact. For "Norway" scenes, the mountains of Scotland were pressed into service.


The German "fighters" were actually 4-seat Messerschmitt 108 "Taifuns," painted to look like Me-109 fighters.


Cliff Robertson, an accomplished pilot, wanted to buy one of the Mosquitoes after filming had finished, as he was so impressed with the type. He was not permitted to do this but he later bought a Spitfire Mk IX which he owned until the late 1990s.


Most of the attack on the Fjord at the end of the film was done with 1/48th scale Mosquito models.


Three of the airworthy Mosquitoes used in the film were TT35 models (target tug versions of the B35 bomber). These were made to resemble FB MkVI (fighter bomber) versions by painting over the clear perspex nosecones and side windows and fitting dummy machine gun barrels. The fourth airworthy Mosquito was a T3 model with a solid nose which only required the fitting of dummy gun barrels.


The Mosquito's used in the film were RS715 Cockpit section only TJ118 Cockpit section only TV959 At Bovingdon airfield, but did not fly in film TW117 Flew in film RS709 Flew in film RS712 Flew in film TA639 Flew in film TA719 Flew in film


The 3-Barreled Anti Aircraft 'Nordenfelt Gun' is a triple mounted MG151/20 Drilling flak weapon that was also adopted by Yogoslavia as it was very versatile and had effective anti aircraft capability.

[Maverick]

Thanks for that info Tigercat.

Regards,

Mav

[JayBee]

TW117, was in fact a Sea Mosquito TR33.

[tigercat2]

Glad to help.  BTW, the Internet Movie Data Base is an incredible resource, and there are many, many cross references to almost any movie.


Wes W.

[Barry Krell]

All the photos I've seen of TW117 indicate that it's a standard T3 - normal tailplanes and u/c, plus the wing has no fold line or fold mechanism blisters on it.  Not conclusive as the first 17 or so Sea Mosquitoes had standard wings and u/c.  The giveaway is the lack of a strengthener strip on the port side and no hook attachment points.  It does have the tropical filters that seem to have been fitted to most T3s.

The only odd thing about it is that I can't find a reference in my library to it in the production blocks:

TW101-109, T.3 built at Leavesden 20.7.45 - 31.5.46
TW227-257, TR33  built 46-47.

However, this from mossie.org
TW117
Serial:    TW117
Build Type:    T.III
Build Location:    Leavesden
Contract Number:    1576/SAS/C.23(a)
Contract Date:    
Delivery Period:    Between 20-7-1945 and 31-5-1946

They also have T3 in the range starting TW101 going up to TW119.  So I'm presuming that the published references are wrong (possibly the original one was a typo which was then copied?) - how else do we have a real aircraft with a fictitious serial?  

The Navy used a considerable number of T3s, inc. TW103 and TW105 used by 762 sqn (FAA) at RNAS Ford.  They also used both the FB.VI and the TR33 so perhaps that's where the confusion about TW117 being used by the Navy comes from?

TW117 is extant and lives in Norway.  Thankfully, it is not deceased but just resting.

[TsrJoe]

VL.Vihuri reverse engineered DH. Mosquito

some notes courtesy of a Finnish colleague ...

1944 x2 Mosquito aircraft to be supplied from Germany to Finland
1 to be restored to flying condition for evaluation, other for disassembly and structural analysis
Flying aircraft to be reengined with Me109 type DB.605 engines for comparitive evaluation
Prototype to be completed after Pyorremyrsky (x1 example) and before Puuska (x2) prototypes

intended chronology as follows ...

01 Jan 44, decision to proceed with the project
01 Oct 44, project due to start
01 Dec 45, production of prototype to start
31 May 45, prototype completion
01 July 45, x3 prototypes
01 Jun 46, first production type aircraft completed
01 Jul 47, air force delivery of initial aircraft
first batch of x40 aircraft for delivery by end 1947, second batch of x60 aircraft for delivery Oct 47 - Jul 48

it would be interesting to speculate if the war had continued further or differing situations ensued in the post war era how long the type would have remained in service?

[TsrJoe]

and some more ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWiBBlS6o5o&feature=player_embedded#

[kitnut617]

Now that is really very interesting Joe   

[TsrJoe]

re. captured Luftwaffe 'Mossie' for use as the VL. Vihuri prototype ...

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Rev1/501-600/Rev558_CED48256/rev558.htm

Quote:

...the first aircraft is a Mosquito Mk IV flown by 2./VVB OKL from Konigsberg, Neumark in July 1944.  This Mosquito was painted RLM 74 green on the topside and RLM 04 Yellow on the underside and tail.  Marking codes were T9+XB

[Mossie]

If this had gone ahead, I wonder if the Germans would have wanted a return for their investment?  We might have seen Mossie versus Mossie.  I'm not sure how many the Soviet Union took, so we might have seen it with Finland too?

[Howard of Effingham]

was there ever a proposal to fit the DH mosquito with RR griffon engines?

i an sorely tempted to try the idea in 1/72 as i have a spare airfix 1/72 mosquito and two
suitable spitfires to donate the griffons.

trevor