Mosquito museum

There is too much damage to do a Corsair style job on it. It also needs to have the fabric removed as it is coming away in many places, and will cause more problems than if we leave it alone.

Bruce

D’oh – never thought of that – any snapshot in its history that can be accurate for the purists and preserves the airframe can only be good for everybody. Its a national treasure, nothing less.

Hope it goes well – will come back up in the spring with BSG junior now he is allowed out again !

John,

Dont wait for the museum to be open again – if you want to come down while we are closed, just let me know – it may be easier to get the dimensions you want anyway!

All the best

Bruce

Thanks Bruce, I’ll contact you at some point when I can get down.

Regards

John

Wasn’t it Ford yellow they used for the respray?

I seem to have read that somewhere.

Cheers

Cees

There is too much damage to do a Corsair style job on it. It also needs to have the fabric removed as it is coming away in many places, and will cause more problems than if we leave it alone. However, we have gone back to the original paint in a number of places, so that we can document the original scheme and styles before we remove any fabric.

It will be finished as it was at the 1946 SBAC show – we had to pick a point in time – to have displayed it as it was at any point in its flying career would have meant much loss of original material, so we opted for a compromise.

Bruce

I love that prototype – I still can’t believe its still there and wasn’t just towed away and buried, burned, turned into wardrobes etc.

Which unfortunately was the fate of the Hornet prototype, that shared the same hangar with the Mosquito prototype! The same chap who saved the mosi, couldn’t save the Hornet. Maybe it was a space issue? That must have been a tough call to make.

We will be happy indeed when we can banish that awful yellow colour for something more appropriate.

Bruce

Can I ask what the plan is Bruce? Is it a eventual strip back and re-paint to an authentic yellow or a “KD431” style “strip back and see?” or something else?

I love that prototype – I still can’t believe its still there and wasn’t just towed away and buried, burned, turned into wardrobes etc.

I’ll take some this weekend if I remember the camera!

Bruce

re

Come on, there must be some progress pics!

Yes, thats about right – and it may indeed have been me!

The previous ‘restoration’ was barely that; it was a rough coat of paint and little else. We will be happy indeed when we can banish that awful yellow colour for something more appropriate.

Bruce

I visited the Mosquito museum some years ago – on an organised George Pick Aerotours visit.

As we were shown around the prototype Mosquito – maybe by Bruce ?? – we were told that lots of modellers visited the place to do a colour match on the ‘Trainer Yellow’ that the prototype was painted in.

Our host then scraped away a little of the lemon yellow paint to reveal the chrome yellow underneath.

Apparently the previous restoration hadn’t been 100% accurate – and any shade of yellow had sufficed.

At least that’s how I remember the story…… :confused:

I often chuckle to think of some modeller somewhere with his magnicicent Tamiya Mossie converted & painted up as the prototype trying to convince the competition judges that the awfull yellow was ‘matched to the real thing’.

Ken

John,

Dont wait for the museum to be open again – if you want to come down while we are closed, just let me know – it may be easier to get the dimensions you want anyway!

All the best

Bruce

John,

I wouldnt dare to put my head in the modellers lions den! I think you had better come armed with slide rule, string and tape, and do the measuring yourself – you would be more than welcome any time. We did meet there some years ago!

Incidentally, Tamiya took all their measurements from our aircraft – as did Revell at about the same time…..

Apologies for the late reply – been away for the weekend.

Bruce

Bruce
My apologies I have just seen your reply. Yes we have met, and I would like to make another visit to your excellent museum. I had heard that Tamiya had been to the museum but as there are some folks who think the kit dimensions are wrong, I’d like to put my own file together, as it wouldn’t be the first time that there has been conflict between reality, myth, manufacturers handouts and “my mate says”. Newark is another museum who have been very accomodating to my foibles of appearing with tapes, levels and plumb lines. I hope to see you when the museum is next open.

Regards

John

Moggy, you misread the question – the question is how to get to the Mosquito Museum from either Duxford or London.

Ho hum. Sorry.

Can confirm that Revell measured the Mossies at both Salisbury Hall and Hendon a few years ago. My good friend Ed Sexton was New Products manager at Revell USA at that time and I was asked along to help hold the tape measure.
Everyone at Salisbury Hall was friendly and helpful and the visit was a real pleasure.

Bruce,

Any update on the work on the prototype Mossie ? I know you are relying on private funds and volunteers, shame the National lottery funds could help instead of going to the Olympics .

I will endeavour to update you in the not too distant future. Slow progress is being made, and we havent forgotten the lottery.

Bruce

I would like to know the overall dimensions of the Mosquito fin and rudder as there is a bit of a wobble going on in the scale model world ref the height of the vertical tail on the Tamiya kit. and with the new Revell one iminent, forewarned is fore armed. I was down that way this morning at Alan Hall’s funeral.

Regards

John

John,

I wouldnt dare to put my head in the modellers lions den! I think you had better come armed with slide rule, string and tape, and do the measuring yourself – you would be more than welcome any time. We did meet there some years ago!

Incidentally, Tamiya took all their measurements from our aircraft – as did Revell at about the same time…..

Apologies for the late reply – been away for the weekend.

Bruce

Moggy, you misread the question – the question is how to get to the Mosquito Museum from either Duxford or London.

From Cambridge you can take a train to Whittlesford.

IWM Duxford is walkable from there.

During the summer I think there is also a regular bus service.

RAFM Hendon is within walking distance of a tube / underground / metro station (Colindale?)

Moggy

TJ, your best option is to let a friend who lives near London know when you’re planning to visit and he’ll give you a lift.

Ahhh, that friend. I’ll make sure to do that!

T J