Hello all,
I recently purchased a 1/48 scale model, by Tamiya, of a Mosquito. I intend to finish it as a PR Mk IV. My first model in many years and I am really looking forward to it.
I am looking for some photos, particularly of the PR Mk. IV. I have found one of the the web, of DZ383, for which the Tamiya kit includes markings. I have a book by Osprey publishing in PR Mosquitos, but even that has few photos of the PR Mk IV. There are plenty of other pictures on the web, particularly of the BAE Mosquito prior to its crash, as well as various museum examples, but there seems to be a very limited supply of pictures or details regarding the MKIV. Perhaps that’s because there were so few of them.
By the way, I did discover during this search an excellent collection of almost 200 pictures on the Canada Aviation Museum website, including many showing interior details, as well as a lot showing construction of the Mosquito, presumably here in Canada (the captions are pretty uninformative I’m afraid, and many appear to be wrong). This collection may be of interest to others interested in the Mossie. To find it, following the URL below, and use the search function: http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/collections/image_bank/imagebank.shtml
One thing that interests me is the left side (sorry, I always get port and starboard mixed up!!) aft of the wing. In the photo I have there appears to be a port for an oblique camera between the trailing edge of the wing and the roundel. If found that picture here (sorry, I haven’t mastered the art of posting pictures): http://www.vflintham.demon.co.uk/aircraft/mos/mosquito.htm
I have found one reference indicating that the MkIV did have an oblique camera installed. Could that be what I am seeing in this picture? Can anyone confirm that the MkIV had a camera installed in that location? Any photos or line drawings out there showing it?
Your help is appreciated. I’d like to get it right, since I plan this as the first of a collection of WWII RAF/RCAF PR aircraft. Spitfire Mk XI is next, I hope!! And in my dream this is all a prelude to an RC Spitfire XI or XIX with functioning digital cameras (well I’m allowed to dream, aren’t I!!)
Thanks,
Charles
By: Papa Lima - 18th July 2004 at 18:49
Here’s a nice colour profile of a Mk IV, DZ464 of 139 Sqn Marham.
Source: Page 131 of “The History of the Royal Air Force”
By: dumaresqc - 18th July 2004 at 15:04
Neilly,
Thanks for confirming that what I suspected is a camera port is indeed one. I guess I’ll be getting out my drill to modify the kit, since Tamiya seems to have missed this.
The kit markings are for 540 squadron, though as the photo you attached shows, the markings really only consisted of roundels and serial anyways.
It would be nice to know a little more about the history of DZ383 with 540 squadron, since I like to know what I am building. But to make sure I get the details right, I would like info on PR MkIVs in general, not just this one. Since there were not many of them, there does not seem to much information out there on them At least not on the web anyways.
Thanks for the reply.
Charles
By: neilly - 18th July 2004 at 14:31
Hi Charles,
Which period of DZ 383’s history are you interested in? Originally this Mosquito was with 540 Sqd. & then became the photograpgh aircraft of 138 Wing.
The little black ‘dot’ just above & to the rear of the port wing trailing edge is the oblique camera.
Cheers,
Neilly
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July 17, 2004 at 2:42 pm