Tamiya 61066 1/48 De Havilland Mosquito Mk. IV

De Havilland Mosquito B Mk.IV/PR Mk.IV

The de Havilland Company had a concept for a light bomber whose only defense was speed. With war looming on the horizon, the emphasis was placed on developing the aircraft from non-strategic materials - wood. The only significant metal in the design of the de Havilland Model 98 Mosquito was with the engines and landing gear.

While the Air Ministry was initially cool on the concept, a single champion authorized the production of a single prototype at the end of 1939 and the prototype first flew 11 months later. When the Air Ministry saw the Mosquito literally accelerate away from their top fighter, the Spitfire, orders started straight away.

Powered by a pair of Merlin engines, the clean lines of the Mosquito made the aircraft the fastest aircraft in the skies for most of the war. Its ample volume allowed for the airframe to be adapted to a wide variety of missions, making the Mosquito the first multi-role combat aircraft. The Mosquito carried a crew of two. In the bomber version, the second crewman doubled as flight engineer and bombardier. Its glass nose provided an ideal sighting platform for getting bombs on target.

Molded in light gray styrene, the kit comes on six part trees, plus a single tree of of styrene clear parts!

Features

• 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 (with the changes specific to the bomber/recce versions)

• Bomb bay doors can be positioned open to reveal the bomb bay fuel tanks and four 225kg bombs.

• Positionable crew entry door and access ladder.

• Choice of wingtip types.

• Choice of narrow or wide chord propellers.

Specifications

• Length: 259mm

• Two pilot figures

• Three marking options: Two for B Mk.IV and one for PR Mk.IV.