1/48 AirfixPRXVI / BXVI Mosquito

Review by Stephen Prior
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This is a partial retool of the 1980 FBVI, kit that was the best in this scale until the Tamiya release came along. The Airfix offering is still good value and is certainly accurate.  It formed the basis for many conversions using a wide range of now OOP resin sets from Paragon productions, which enabled just about any Mosquito version to be completed.  

For a first look in the box the kit comprises two sets of sprues one bagged, one not. The box contains all of the parts for the original Mosquito FBVI along with four new sprues containing the parts needed for both new versions. Two of the sprues have the fuselage halves along with standard and bulged bomb bay doors. There are also new interior parts and the raised detailing is quite nice for the cockpit sidewalls, better than the original kit, which had a very bare cockpit. There's a separate access hatch and both fuselage halves have camera ports flashed over. These would obviously need to be drilled out for the PR version. The instructions detail how to open both sets of bomb bay doors and there is also what seems to be a 4000lb bomb known as a "cookie".

The other sprue contains the upper wing parts from the previously released NF-30 as well as optional types of wingtips and a pair of external fuel tanks. There are 2 stage merlins with six stack exhausts. Finally there is a new clear sprue (separately bagged) with two types of canopy. One has the observation blister on top the other does not. The side panels for the canopy are the blown type only. The plastic used for the new parts is the same type as the 1/48 Hawks and panel lines are engraved on all the new parts. The surface detail is very good and the only ejector pin marks I can see are internal and they're very faint.

There are 3 decal options included;

• #1 is a USAAF PRXVI from 653BS circa September 1944 in PRU blue with a red tail and invasion stripes.

• #2 is a BXVI from 109Sqn in green/gray with black undersurfaces.

• #3 is an SAAF PRXVI from 60Sqn in PRU blue with red and white striped tail and yellow spinners. Invasion bands are on he fuselage only.

I believe that this is the first kit of a two stage merlin PR /Bomber Mosquito. It represents excellent value at GBP15.99 and is a clever use of both old and new