Airfix Model Set - A04065 de Havilland Mosquito PR.XVI Model Building Kit - Plastic Model Plane Kits for Adults & Children 8+, Set Includes Sprues & Decals - 1:72 Scale Model

The de Havilland Mosquito is truly an RAF legend and surely one of the best-looking twin-engine designs of its era. Arguably, it was the world’s first true multirole combat aircraft, serving successfully in several different roles during WWII. This Airfix 1/72 offering is the light bomber version, the B Mk.XVI.First released in 2021, this kit is typical of Airfix offerings over the last few years which are uniformly of a very high standard and this kit is no exception. Some real thought has gone into the design of this model and how it all goes together. For instance, the main undercarriage units are assembled using the inside of the wings as a ‘jig’, meaning the landing gear can be put together and painted before finally being glued into the respective nacelles towards the end of the build. And it’s really clever how the cockpit and bomb bay are constructed as one complete sub-assembly, fitting precisely within the fuselage halves. The fit of all the parts was exceptional and only a few dabs of plastic putty was used whilst constructing my model.Detail on this kit is excellent for a 1/72 model and transparent parts are all crystal-clear and well fitting. Decals are manufactured by Cartograf, meaning they’re pretty much as good as it gets; all went down with minimum setting-solution and practically no bubbles or silvering. The instructions are comprehensive, with no obvious errors. Additionally, the kit offers some nice options – you can choose to make a day bomber or night bomber, undercarriage up or down, and bomb bay doors open or closed. In fact, the detail in the bomb bay is outstanding, with a view of the internal fuselage fuel tanks, and four 500lb bombs on their racks.So, any gripes? Well, the pilot figure…I personally don’t like crew figures in my builds. But if it’s your thing, firstly, there’s only one figure and this Mosquito was definitely a 2-crew aircraft! And secondly, the size of the figure. At 1/72 scale, it’s just about as straight forwards as it gets; a guy who stands around 6ft would be 1 inch. The pilot provided looks like he’d be less than 5ft tall, clearly under-scale! This is odd, because it’s obvious that Airfix have been meticulous in getting the aeroplane detail spot on and getting this wrong just seems lazy.In conclusion, crew figures notwithstanding, this is a truly excellent model. You can build this straight out of the box and get a decent result. One day, all model kits will be designed and manufactured like this! Highly recommended.

The Boulton & Paul Defiant is one of the most underrated aircraft of WW2. Although popular press would have the world believe that the Spitfire won the Battle of Britain single handed, the Hurricane was the real work-horse of that battle, and this strange little aircraft also performed reasonably well. It's built and looks like a fighter, so in the early days confused German pilots attacked from behind - a common area as it is unprotected. Of course, with this one they got a nasty surprise.Unfortunately the weight of the turret slowed this aircraft a fair amount and it better performed against the bombers. Later moved from daylight sorties to night fighter the Defiant performed fairly well. Allowing of course that this is in the days before radar and accurate detection. Night flying was a very dangerous affair.Airfix have done well representing this ugly duckling aircraft and the moulding is fairly clean and nicely detailed. Assembly is relatively easy with a little cleaning up prior to gluing. Interior detailing is minimal and the crew provided are not clearly molded, so a little creativity is needed here. However, as the model is quite small that's not really so much of a surprise. This is another under-represented model and it's nice that Airfix recognised the value of this plane and made a kit for it. Even better, that they did a pretty nice job of the kit as well.There are some small and fiddly bits in this model, so adult supervision is needed if this is bought for a young relative.Worth the money in my opinion, and a good job by Airfix.

(No glue or paint is included in this kit)This is a great little kit from Airfix to make a Mk 1 Hurricane from the very early days of WW2. It is easy to assemble. The kit does have some alternative parts a two or three bladed propeller, different tail sections and few other parts so if you know what you are doing maybe you could make an alternative version but the supplied instructions, paint scheme and decals are for the early Mk 1 only. I brush painted mine using some paints I had left over from an Airfix starter set. I also used the pilot although he is not super detailed I felt he added more detail to what is a rather bland cockpit, if you do use him you may have to chop his feet off to get him to fit, I did.For the enjoyment and time spent I think this little kit is worth the money.I did a search and this aircraft or one with the same numbers is on show at Tangmere aircraft museum along with many other interesting aircraft.

There was almost too much detail in this kit.I found myself painting parts that were never going to be seen once assembled.On the whole a great kit, but I did the wings didn’t quite sit flush with each other and the decals were a bit tricky.

Arrived safe and sound. My friend likes it very much. Thank you.

I liked that it is a quality kit, and made a greatgift.

Beaucoup de détaille , très bien conçue .

It's a great model, pieces fit nicely but it's a little too small for my big fingers. Would go with a bigger scale next time.

Muy buen modelo. Ideal para principiantes y también avanzandos.