1:72 DH.98 Mosquito NF Mk.XV 'High-Altitude Night Fighter'

de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito NF Mk.XV – a high-altitude night fighter (1:72, Special Hobby)

An injection-molded plastic kit of the British high-altitude night fighter de Havilland Mosquito NF Mk.XV in 1:72 scale from Special Hobby. It is a rarely covered high-altitude version of the Mosquito with a pressurized cabin, radar in the nose, an extended wingspan and high-altitude engines. According to the manufacturer the boxing offers several marking options. The exact contents of the package and the number of parts are given on the packaging and in the instructions.

The real subject

The de Havilland Mosquito was a British twin-engined combat aircraft of largely wooden construction, famous for its speed and versatility. The NF Mk.XV version came about as a response to the threat of German high-altitude bombers: it received a pressurized cabin, radar in the nose, an extended wing with a large span, high-altitude Merlin 76 series engines and four-blade propellers for flight at great altitudes. Only a limited number of these machines were built and they were assigned to one of the Royal Air Force night fighter squadrons.

Building and painting tips

Cut the parts from the sprues and glue them with a thin modeling cement for plastic. Paint the interior of the cockpit and pick it out before closing the fuselage, and mask the clear glazing while spraying. Apply a primer and the colors with an airbrush, and put the decals on over a gloss varnish. For a night fighter choose a dark camouflage scheme and bring out the panel lines discreetly with a wash.

Who the model is for

• collectors of Royal Air Force aircraft and night fighters of the Second World War
• anyone interested in the less common high-altitude versions of the Mosquito
• modelers with experience of building aircraft in 1:72

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.