When Tamiya released their 1/48th scale de Havilland Mosquito, people around the world praised them for the quality of the new kit. Now Tamiya has released their Mosquito again; in 1/72nd scale. With this kit, small scale modellers can begin praising Tamiya for their quality in what is a new scale for their company.

Originally the solid nosed fighter/bomber was released, followed roughly eight months later by the bomber variant. As I write this, my fighter/bomber has been finished for nearly a year and my bombers are roughly half done.

The interiors are well detailed for a 1/72nd scale kit, featuring around a dozen parts. When assembled, the kit interior should require no aftermarket additions so save yourself some money.

Assembly of the fuselage halves is simple, and if care is taken no putty should be required. The wings and tails assemble as do most other kits. Its interesting to note that Tamiya uses a pair of spars as opposed to a slot and peg arrangement. The landing gear wells are again well detailed, and even the oil tanks are included (something Hasagawa missed with their release).

By this point, my Mosquito was ready for paint, with a grand total of two and a half hours invested! So far, the most time consuming, and difficult part had been the masking of the canopy windows.

In the kit, Tamiya offers markings for three different aircraft which would produce nice looking examples. I on the other hand chose to use a set of aftermarket decals from Eagle Strike. This set includes marking s for six Moquitos, including one of the aircraft used by BOAC during the war. I first painted the camoflage pattern using Polly Scale acrylic paints. Once dry, I followed with Testor's Model Master non-buffing Aluminum paint to cover the undersides. Eagle Strike's decals went on well, and responded well to Gunze's Mr. Marksofter. A clear coat, some mild weathering and I had a finished Mosquito; done in under five hours!