Mosquito Highball and other experimental versions

[Skyraider3D]

The other day I created a high-detail 3D model of a De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk VI.

Next I would like to convert it into some more exotic types, like the Highball version and the one with fuselage-mounted dive brakes. I'm just lacking good drawings of such experimentals. Would anyone be able to help please? Good photos are of course also more than welcome!

Below my 3D model as it currently stands in FB Mk VI configuration:

PS. There was also a Mosquito with dorsal gun turret, but I'd be a heretic if I made that! ;D

 

[Jemiba]

Will have a look at "The Bouncing Bomb Man: The Science Of Sir Barnes Wallis" this evening,
if boxkite doesn't mind (I have just borrowed the book).
The best photo I've found on the net so far is from http://foter.com/photo/highball-prototypes-in-mosquito/,
but they seem to be quite rare.

 

[Cy-27]

Issue 3 of The Aviation Historian has an underside view of Highball Mosquito DK290/G on page 53 and a rear three quarter view of it in flight on page 52. Short, but interesting, article on tests with the dummy weapon against HMS Hawkins.

 

[hole in the ground]

The other day I created a high-detail 3D model

Show off

 

[Arjen]

Images tagged 'MB ...' are from 'De Havilland Mosquito' by Martin Bowman, Crowood, 1997. PM me for bigger scans.

'Mosquito 3-view' and 'Mosquito Highball' are from 'WW2 Aircraft Fact Files - RAF Bombers Part 1' by William Green and Gordon Swanborough, Macdonald and Jane's, 1979.

 

[Jemiba]

From Ian Murrays book ""The Bouncing Bomb Man: The Science Of Sir Barnes Wallis"a close up of
the Mosquitos bomb bay, a comparison drawing of the bouncing bomb types and, slightly OT, a still
from a film showing a highball dropped from a RN Grumman Avenger:

 

[Justo Miranda]

Some additional info...

 

[Jemiba]

Interesting material!
Were those drops over land during testing for the intended use against
railway tunnels ?

 

[Justo Miranda]

Maenclochog tunnel

 

[Jemiba]

Thanks Justo, with that clue, I found this (see below, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/aberystwyth-online/2618679326/sizes/m/in/photostream/):
Some additions about Highball after another look into Murrays book: As a carrier for Highball
in service, the D.H 98 Sea Mosquito TR.33 was envisaged (maybe a clue for Skyraider to add
the nose radome ?), but the Sea Hornet, too. To prevent aircraft from being suitable for Highball
only, an installation was ordered by the admirality, that allowed for quick change of the equipment.
So, construction of a rack was started, that could be fitted into the Mossies bomb bay by just four
bolts. Remaining question for me: What about the Sea Hornet ? Fitting this rack into a belly fairing
just under the fuselage ?

 

[Skyraider3D]

Good stuff, thanks a lot!!

Semi-offtopic, here is an interesting but shocking video of an A-26 Invader releasing a bouncing bomb too low with fatal consequences:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCGpzRzY7fY

 

[Skyraider3D]

Show off

I'll try my best!

Hmmm I could show off the wingtip light, or perhaps the guns in these older work-in-progress shots?

 

[Skyraider3D]

Almost forgot about this experimental: NS993 was used by the Swiss to test the Mamba-derived SM-1 turbofan:

This is about the best pic I've seen of it so far. I hope there's more "out there" as this would be a really cool conversion!

 

[dogsbody]

Awesome work, Ronnie.


Chris

 

[Jemiba]

Semi-offtopic, here is an interesting but shocking video of an A-26 Invader releasing a bouncing bomb too low with fatal consequences:

Delivery of the Highball was a dangerous buseness ! Again from "Bouncing Bomb Man" three stills, showing DZ 579
crashing after the splash of a released broke of the tail plane.

 

[Stargazer]

It hasn't been mentioned before in this topic, but the "Highball" modifications on the Mosquito were performed by Vickers-Supermarine under the following designations:

• Type 463. This was the DZ471/G prototype conversion.
• Type 465. 33 conversions.
• Type 488. Further modification of DZ471/G with an air turbine.

 

[AeroFranz]

Show off

I'll try my best!

Hmmm I could show off the wingtip light, or perhaps the guns in these older work-in-progress shots?

I'm in awe. Hat's off to you.

 

[Skyraider3D]

Thanks for the extra info and kind comment respectively!

 

[bigvlada]

Pity I don't have any pictures of the torpedo bomber version.

 

[Skyraider3D]

Great find, many thanks for posting!

 

[hesham]

From Aeroplane Monthly 1996/5.

 

[Foo Fighter]

What happened to the model? Was it finished and can we see more shots please?

 

[riggerrob]

is your 3d model going to produce 3d prints?

 

[Skyraider3D]

Sorry for the lack of updates, somehow I only received the notification now. The model is something like 95% complete and still missing some details. I've however made a few pictures of it already, which I've included here. I've yet to get around to any experimental models.

First a quick test with post0war Turkish Mossie VI.



Artsy-fartsy all-white Mossie I did for a commercial company.



Lastly a quick D-Day-ish image:



Rob, I do have some 3D printing/resin casting ambitions with the Mosquito, but rather as modifications or updates to existing kits than a complete kit or anything.

 

[Archibald]

What.a.beauty. Stupendous art, bravo !

 

[Foo Fighter]

Bloody marvelous talent you have there, Sir.

 

[Skyraider3D]

Thanks very much!

 

[Justo Miranda]

Mosquito B.Mk XVI (PF604) modified as mother ship of the Miles M.52 rocket powered mock up

 

[yasotay]

Thank you for sharing. One of my two favorite aircraft ever.

 

[nuuumannn]

Simply stunning, Ronnie. Love your work.

 

[Calum Douglas]

Just for the interest of any particularly fastidious modellers present, here is the other photograph from the file at Kew, which
shows you a bit more of how the bomb-bay was shaped inside without the "highballs" installed. Sadly there are no
other photos in the file. I have three files on "highball" but the rest is entirely correspondence.

 

[hesham]

From Aeroplane Monthly 1996/5.

As request from a friend,the whole article.

 

[nuuumannn]

There was also a Mosquito with dorsal gun turret, but I'd be a heretic if I made that!

I would like to see what the turret Mossies looked like! Very few images survive of the two that were built. The turret armed Mossies were night fighters and looked roughly like your Mk.VI. The picture in Post #5 shows the Mosquito prototype W4050 fitted with a dummy turret to asses the effects of the guns in different positions, note the holes, and their effect on the aircraft's performance.

 

[Jason Dykstra (Wyvern)]

Originally fitted to a Douglas Havoc, the Turbinlite illumination system eventually found its way on a Mosquito. The Turbinlite involved a mixed system of radar and searchlight, whereby the radar would track an enemy aircraft until the nose-mounted searchlight would be used to illuminate the target. The Havocs were unarmed and required escort Hurricanes to engage the target. In summary, the system was cumbersome and of very little use and was quickly rendered useless by the entry into service of newer Airborne Intercept radar. However, that did not stop it from being tested on a Mosquito. This time, the aircraft retained its armament and would have made for a more capable platform.

For more information about the Turbinlite system, I highly recommend this (the very same website provided information and images for this post):

Blinded by the Light, The Turbinlite Havoc > Vintage Wings of Canada

 

[Justo Miranda]

On January 1942, de Havilland proposed the construction of a 445 m.p.h. day bomber capable of carrying 2,000 lb bombs flying at 40,000 ft.

The project, named “Aeroplane A”, was a 33 per cent scaled-up version of the D.H. 98 Mosquito with 18 degrees rear swept at the wing leading edge, powered by two D.H. Halford H.1 turbojets.

On June 1942 the Jet-Mosquito project was dropped because the production of the D.H. 100 Vampire jet fighter had priority in receiving the Halford engines.

Jet-Mosquito technical data

Powerplants: two de Havilland Halford H.1 centrifugal-flow turbojets developing 1,225 kgf static thrust, wingspan: 70.5 ft (21.5 m), length: 54.7 ft (16.69 m), height: 15.5 ft (4.7 m), estimated max speed: 445 m.p.h. (716 kph), estimated max weight: 22,000 lbs (9,979 kg) with 2,000 lbs of bombs and 2,524 litres of fuel, estimated ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,195 m), estimated range: 1,500 miles (2,414 km).

 

[Justo Miranda]

V.L. Vihuri



In 1943 the Finns were waiting to receive two crashed British de Havilland Mosquito, requested from Germany to serve as models for planned production. One would be repaired and another one would be teared into parts to make blueprints. The Finns are great wood workers and probably would have been able to circumvent the unavailability of balsa and Tego-film, with the technique used by the Soviets in the construction of the Polikarpov I-16, which already had been tested in the Pyörremyrsky. The Polikarpov fuselage was built in two halves, like the Mosquito, and each half comprised pine frames and longerons. The monocoque skin was produced from layers of birch strips glued cross-grained and molded on a former.

The new aircraft, called Vihuri, would have possibly been used as fighter-bomber with nose-mounted machine guns. It would have been powered by two 1,475 hp German Daimler-Benz DB 605 AC engines and used the landing gear of the Bristol Blenheim. It was estimated that its performances would have been inferior to those of the Mosquito because of its greater structural weight. Production plans would have delivered between mid of 1946 and December 1947, due to the overload of work that represented for V.L. the repair of fighters in service, the production of the Myrsky and the Mörkö-Moraani conversion.

 

[Jason Dykstra (Wyvern)]

Interesting, I had never heard of the Finns trying to reverse engineer the Mosquito. Were any prototypes built?

 

[Justo Miranda]

Interesting, I had never heard of the Finns trying to reverse engineer the Mosquito. Were any prototypes built?

no

 

[TomcatViP]

A Mosquito with GM-1 boost for their DB-605 would have been an interesting beast to see.

 

[Jason Dykstra (Wyvern)]

One interesting thing to note about the V.L. Vihuri is that Finland was banned from using bombers in the Postwar years. Was this cancelled because of these restrictions, or would it have circumvented them?