Review: Corgi 1:32 DH Mosquito FB MkIV "Black Rufe"

[tmanthegreat]

I got one of these today from The Flying Mule. I was initially undecided about getting the plane due to the hefty price tag and the fact that I've had a Corgi 1:32 scale Mosquito ( Mosquito B "Moncton Express") but, I decided to bite and in the nick of time... Given that this is the first 1:32 Mosquito Corgi has released in the past several years, its likely to be a quick seller. Did anyone else get one?

Anyways, in terms of a review, The Flying Mule has excellent pictures of the actual product on their website and I've posted a couple here as well.

The Flying Mule pictures: http://www.flyingmule.com/products/CG-AA34605



As for the plane itself, there is a ton of diecast in the construction and its a VERY heavy model. I'm glad to see that at least Corgi still includes a lot of metal in their aircraft - a lot of the other companies seem to be drifting away from that...

The plane is quite well detailed with lots of moving parts, characteristic of the Corgi 1:32 scale line. Flaps and ailerons move, elevators move in synch, the rudder moves. Gears are retractable, cockpit door opens (directly into the cockpit) and the bomb bay opens. The cockpit is detailed with the two painted crew figures, seats, the radio equipment, and flight controls. Instruments are not painted for whatever reason... The bomb bay is well detailed with two bombs fixed inside. There are two more bombs mounted on external wing hard-points. The .30 cal machine guns and 20mm cannon ports are detailed as well. Side panels come off the engines to reveal a detailed interior and the Merlin engine. Main gear doors come with the pieces to display them in the open position or closed, just like all the other Corgi Mosquitoes. The model can be displayed on the ground or in flight.



Overall, I am very pleased with the model and feel it was worth the purchase. One is getting a lot of plane and quality model for $200. When you consider that a lot of the smaller Corgi 1:32 planes (especially some of the more popular P-51s and Bf-109s) sell in the high $100s to well over $200, then the giant Mosquito really is a good buy. If you have one of the bomber variants, the fighter bomber version is significantly different in appearance to avoid duplication. If you are on the fence about this one, I would say go for it. Corgi items always seem to keep their value

[cjg476]

Thanks for the review Tman. I been on the fence about this one also but it looks good on your shelf.

[cnq]

Thanks for the excellent review and pictures. It's one of my favorite plane. I own several Corgi 1:72 planes but do not have any thing in 1:48 or 1:32 from them. The mosquito looks impressive in bigger scale.

[tmanthegreat]

Made a small error in my description above. Corgi released a near-identical 1:32 Mosquito last year (the Amiens Raid "F for Freddie" version) and it sold for about $150. So "Black Rufe" was not the first new 1:32 Mosquito in several years as I said above... Still, the new version is worth it if you can find one - they seem to be selling quickly!

[snake]

Glad you decided to go for "Black Rufe", Tman.

It is a Fighter/ Bomber version, so looks significantly different than Moncton Express, or the Photo Recon version, already done.

I picked up the "F for Freddie" version about 6 months ago, my third Corgi 1/32 Mossie. So this was a reluctant pass from me, as Freddie and Black Rufe just look too similar.

The Corgi 1/32 Mosquito is an impressive piece of diecast, and has a lot of weight to it, with a good amount of metal in the construction.

Always funny when somebody gets their first 1/32 Mossie. They can't believe the size of the box it comes in.

[cjg476]

Sold out at the mule already.

[plasticgeneral]

Q#1) Did your Mosquito include any ground crew figures like other past issues did?

Q#2) Are the pilot figures removable?

Plastic General

[tmanthegreat]

plasticgeneral, to answer your questions about the Corgi Mosquito fighter-bomber tooling...

1) It did not come with ground crew figures, but I believe this was standard for their solid-nose fighter bomber tooling. Previous releases like the Amien's Raid Mosquito did not have the ground crew. My first 1:32 Corgi Mosquito Moncton Express III (pictured above) came with the two ground crew, detachable 4000 lb bomb, and bomb trolley, but not the new version.

2) I do not think the pilot figures are removable... Typically with the Corgi 1:32 planes, when pilot figures are included, they are fixed. That is in contrast with 21c and FOV where the figures are removable. Given that on an actual Mosquito aircraft, the cockpit was entered via a side hatch and the canopy didn't open save for a sliding window or emergency exit, I can see where Corgi simply decided to permanently fix the Mosquito's canopy in place. The side entry hatch does open on the Corgi model directly into the cockpit, as it would in real life.

[plasticgeneral]

T MAN, would you be kind enough to post photos of the two ground crew figures?
If you ever wanted to sell them, I'd give you $50 for the pair.

Plastic General

[Axis Nightmare]

Ironic, isn't it? A model of a light weight wooden airplane made of heavy metal.

[ketelone]

... and they are heavy. I have an earlier Mosquito and had considered hanging it. It's just too heavy. Models and 21st are much, much lighter. Even the FOV planes are quite heavy.

[tmanthegreat]

Yes, its an incredibly heavy model. While the use of large amounts of diecast is in the best of Corgi's tradition, for a scale effect, they almost would have been better making parts of the plane out of a heavy plastic or resin. Would have made the plane lighter and given it a more realistic feel...

* * *

plasticgeneral, here is a picture I took 3 years ago of the ground crew on my original Corgi 1:32 Mosquito bomber, "Moncton Express III". The standing pilot figure is FOV and came with one of their Spitfires. This picture is actually floating around on another thread in this forum, but I found it using Google



Thanks for the offer, but unfortunately, the figures, bomb, and trolley are not for sale. I want to keep the set complete

[plasticgeneral]

I !@#$% LOVE THEM!
Now I want then EVEN MORE!
Where would you suggest I post an offer, some people don't really care for the figures.

Plastic General

[tmanthegreat]

Yeah, I like them too. They were a nice addition to the Mosquito bomber model, allowing it to have a variety of display options. Interestingly enough, though, they are plastic figures, not metal like the ground crew that came with some of the Corgi single-engine fighters.

Not sure where you could make a post to find them... Perhaps one of the diecast model forums or someplace like that. I think some of the other more savvy members could direct you to the best one. I wouldn't recommend posting here given that this board, overall, does not have a diecast focus...