The book

SAM Publication's second reference in their Aviation Guide serie deals with the Mosquito FB.VI and has been written by Dave Brown. The A4 size book has a soft cover and is made of 96 pages in total. Below is the complete table of contents:
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 - History
- Chapter 2 - Fudelage Structure
- Chapter 3 - Wing Structure
- Chapter 4- Tail Unit
- Chapter 5 - Engine Installation
- Chapter 6 - Undercarriage
- Chapter 7 - Fuel system
- Chapter 8 - Hydraulic & Pneumatic Systems
- Chapter 9 - Electrical System
- Chapter 10 - Cockpit
- Chapter 11 - Armament
- Chapter 12 - Camouflage & Markings 1943-1945
- Scale plans 1:48
- Appendix I - RAF Squadrons
- Appendix II - Mosquito FB.VI Production Data

The content

When we want to purchase an aircraft reference book, the first question we modellers have to ask to ourselves is "what kind of information do we need for our project?" Indeed, the spectrum is rather large between historical facts, color profiles, walkaround pictures, technical drawings etc... Sometimes a book is meant to cover everything (though the danger is that it might end up being superficial in some places) and sometimes it focuses on one aspect of the subject only. The latter is the case with this Mosquito book by SAM Publications, which is obviously aimed at the detail freaks amongst us. If you want to know the story of the aircraft, it's operational use and the differences between variants, you will have to find it elsewhere since little is written about this in Dave Brown's work. However, if you look for a primary info source about the technical characteristics of de Havilland's "Wooden Wonder" then don't search any longer, this book is what you need! It comprises masses of original technical drawings cleverly coupled with walk around pictures of real aircraft. Once you will have gone through the whole book, the Mosquito won't have any secret for you anymore, from the longest hydraulic pressure line to the smallest screw.

The structure and layout of the book are well done and make it easy to find the information needed. The photos included have been shot at the Mosquito Museum situated at the de Havilland heritage Museum in London Colney. Three airframes have been photographed:
- The prototype Mosquito W4057
- Mosquito FB.VI TA122
- Mosquito B.35 TA634

A chapter is dedicated to the camouflage & markings of the aircraft with profiles covering 29 different machines. 8 pages of scale plans in 1:48 are included as well.

Conclusion

SAM Publication's Mosquito FB.VI book is an extraordinary source of reference for modellers. With the mass of info provided, you won't have any excuse anymore for not getting the detail and painting right on your model. Highly recommended!

SAM Publications books can be purchased directly at the SAM Publications website.

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