PM Models Focke Wulf TA154 "Moskito" 1:72 Full build. A failure?

[@marcblank3036]

fantastic result. I do not get the complaining part. Scalemodelling is a hobby which helps you develop many skills, which you clearly have. A model is rough diamond that becomes brilliant through effort and knowledge. These days I can't be bothered with all these super expensive and highly detailed kits. More fun to try and make a low quality kit the same

[@767bob]

I agree with you, I've been building model kits since the mid-60s. Not afraid of building vacuum forms, model kits that are old or model kits that needs work. We get too fixated on kits that has to be perfect and to be honest with you there's nothing perfect out there. So we should just enjoy what we have and make it a great Hobby.

[@marcblank3036]

@@767bob Thanks, Bob. Exactly as you put it

[@silver082]

Totally agree, there are kits easier to work on though.

[@Leviwalker617]

Love your work, even what you say are some of your worst results look better than most of my best ones.😊❤

[@jeffyoung60]

The TA-154 Moskito harbored great potential as a Luftwaffe night fighter. But the construction of its many structural wood components relied on a specialized hot glue manufactured by just one plant. The Allies bombed the plant. There were no comparable hot glue alternates. Messerschmidt was forced to rely on a weaker cold glue substitute. The resulting prototype worked, but it's weaker construction made it risky to fly. As a result the Luftwaffe decided against mass production. The TA-154 remains an intriguing, "what if?" In the annals of military flight aviation.

[@MGB-learning]

Outstanding video and presentation. I built this model too. In the end with a "lot of work" it came out OK..... This kit helped build up my talent/skills to complete even the worst quality kits.

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Thank you very much :) it WAS indeed a challenging kit.. (and not in a good way) ;)

[@hubristicmystic]

I LOVE your turntable! A microwave plate, genius

[@michaelgriffith381]

Just bought this I hope mine isn’t as bad as yours 😮. Fantastic build and painting I wish I was at your level of expertise 👍

[@jcgabis5546]

I love these kind of videos! “Ka Ka” kit vs master model builder! Beautiful1:72 Ta-154 This is an amazing hobby!!! JC : )

[@wbpsmodels3452]

I'm no master model builder by no means.. but thank you nonetheless :)

[@alpaslanertungealp9563]

This what regular modeling used to be when I was a child. 70’s and later. Well done. PM has some interesting kits not produced by others.

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Yes, I remember that era (early 70's)... However, I was too young and too inexperienced to appreciate the fine details (or notice the lack of them).. I remember building my first kits (if I recall correctly, they were Matchbox and Heller) on 6th grade and not even paying attention to the color schemes... As for removing parts from the sprue, my tool of choice at that time was a nail clipper.. It took me some years to learn even the concept of weathering.

[@od300380bvv]

great build! Awesome video! It is bad for me that retro kits so underrated in youtube! (( I like to build some old airfix or frog kits sometimes! Very nostalgic feelings from childhood.

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Thank you for watching. The "vintage" series of Airfix will bring you back all those memories.. (along with all inaccuracies and excess flash ;)

[@MothaLuva]

The „missing“ panel lines on this one are not too wrong. It was built mainly of wood. You also won’t see too many rivets because of this, consequently…

[@wbpsmodels3452]

I know... didn't expect many of them.. but there WERE some parts were there should be panel lines and rivets... ;)

[@MothaLuva]

@@wbpsmodels3452 Of course. I meant just in general, if leaving them out completely for example on this one, a Mosquito or even a Vampire it’s not too far off especially in 72 scale.

[@wasrio1403]

@@MothaLuva there weren't just panel lines missing but all the service panels too.

[@silver082]

Hey, I have the same side cutters, got them for USD 3.00 from a local hardware store, very convenient as Tamiya's are way too expensive. I have the same kit still in progress. I removed some plastic from area behind the cockpit, that made sanding for fitting the wings easier. I made some cuts to the wings to give it more dihedral. I want to build a later version with Jumo 213 engines, but that requires lenghtening the rear fuselage (unwillingly adding weight) and new engine pods.

[@fischikawa]

This model was a nightmare, but You resolved the problem quite well. Another question- if you wanted a FW TA 154 model why didn't buy a Dragon one in 1:48???

[@wbpsmodels3452]

I wasn't particularly looking for a TA.. I was merely browsing the e-shop to replenish my stock... I saw it.. seemed interesting (and cheap) so I decided to give it a try to see what PM was about... Won't do it again! :)

[@AreeyaKKC]

PM is good for being a clean slate. Tons of opportunities to scratch build and become a better modeler. It is accurate in lack of rivets since the aircraft was made out of wood. Like the dehavilland mosquito. Many crashed because of poor glue and delamination in flight.

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Indeed it was a wooden plane but according to some research there were some rivets in a few places, like the rudder - which I tried to reconstruct. Thanks for watching :)

Greet work. Very nice Moskito. Greetings. Aleš 😎👍

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Thank you very much!

[@KevinBower-gy5be]

I'm a precision toolmaker who CNC machines tooling for plastic ejection moulds. I just finished one for a set of internal components for an audio manufacturer. The tooling cost £22,000. So don't expect Tamiya-level quality from a tiny manufacturer. Just be grateful that someone, somewhere took the time, trouble and investment to give you a Ta154.

[@lewiswilliams5837]

Very nice work. I built their Huckebein awhile back. One question however, did you find the bottom seam to be horribly fragile? I heard a few people saying the seam has a tendency to split quite easily

[@wbpsmodels3452]

I don't recall having noticed such fragility... i DO remember that I had to fill the seam with some putty but I can't say I thought it was very thin and hence fragile... At any rate, I won't bother with PM models again. Thank you for watching. :)

[@brinx8634]

Although it took a bit of work, I built this and I was quite pleased with the result. Good fit and nice detail, it went together nicely and I had no problems. OH....wait a second.....that was the Ta-15 Hasegawa kit. 🙂

[@wbpsmodels3452]

hahaha.. I'm sure Hasegawa is way better than PM Models.. (Airfix, Eduard, Tamiya, Revell, ICM, Italeri and several more makers are also better :P )

[@brinx8634]

@@wbpsmodels3452 Yes it's a much better kit that uses photo-etch for antennas. I have a PM Model kit as well that I will build sans radar. Fingers crossed, I hope it turns out as handsome as yours. You've done a fine job on the old dog.

[@stevenanderson236]

Very nice work!

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Thank you :)

[@MothaLuva]

Not a failure for sure. I love this style kits. Just finished building the old Airfix Hampden…with some extensive rework here and there. If I may suggest something: the radar antennae had the same angle coming out of the nose on the upper pair as on the lower (looking from the front. Or rear..). On the model the lower antennae seem to be parallel to each other coming straight down. The interior of German planes including landing gears, wheel wells etc, also early cockpits (not on this one, this one was painted in RLM 66), was generally painted in RLM 02, a grayish green colour (with the usual exceptions to the rule).

[@wbpsmodels3452]

According to @Brett Peacock 's comment on another built (on my Revel BF109), "German fighter cockpits were ALL dark grey (RLM 66), including sidewalls, after 1941, not the lighter RLM02 primer color". Since this plane was "late" (post 1943), I opted to go with RLM66.. As far as the antennas go... They decided to follow the laws of gravity on their own... I didn't use "fast" glue on that one... my mistake. Thank you for watching and commenting :)

[@MothaLuva]

@@wbpsmodels3452 Regarding the cockpit colour, that’s exactly what I wrote in my comment…

[@ianfraser1773]

Very good build with a bad kit, I do like your videos keep up the good work 👍

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Thank you very much!

[@georgelyons9845]

Would have put that in the bin once Id seen inside the box. Love to see some videos of Greece, beautiful country.

[@wbpsmodels3452]

I mostly took it up as an "easy build" between builds... wasn't so... Thank you for watching. :)

[@ChristianSchroter-ok4sk]

Hello mr.wbp!the little bird seems 2me like a nice fastdish for the mojo.with sticky greetings from Brandenburg germany.faithfully yours.your modellmate.christian

[@csiga79]

And I thought the hasegawa kit lacked details 😬

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Never built a Hasegawa kit yet.. But judging from several vids I've seen, they are quite decent. This kit was a disaster. Thanks for watching :)

[@csiga79]

@@wbpsmodels3452 the Hasegawa is in my stash... It's 1/72 but the cockpit is pretty sparse... You did a great job making it decent!

[@csiga79]

@@wbpsmodels3452 have you seen the Gas Patch models Me 163B Komet? It's amazing, and I believe Gas Patch is in Greece! 😉

[@PanzermansBunker]

Marvelous work taking a poor kit and polishing it into a gem. ZI liked the camouflage paint scheme. Too bad there was no aircrew figures in the kit. Happy modeling. Bill

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Thank you very much.. I wouldn't call it a gem... still has problems. After a while I was somewhat dishearted and didn't want to invest too much effort in that kit, since I have other real gems in my stash. I enjoyed the joke with the figures.... lol. Take Care :)

[@karljones9357]

Done well there, with how bad the casting was, it turned out pretty good. Well done. I’ve made a note to keep away from models made by that company.

[@wbpsmodels3452]

So did I! no more PM for me. Thanks for watching :)

[@Jelly-B]

It's a top class modeller that can make a bad kit into a great looking model

[@wbpsmodels3452]

I wouldn't call it "great looking"... and I'm definitely not top class... but thank you for your kind words

[@seantighe3077]

The PM kits are how I remember kits when I started building. Now I have just restarted modelling I fancy a couple to hone my skills. Filling, sanding, adding cockpit details, reshaping...all will get tested by such kits. I dont understand the obsession aircraft modellers have with 'flash'. You would be sanding down the seam lines anyway(wouldnt you?) and flash comes off with ease. It's also handy as a resource for fabricating small details that are either missing or removed by sanding.

[@kourampiedaki]

Omg its amazing

[@antonioromanoneto7054]

Cara! Eu tenho esse kit! Que vergonha, é o mesmo molde e nem pra fazer uma versão melhorada a PM Models fez. Ja vi que vou ter muito trampo pela frente. Parabens pelo seu TA 154.

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Muito obrigado :)

[@barrywhitfield930]

Well done! I think I would have lost interest in that kit pretty quickly! Lots of flash and very poor fit to be sure, but still you managed to make a decent build of it!

[@wbpsmodels3452]

I was tempted too.. But it was a kind of challenge.. Thanks for watching!

[@michaelvalenzuela2528]

PM models are good Starter Kits.

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Judging from this one, I'll disagree... the amount of flash, fit inaccuracies and overall bad quality are prone to disappoint a newbie and push him away from the hobby. A starter kit should be indeed simple but satisfying too..

[@TheIronHordesman2]

@@wbpsmodels3452 I built their TA-183 and YAK-15 kits when my father gave them to me when i was a kid. I re-purchased them for like practically nothing again. Their smaller kits are generally better than their larger ones, TA-183 has like 20 pieces maximum. For model sculpts that have stated the same since the 80's and are the same kits that even my father built, they're workable, not OK or good. Workable.

[@wasrio1403]

Great build even with a crap kit👍

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Thank you very much :)

[@mikemontgomery2654]

Yikes! That kit looks about as bad as the real plane was for quality. You are far braver than I for tackling it.

[@wbpsmodels3452]

LOL.. and to think that when I ordered it, I thought "let's buy a cheap and easy kit to do between builds.."

[@richardmitchell2274]

Two junkers jumo 211 engines, with round radiators

[@bankamarvin2269]

These are the models I like to build. Anybody can make a Tamiya kit look good.

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Thank you :) Glad you enjoyed it!

[@robbo1068]

This looks like one horrible kit....reminds me of the ones I used to build back in the 1960s when the quality was much to be desired. Kudos to you for sticking it out and completing the job......you certainly managed to get it done and decently enough at that.

[@wbpsmodels3452]

Even in late 60's (more like early 70's, when I started into the hobby) I recall kits with way better quality that this abomination... Then again, you wouldn't expect much, given the origin of this model... At any rate, everything is a lesson learned :) Thanks for watching !

[@alial-zubaidi4662]

At the end it is a cheap kit. I remember building one two years ago and it was a surgery 😅😂

[@maxbrandt6]

Yeah, PM Model (sometimes known as Pioneer Models) are not the best at what they do and their model kits just barely pass for okay but their Lippich rocket plane and their Horton Flying Wing kits go for somewhat high prices for some weird reason and those are basic at best. Enjoy that "flashy" kit! 😄

[@wbpsmodels3452]

As far as I'm concerned, I won't even consider buying another kit from this company... I'll stick to what I know ;) Thanks for watching!

[@giorgiomoretti9434]

IT NEEDS A LOT OF IMPROVEMENTS TO OBTAIN A DECENT REPRODUCTION OF THE REAL BIRD. PERHAPS IT'S (OR WAS) VERY CHEAP...

[@АндрейШмырев-ж3з]

Жуткие ,дрова,...рука так и не поднялась...

[@nathanielpea5819]

I wish I'd seen this before I bought the kit. It's absolutely the worst kit I've built in years

[@wbpsmodels3452]

ditto on all accounts :) Thanks for watching :)

[@vogonpoet5860]

I am a fan of what if models, with finite display space, so when i saw the PM range i lost all sense and bought 6 kits. what can I say ? PM models are 100% consistent, POOR DETAIL, NEAR NONE EXISTENT COCKPIT, SUB STANDARD CANOPIES, FLASH OVERLOAD (suggesting these kits were repopped, repops of repopped kits) , THICK DECALS, FIT ISSUES ( Parts all needed either cutting ( not sanding, the Moskito wing section was 5mm bigger then the recess it fitted into) or a ton of putty, PANEL LINES NEAR INVISIBLE and finally PARTS ACTUALLY MOLDED INTO SPRUES. CONSISTANTLY THROUGH THE RANGE. a shame because these seem to be the only kits for these planes. true they can be built into half decent models, but the work is frustrating and becomes work rather than fun. "but for the price !!!!!" £for £ i paida few pence either way the same price for airfix, hobbyboss, revel and ICM kits and only PM had the problems, even the famously ropey old airfix kits were superior to these, i paid £8 for PM Huckerbein, i paid £8.99 for hobbyboss mig 15, both 72nd and comparable subjects. the Mig had good recessed details, basic detail cockpit, clear and engraved canopy, basic level landing gear, ordanance, ok decals, almost no flash, fit was good with minor fettling or putty ,locator pins, prduced a decent model out of the box, even before paint or decals. the PM kit was100% the opposite. so price isnt an excuse.

[@fasold2164]

Do you really think that the actual aircraft had such an overall dirty appearance? It's unrealistic, filthy and the paintwork is partially wrong: some of the framing of the cockpithood is missing (as is the small window on the upper side behind the hinged canopy), the radar antennas (apart from being too thick) were black or black grey and not silver. It's the same with the flame dampers, they were painted in a special heat resistant paint called "Kemik schwarz". The shape of the rear edge of the propblades is not correct. They had a recess, so they could be turned to the idle position. The dotted line of the wing walk areas is not properly aligned. A failure? I don't know how you judge your modeling capabilities...

[@wasrio1403]

You need to remember that modelling is about the modeller not the kit. Each person will build what they want to whether that's building a realistic true to the original or just building it stand alone. The points you mention aren't wrong however, you should be a little more considerate. I'm currently building the same kit and boy it's terrible, so how do you build it? Out of the box or do you try to fix all the inaccuracies. For this I've decided to fix all the problems as best I can and its been a mamoth task. The are many other areas you missed with regards this kit like engine cowlings are too small rear nacelles are too short and narrow, the Fug 220 are too thick etc. If you want to build this kit accurately then you're no longer building a kit but crafting. Anyway my point being each to their own. This build is pretty good considering, ib world do sonnets differently but that doesn't matter its not my model. Happy modeling everyone.