Manufacturer: De Havilland

Model: D.H.98R

Name: Musketeer

Type: Fighter

Date: 1941

Status: Experimental

Country: Great Britain

Service: Royal Air Force (evaluation only)

Designation: none

The De Havilland D.H.98R Musketeer was a single-engine high-altitude interceptor prototype whose purpose was to obtain the lightest and fastest possible configuration with a Mosquito airframe. With the wings free from the engines, large fuel tanks could now be accomodated. What was lost in power was gained in weight since there was now one less crewman and no underwing pods.

A photograph of a Mosquito B.Mk XVI (right) was used as a basis. I had to remove the underwing tanks and the engines, and redraw the leading edges. The toughest bit was to lighten up the camo so it became a single light color shade all over. Adapting different markings on such a slanted fuselage was a bit of a pain in the neck, but grafting a single engine onto the fuselage was really the fun part.

I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that the Musketeer would have been a heck of a flyer!!!