LOL! this is a funny thread!
I've been using mosquitos as photo props for a long while now. back in the mid 80's my BSA troop had a Mosquito build and fly at least once a year. Many of my scouts painted their models in Camouflage colors and generally flew them on A3-6T or A10-3Ts I can't recall recovering many regardless of the color or motor selected even down to 1/4A3's.
I made a six model "rainbow" swarm of mosquitos in 1990, all finished in Flourescent colors and have used the swarm to photograph most of my other models since. Looking at my OOP kit stash list I noticed I do indeed still have a single 801 kit listed tho I haven't actually put my fingers on it, and still have above 2 dozen BNC-5V nose cones used often on 13mm competition models.
I think the part I find really funny here is Upscaler complaining about paying 1.05 for a turned balsa nosecone. If you think about the time it takes to make one, materials and equipment involved the price seems more then a fair. As I mentioned in another thread if you think buying cones is to expensive these days, do what many of us do; Turn your own.
As for cloning mosquitos, it's just about the easiest model in the world to do. I've made more then a hundred over the years for the scout troop and other youth groups as a quick and easy fun fly model even the youngest Tiger cubs can slap together.
As Mark II mentioned if you want to ensure you'll get it back and still have a decent flight profile, convert the model for MicroMaxx motors. I've even gone a step further by incorporating a rear ejection motor pod with Teflon plumbers tape streamer that further helps spot and recover the models. If you build the model as light as you can ( Hollowing out at least the shoulder of the NC ) you can get about 90-100foot flights out of them
a Little 9" x 1/2" teflon streamer brings them back easy and a lot slower so they can be seen on the way down.... Even in darker colors.
As for the difference between building a mosquito clone or kit, once a model is painted unless you tell people it's a clone. NOone will know the difference LOL!!!!!!
Hope this helps a little.