North American B-25G Mitchell, RNMFS, Italeri 2787, 1/48
North American B-25G Mitchell, RNMFS, Italeri 2787, 1/48
This build was started almost nine months ago, making it the longest build after my return to this hobby. Various reasons caused this long lasting construction, one of them was the huge amount of details on the interior which unfortunately is not visible anymore.
Background:
I received this wonderful Italeri (actually Accurate Miniature) kit from a good friend for my birthday in November 2024. While doing some research I discovered that this G-variant was also used by the Dutch for training in the US. Starting May 1942 the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School (RNMFS) was formed in Jackson Mississippi. This school was formed to train pilots from Dutch East Indies. Not many pictures are present of the used aircraft but the most interesting one is aircraft 42-65102 seen while escorting Princess Juliana on her travel from the US to Suriname. To extend my collection of Dutch aircraft I decided to build this one.
Build:
Like always, I like to work on the interior and the details provided by the kit were quite nice already but I still decided to order new seats and some PE to give it an even better look.
Prior to this build I always wondered how this hidden belly turret worked. The detailed interior of this kit clearly revealed how it was operated.
Before closing the fuselage, a lot of weight had to be added into the nose, for this solid nose variant there was sufficient space available. My only worries were about the strength of the nose gear. I balanced the aircraft in such a way that it was just leaning towards the front so that there is minimum weight on the nose gear.
Wing air intakes were not accurate for this aircraft, therefore 3d printed ones were ordered as well. Cutting the incorrect molded ones out of the wings and positioning the correct ones was not an easy task. Making the new parts integrate smoothly into the wings was a lot of work.
A lot of work was also required to fit the nacelles nicely, maybe it was because of my clumsiness, but there were quite some gaps to fill. Engines are nicely molded and fit nicely.
The main landing gear struts were upgraded by scratchbuild brake lines.
Of course I also succeeded in snapping off the machine guns at the front of the aircraft, maybe better because it made it more easy to handle.
Painting:
Prior to painting I applied masks which are really helpful, especially with the amount of windows on this aircraft. I used Montex masks but as known, those do work nicely on flat surfaces but on curved ones, they simply do not stick. In those areas I had to do some cleaning afterwards, not a big deal. The aircraft was entirely in OD and, as can be seen on one of the original pictures, the left wing had a darker region. This was likely due to the overspray of the US marking, I did try to replicate this on this model as well. Using a slightly brighter OD, just a drop of white added to the base color, I tried to create a bit of shading at the various panels. Because of the dimensions of this model, the wings and fuselage were painted separately prior to joining them. Panel line wash was used as well to give it a bit of dirty look.
Conclusion:
Although this kit does need some attention, maybe some errors caused by myself, it can be built into a great model. The detailed interior gave me a lot of pleasure building this kit. It was also great to be able to build it with Dutch markings.
A special thank you to my good friend in Groningen who gave me this kit for my birthday.
Lots of thanks to everybody who participated in the build thread and provided me with valuable information and support.
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- 1. the original aircraft with oversprayed US marking
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- 1. original aircraft photographed while guiding the princess' aircraft.
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- 1. extras used to enhance the kit
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- 1. nicely detailed
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- 1. lots of details
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- 1. nacelles needed a lot of attention
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- 1. here as well
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- 1. mounting the correct inlets
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- 1. and outlets
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- 1. brake lines added
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- 1. engines are nicely detailed as well
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- 1. painted the wings and fuselage while they were still seperated
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- 1. montex masks are a disaster on curved edges
A beauty John. Some stick bits overcome nicely, great internal and engine detail, excellent paneling and great shading. A tribute to some good skills.
@vicbalshaw, thanks a lot, Vic. There is always room for improvement but in general I'm pretty happy with the results myself.
Very nice work on this Mitchell ! The interior detail & painting is fantastic !
Well done John @johnb !
@ssgt, thank you, Jay. No idea why, but working on the interior has always been one of my favorite part of a build.
You certainly did a stellar job on this B-25’s interior, the whole airplane looks amazing. I like it.
A very nice addition to your collection of Dutch aircraft, John, as you say, the interior detailing is especially impressive.
@chinesegeorge, thanks, George. Glad you like it, even though it is a military topic. Next will be the VW.
Great job! Really amazing John.
@lucapigozzi, thank you, Lucca
Congratulations dear John!Liked it!
@mvtb, thanks a lot for liking it, Marcus
Well done, John. Excellent paint/panel lines work, and your effort around added details such as brake lines, original photos, interior equipment, engines, overspray, etc., really paid off. Despite the timeline (LOL, although timeline & modeling shouldn't be used in the same sentence), your B-25 turned out fantastic!
@jroamer, thank you, Joe. Time is definitely not the important factor, it's all about fun and that is definitely what I had with this build.
That turned out great, John. Excellent paintwork.
@j-healy, thank you, John
The result is outstanding, John (@johnb), even if it took a while to get done. I really like the paint and shadowing, and the decals went on perfectly. All of the extra work really paid off, and the wait for the completion was worth it. Well done.
@gblair, thanks a lot, George. It was a pleasure to have you following the build thread and thanks for the provided feedback during the building phase.
Great job, John
@gwskat, thank you, Gary
Nine months sounds about right, John. A little early for wine but just right for a model kit.
Amazing work on your Mitchell. Excellent work on that detailed work.
@georgeswork, thanks a lot, George. Various real life interruptions were the main cause. But for this size of kit with the many details it still would have taken severe time, but definitely enjoyable time.
Congrats John! You made it to the finish line at last! Your G variant is superlative and a testament to your modeling skills.
@eb801, thank you, Eric. Glad you like this G variant. To be honest, my skills are not that great compared to many other builders but least this build taught me some new approaches which hopefully can be used in next builds as well.
Every build is a learning experience, isn't it? I gather you have recovered from your bike crash judging by this one.
@eb801, yes it is. Personally I'm doing fine, but my hearing did suffer a lot, most high frequencies are gone since the accident. Experimenting with hearing aids right now.
Nice job, all the work you've done paid off, I don't think that I ever saw one of these with the hood [bonnet] open great work.
@roofrat, thanks, Robert. Just a coincidence that this bonnet can stay in an open position. I do like it as well and it is the position it has in the cabinet now as well.
A lovely B-25! Nice work.
@gkittinger, thanks a lot, Greg
Fantastic, John. Loved following along
@blackadder57, thank you, George. It was a please to have you following along.
Very nice build John, @johnb. I haven't been able to be on here too much but did find and follow your build at the end. I really like the finish you achieved. I agree the Accurate Miniatures kit may not be perfect but with a little attention builds up very nicely. Even if you can't see it the interior is fun...and in your well done.
@luftwaffe-birdman, thank you very much, Walt. Nice to hear that you were still able to follow the build and liked it. It was my first experience with Accurate Miniature (Italeri in this case). A nice kit with lots of details and very enjoyable.
That's a well done Mitchell, looks great inside and out. Yeah, I hate vinyl masks on curved surfaces. I use them as patterns for making my own from Tamiya tape.
@chasbunch, thanks a lot, Chas. That 's a great idea to use them as a mask for Tamiya tape. Should have thought about that earlier. Made a note about this approach for next time.
Looks pritty good!
@lis, thank you, Bernard. Enjoy your holiday.
John @johnb, thank you for taking the time to write, photograph, build and pull back the curtain of John B's world of making a B-25.
You can find many Accurate Italeri B-25s on the net,however, your gifts and talents have made your build unique and you own this one. You have put the John B stamp on this build. Congratulations.
@stephen-w-towle, it did became sort of a story indeed, Stephen. One with a happy ending. Thanks again for this great compliment.
Great job John! I like your comments about building the interiors that won't be seen. I like doing them as well, I just get a kick out of seeing what's actually inside those fuselages, and how people would have fit in. I've never built that kit - does it come riveted or did you add that? Scott
@slyle, thank you, Scott. I fully agree, this is also how I learned how those blanked belly turrets did work. It does indeed show clearly how cramped the space was inside the fuselage for the crew to operate the aircraft.
Turned out fabulous, I've enjoyed watching your progress on this one. The shading looks spot on and all the extra attention to detail really paid off. Perfect 10 out of 10. Bravo!
@dbutlr, thank you, David. Even though this is quite a large model, the painting turned out better than I expected on such a large surface. Painting the wings and fuselage while they were still seperated did help a lot in handling.
Well done! I wasn't aware that Dutch had any B-25's in Europe. I suggest that, in your spare time, you read a copy of INDESTRUCTABLE by John R. Bruning. It is the story of how the US Army "requisitioned" all of the Dutch East Indies B-25 and converted them into gun ships in the field without North American knowing about it. It is a very enjoyable read,
@jsummerford, thanks, John. The Dutch, 320 squadron, did use the glass nosed Mitchell from a base in England. If I'm correct this G-variant was only used at the Military Flying School (RNMFS) in Jackson Mississippi. Thanks for sharing that title, definitely going to search for it and read it.
A wonderful B-25, John! Fantastic article, as well. It was a pure pleasure to follow your build!
@fiveten, thanks a lot, Spiros. It was a real pleasure to have you following this build.
G’day John @johnb She looks fantastic mate, worth every minute of time you put into it. Congratulations on a stellar result.
@popeofchillitown, thank you, Ben. Glad you like it.
Beautiful building. The details inside are breathtaking.
@milantesar, thanks a lot, Milan
G’day John (@johnb),
It is great to see this one over the finish line. I have two of these (a D strafer nose and a G) to build one day and I’m sure I’ll go back over your build log for tips.
It is also great to see a Mitchel in Dutch colours, although I am surprised at the lack of the tricolour on the wings.
Built to your usual high quality.
Liked!
@michaelt, thank you, Michael. Missing the Dutch nation flag on the wings is also what surprised me. The original picture however confirms this. It could have been because this was an aircraft stationed in the US and used for training. Looking forward to see your D and/or G being build.
Wow John @johnb you certainly produced a great looking kit.
The Dutch military that fought in the Pacific need to be remembered and honored.
@kahu, thanks a lot for the compliment, David. I agree, those boys need to be honored, they fought against an enemy which was unbeatable at that time.
Nice looking build there John (@johnb) in markings you rarely see. I am working on one of these AM Mitchell aircraft at present (although it is an early C/D version)