B-25 Mitchell
While recovering from a few major surgeries, I decided it was finally time to pull that B-25 model out of the closet and get to work!
I have to admit my fingers are not as supple as they were in fact I have somewhat severe arthritis in both hands so I had to develop ways to work with the glue and small pieces found in the kit-
The biggest complaint I have with most models is the paint-
I built a spray booth and primed each part after cleaning-
Then applied the matte green paint to most parts-
anything that needed additional paint wad done over the green.
I have to say for a first in 30+ years it came out quite nice!
I guess I could do better, but it was a start!
The bomb doors I left open and fitted inside the plane a wooden square dowel.
Drilled a hole in and put in a really stiff metal rod I found in the basement-
Drilled an award Planck and inserted the wire/plane assembly-
It will tilt and it looks nice-
As I said, it's a start-
I now use it as a photo-model-
The Burgundy back drop is a velour blanket.
That's it!
Haven't figured out how to paint the propeller tips yet, but that will come in time-
I have a B-29 I'm working on now and I'll post that later-
It's much larger than this and that's an issue with presentation and protection from breakage!
Have fun and keep the fingers nimble!
Richard Gorman
[email protected]
Very nice!
This Revell B-25 kit was my reintroduction to model building a couple of years ago.
Congratulations to being back in modelling despite your illness!
Nice job!
I built the Monogram B26 Marauder a few years ago and put it on a very similar display stand. (I assume yours is the old Monogram kit)
It would be great to display them next to one another, but I guess there might be a geographic problem to solve first.
Any start back into modeling is a good start! Welcome back. Great job on the Mitchell - one of my favorite aircraft. There's just something about those gull wings and twin tails!
Nice!
How did you do the propeller tips?
The easiest way I've found for yellow prop tips, is to simply put a piece of tape at the appropriate place on the tip (cover the rest of the prop) and shoot (or brush) on the color. When dry, just peel off the tape and you're done. Paintin' 'em white first - THEN yellow - will give ya a brighter color. As for canopy framing (without having masks) are strips of decal (black will do in a pinch). Other than that, you seem to be off to a good start (or restart, as the case may be)...welcome aboard. You'll like it here on iModeler.
Richard, welcome!
Whose B-25, and what scale? I'm guessing Revell/Monogram, and 1/48th?
(I've been wrong before, and often)
As another suggestion on canopy framing, Bare Metal foil comes in silver, and they had a black, used for car model trim. Adhesive foil in a sheet, cut off what you need, depending on width and length. Or make your own with thin kitchen foil and adhesive of some sort.
Hello Richard...Nice to see your work on that B-25 Mitchell. Glad you've come back to the hobby and hope to see more of your work in the future. Craig's suggestion about painting prop tips is absolutely the best way to do it. I would add that it's far easier to accomplish that task before gluing the props in place. As for masking the canopy and other glass areas, a canopy mask is by far the best way to go but if not, you can work with a straight edge and a sharp #11 blade to cut thin strips to mask the glass area. I use the blue painters tape for my projects when a mask is not available. Painted canopy frames sort of add a finishing touch to a model. Like painting the prop tips, canopy masking is far easier to do before gluing the parts on. You did a fine job with the base and mount and it's always nice to see a good looking Mitchell.
Great build and welcome.
Looks like a pretty neat build, welcome back to modelling, and welcome to iModeler.
Welcome back Richard, and remember it's a hobby it's suppose to be fun and enjoyable. You'll learn lots of tips as you begin building again, this web site is full of great modelers who are willing to share ideas and advice.
Welcome back nice build
I never met a B-25 I didn't like. My inspiration for building these kits has been the movie "30 seconds over Tokyo". Lots of real planes and models. What better subject to reignite a hobby. Looking forward to seeing more builds of yours Richard.
Thanks for all the kind words and information!
I'm working on a B-29 now that turned out bigger than I had expected and a rebuild of an old Cox JU 87 Stuka that was painted by a neighbor of ours who happened to be the Air Force Artist. It's dinged up a bit but looks really original. with a few parts it should look great! Anyone know where I can purchase a Clear lucite cover for it? The dust really is hard to get off! Thanks