Hi John (@johnb). I taped some fishing weights to the front of the engine pods and determined that almost 3 more ounces would be required to bring the nose down. I am considering using the rear crew ladder to prop the plane up into a proper stance. I could scratchbuild some boxes and glue them around the base of the ladder. This might be OK, since this is a cargo plane.

Hi Stephen (@stephen-w-towle): At first I was thinking I could glue some boxes around the rear crew access ladder. After all, this is a cargo version. Wouldn't even need a diorama base. I was really worried about adding 3 more ounces. I drilled into the engine pods and about 1 1/2 ounces. I then drilled into the back of cowlings and added about 3/4 of an ounce. It just barely balances now. I suspect that when I add the wheels it will change the stance slightly and it will be fine. This is probably the heaviest plane I have built, so I have my fingers crossed that the gear will do its part. I am waiting for the clear gloss to dry, then add decals. Weathering after that. I will be glad to be done with this one.

George,

Looking at Lou's photo's of the weights he used, you might want to invest in some white metal landing gear.
SAC makes a set for the Monogram kit and they also have made a set for the HKM kit. Looking at one mail order site, they wanted 20 dollars for the set. Ugh. Add some piano wire to replicate the brake lines to further stiffen the set up. On my kit I ended up cutting a short section of brass tubing as a mounting base. I then glued it into the plastic wing with epoxy. It maybe over kill. The amount of weight needed to not make the kit a tail sitter is amazing. Unexpected, given the weight of the plastic.
SAC48439 1:48 Scale Aircraft Conversions - B-25J Mitchell Landing Gear (HKM kit)

I had contemplated weathering the NMF before I added the decals, but I decided to add the decals first, and then seal them with a semi-gloss clear. The weathering I plan to use will work better on something other than a gloss surface. I am piecing together the markings from several different sets of decals from my spares. Most of the decals came from a set of Caracal Decals for a 1/48 H-21 helicopter. The decals are basically done except for the serial numbers, which I will need to piece together from separate digits. Cheers.

3 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Nice work on the decals, George @gblair

I added the rest of the markings I needed for the plane. The registration number (7 digits) and the buzz number (2 letters and 3 numbers) were added to each side of the tail using individually cut decals for each digit and number. Needless to say my eyes were crossed by the time I got all of the numbers and letters on the plane and then got them reasonably level and spaced correctly. I also added the engines and nacelles to the wings, smoothed the join with the vent on top of each engine, and then repainted the area. There was an additional small amount of weight in each nacelle. The plane will definitely sit on its gear correctly now, but I have a deep concern over the structural integrity of the gear struts with all of this additional weight. I plan to buy some metal struts when I build this kit again. I still need to create and add several antennas. Those will come tomorrow. Then it will be time for a clear cote and some weathering. I am slowly crawling to the finish line. Cheers.

3 attached images. Click to enlarge.

Thanks, Louis (@lgardner). This has been an interesting build simply because it encompasses so many things I haven't done before. I have to admit that it has drug on long enough and needs to be done. The unexpected issues all lead to periods of hurry up and wait while something dries, which extends the build on and on. The good news is that I work on my train layout while I am waiting for stuff to dry.

The next B-25 build I want to do is a B-25J used in the Korean War as a radar ferret. It will involve all of the changes done for this one, but it will also need a new nose. I may wait a while before I tackle it. I also want to do a trainer version of the B-25D which requires no changes.

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.