Meanwhile, here are the latest pictures that show the end stages of this build.
The landing lights and the pitot tube were installed. The area surrounding the landing lights was painted with Flat Black. This was done per the North American painting specs for the B-25J series aircraft. The tip of the pitot tube was painted using a Molotow chrome pen. The tips were shiny and made of stainless steel.
The barrels for the 8 fixed .050 caliber MG's were painted and then pressed into the modeling clay that also served to add weight inside the nose cavity. Once I got them lined up, I gave them a little bit of Tamiya Extra Thin glue to help secure them in place.
The fuselage mounted side MG's were also painted with Model Master Metallizer using the Gunmetal color. I placed some tape behind the barrels to keep from accidentally getting paint on the sides of the fuselage.
-
1. radio altimeter antenna
2. One here too
In many pictures I have of B-25's that flew in the 42nd Bomb Group, (which the 100th Squadron was a part of), I have noticed they had radio altimeter antenna's mounted under each horizontal stabilizer. I "borrowed" these from leftover parts that came from a previously built 1/48 Tamiya F4U-1 "birdcage" Corsair.
The crew entry doors were detailed to make them look like they have chipped paint. Then the entry doors were installed.
On some aircraft, these crew entry doors can be seen in wartime color pictures and they were left left unpainted. So if you are building one, and decided to go that route with "natural metal" used on the inside of these entry doors, you would also be correct. Either use a Yellow Zinc Chromate, or simply make them look like they are bare metal, and you will be good to go.
This shows how I chipped the entry doors to look as if they have been used and display typical wear and tear on the YZC.
This shows the bomb bay doors have been glued in position permanently.
I gave the engine exhaust some more dirt and Methyl Ethyl Lead stains in the exhaust. These lead deposits in the exhaust show up as a tan color when viewed on top of a darker color like the OD Green.
I used some silver "Rub N Buff" to make the back sides of the propellers look as if they had been sand blasted by coral dust that was often present on many of the South Pacific Theater runways. I like using the rub n buff to do this, because it is kind of transparent, and you can still see what is left of the yellow warnings on the tips of each prop blade.
I ended up coming back with more and made it look more uniform.
Then it was time for the decals. Thankfully this particular B-25 did not have too many markings on it, other than what we see here. It did not have a known name, or any nose art.
When these B-25J's were delivered to the unit, they were unpainted natural metal. They had a bare metal finish, so they were painted with OD Green (or the equivalents) and Neutral Gray on the underside as a camouflage paint. This painting was done in the field by the maintenance units. They seemed to keep these B-25's in good condition as far as the paint goes. In most photos, these aircraft do not have too many chips in the paint. I probably should have added some more, but I was pressed for time. I'm lucky I to have finished it by the deadline.
Which was bumped up to 8PM on April 7th Eastern Standard Time in the USA. The time zone in the Philippines is a day and 12 hours ahead of our local time, because it passes over the International Date Line.
By posting the model in the headlines section earlier than anticipated, I am able to get it in the headlines exactly 80 years to the date of the tragic accident, that claimed 6 men's lives on this fateful morning.
These are some pictures showing how the B-25 looked once these decals were applied.
After these photos were taken, I added some more dirt, dust, grime, oil, and exhaust stains. The decals were sealed using some Testor's Lusterless Flat Clear spray from a rattle can.
The small antenna was added under the nose, but unfortunately I did grab any pictures of this until today...when I was taking the pictures of the B-25 that will be used in the headlines section.
So please look out for the article to show up in the headlines section in about an hour from now.
I want to take the time to thank each and every one of you for following along during this build. It is a story that I have wanted to tell for many years, and now I have finally accomplished my mission.
I also want to give a special shout out to all of you who have been so kind to leave comments and words of advice and / or suggestions to make this turn out better.
This was sincerely appreciated, and I am grateful for your actions.
Take care everyone... and,
as always, comments are encouraged.
Take care and stay safe.
