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DONE -1/72 Italeri B-25B Doolittle Raider - 75th Anniversary


Dermo245

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Hey everyone,

Well the Group Builds seem to be coming thick and fast these days!

I've always wanted to do a B-25, probably since first seeing the Airfix kit back in the day - remember that? 3 kit options in 1 box! Fantastic stuff.

With it being the 75th Anniversary of the Doolittle Raid this year, I thought it was appropriate to do something marking one of the most amazing feats in aviation...flying a big twin medium bomber off an aircraft carrier. 

 

This kit, bought many years ago online from a hobby shop in Italy

 

35334386003_c9533774f2_b.jpg

 

And this scheme...

 

35749698380_5a6eac5684_b.jpg

 

Probably mostly OOB all the way and will have some fun.

 

Good luck with your builds!

Cheers,

Dermot

Edited by Dermo245
photos fixed
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I've been looking for this kit at a sensible price for a couple of years Dermot; it's not easy to find.

 

Really looking forward to seeing how it goes together; great choice of subject :thumbsup:.

 

Best regards

TonyT

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

So a quick pic of what's in the box..

 

36619550716_6b85f2a836_b.jpg

 

Made a start on the cockpit..

 

36666177715_34dc1e60aa_b.jpg

 

And with some paint. I also added some boxes to the sidewalls to make them a bit more interesting.

 

36651107806_a24c3bd5a0_b.jpg

 

Cheers,

Dermot

 

Edited by Dermo245
photos fixed
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  • 3 weeks later...

So a bit more on this one..some belts and cushions for the cockpit and a new seat for the bombardier.

And the start of lots of weight under & behind the cockpit!

 

36273518254_4daf6c93e6_b.jpg

 

Front end painted up and with belts too.

 

36296093283_48b6443e60_b.jpg

 

Cockpit added. The bulkhead behind the cockpit wasn't there on B-25's but it's with the kit and handy for hiding the weight back there. I also made a little box to include some more weight.

 

36967389091_5b95f0e894_b.jpg

 

Fuselage joined up which fitted quite well though there were gaps around where the wings met the fuselage.

 

37108785515_ef7569dd77_b.jpg

 

Some more weight added to the front of the engines - these are fishing weights held in place with white glue.

 

36273513434_6266bc2c03_b.jpg

 

And the moment of truth - we have a nose-sitter!

A quick test fit with the vertical tails showed it needed some more weight so I added this to the engines and under the bombardier's floor

 

36296099523_19cd229fab_b.jpg

 

Off for some primer next.

Thanks for looking!

Dermot

Edited by Dermo245
Flickr fixes on a Friday
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Excellent progress.

I used the weights associated with wheel balancing only because they were flat and sat easily under the cockpit section  . . .

 

Would I be right in thinking that they carried no guns or ammo to save weight but carried additional fuel in jerry cans which they threw out once emptied ??

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On 10/09/2017 at 09:08, Mancunian airman said:

Excellent progress.

I used the weights associated with wheel balancing only because they were flat and sat easily under the cockpit section  . . .

 

Would I be right in thinking that they carried no guns or ammo to save weight but carried additional fuel in jerry cans which they threw out once emptied ??

Apparently they used painted broom handles in the gun positions. It is one of the few things they got right in "Pearl Harbour"...

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On 9/10/2017 at 9:08 AM, Mancunian airman said:

Enllent progress.

I used the weights associated with wheel balancing only because they were flat and sat easily under the cockpit section  . . .

 

Would I be right in thinking that they carried no guns or ammo to save weight but carried additional fuel in jerry cans which they threw out once emptied ??

 

2 hours ago, John_W said:

Apparently they used painted broom handles in the gun positions. It is one of the few things they got right in "Pearl Harbour"...

 

Yep, spot on John. Apparently they also painted black stripes on the tail cone to give the impression the broom handles could move up and down!

 

@Mancunian airman Other modifications included removing the radios, Norden bomb sight and the ventral turret. They kept the Bendix top turret but it was prone to hydraulics issues and had a nasty tendency to stress the fuselage skin when fired on low elevation - they added a metal sheet to help with that. They also got deicer boots added to the wings, a 160 gallon rubber fuel bag tank; ten 5-gallon fuel cans; and a 225 gallon tank in the bomb bay. I can highly recommend Craig Nelson's The First Heroes which is a great read about the training, the crews, the raid itself and the aftermath.

Edited by Dermo245
typos!
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  • 1 month later...

So a bit more done on this one, all with Revell acrlics and a brush. Grey for the undersurfaces and Nato Olive Green for the sides and upper. 

When that was done, I masked up and painted the de-icer boots, Revell Matt Black.

 

38264234951_e9b93f7b99_b.jpgItaleri 1_72_B-25B_fuselage_9_paint by

 

 

Because I wanted to make sure I didn't have a tail sitter, I left off the clear nose part so I could mask it separately and add some more weight under the floor. Unfortunately when I went to fit it, it was too wide all around for the fuselage. The cockpit glass also seems too wide when test fitting. :doh:
I think a small shim in the fuselage nose might help spread the sides a little wider so that you get a more positive fit - anyone who built the old Airfix Sea King will know this one! 
After a couple of rounds of filling and sanding to try and blend the nose as best I could.

 

38264234831_7c9000acae_b.jpgItaleri 1_72_B-25B_fuselage_10_paint by

 

38264234541_d53b589595_b.jpgItaleri 1_72_B-25B_fuselage_11_paint by

 

 

 

And with some paint on......a little better. I'll reinstate the raised detail with some pencil panel lines and should hopefully look better when it gets a coat of Klear on top.

 

37553560774_0f47f20a5b_b.jpgItaleri 1_72_B-25B_fuselage_12_paint by

 

37553559804_41b9c454f3_b.jpgItaleri 1_72_B-25B_fuselage_13_paint by

 

 

Thanks for looking.
Dermot

Edited by Dermo245
text linking to images
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And with the new paintwork glossed up so I can get to the decals...all 10 of them.

 

37685760134_36b025a733_b.jpg

 

And with the decals and final glass bits added. As most of the detail is raised, I went over that with a pencil to show up for the panel lines.

From pics I've seen, the mission a/c were quite worn/weathered so I tried to fade the upper surfaces by drybrushing with a slightly lighter shade of the main colour (which is Revell Nato Olive green). She also has a Flory Models wash for the recessed detail.

 

38368781962_30444bf509_b.jpg

 

Flat coat next and we're done.

 

Cheers,

Dermot

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And with final parts added, she's done. The drybrushing was toned down quite a bit by the final matt coat.

Overall, happy how it's gone together and looks like a Mitchell, especially as it's a kit from the 80s.

The masking could have been better (lesson learned) and for hairy sticks, I'm happy with the finish.

 

38400037661_434c939e6f_b.jpg

 

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Will post some more pics in the Gallery, thanks to the CliffB and Milktrip for leading an excellent, Radial-lovers GB and appreciate all your comments!
Cheers,
Dermot

 

Edited by Dermo245
Fixing photo links
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13 hours ago, dogsbody said:

Looks great. One question: are the propellers painted black or are they grey? In the photos, they look like unpainted plastic.

 

 

Chris

Cheers Chris.

I painted them Revell Panzer Grey (same as the tyres) as I felt black would be too black if you know what I mean? I weathered the edges with some drybrushed aluminium.
It's hard to tell from the original 1942 pics....they're probably black. But definitely no yellow tips, that's clear from the pics.

 

All the best,

Dermot

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