Popular Post general melchett Posted January 16, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted January 16, 2018 (edited) Hi guys, another year, hope you're all fighting fit and raring to go. This is a pre-production build of the new Airfix B-25C/D Mitchell that I finished in November for the January issue of Airfix Model World magazine. A great little model of a very impressive aircraft. There were a couple of issues with this example though, one possibly to do with the pre-production nature of the kit, the other more a simple fix really. On this example, the height of the right side of the rear fuselage where the tailplane sits was some 2mm higher than the left which meant that the horizontal tail sat at an odd angle. Some simple, but careful filing of the fuselage top surface was needed to bring everything into line and hopefully, this problem is only restricted to this example, but it's something to look out for. The other issue concerned the location of the main gear legs which is a tad suspect as the leg just clips into a shallow trough on the undercarriage roof which led to a decidedly wobbly assembly, especially with those big balloon tyres. The easy answer was to add a couple of brass rods to each leg to stabilise the parts. Thankfully these are hidden inside the nacelles and can't be seen from the outside. I realise this doesn't sound ideal for a new release particularly in regard to folks new to the sport but hopefully, full production kits will improve on things. The rest of the kit is good though as ever some details aren't quite correct such as the fact that Desert Warrior had a .50 cal position in the lower right position in the nose glazing meaning that I had to drill out the glazing and fit a gun from the spares box. The canopy pilots side window had a noticeable flow line so was removed and an acetate replacement added. This, in turn, meant I could have the window open adding a bit more interest. Decals are good and went on without issue and the choice of markings was definitely interesting. Optional parts are included for the two versions including engine nacelles, dropped or raised flaps, positionable flying surfaces and different windscreen framing. The bomb bay is nicely rendered as are the four 500 lb bombs complete with stencil markings. Look forward to the RAF Mitchell II later in the year... Hope you like it. Cheers Melchie Edited January 16, 2018 by general melchett 91 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 A splendidly military aeronautical masterpiece, as ever, your Generalship, Sah! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 I was thinking I might get away without buying one of these, I fear you have forced me to think again. Nice job Melchie Cheers, Stew 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazyeagle Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 (edited) Didn't know there was a variant with an underside turret. Nice build. Edited January 16, 2018 by lazyeagle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempestwulf Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Hanging out for the Mitchell II later in the year, I do love RAF markings on US types. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAG058 Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Another absolute beauty from you GM. Did you conduct some wizardry for the photographs and backgrounds? I like the effect. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 EXCELLENT !!! Desert warrior is one of my all time favorite B-25’s please tell me this is a kit option decal ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 Thanks chaps, always appreciated. Quote I was thinking I might get away without buying one of these, I fear you have forced me to think again. Well worth the admission fee Stew, I really think you should indulge. Quote Didn't know there was a variant with an underside turret. Thanks, both the C and D models originally had the turrets fitted as standard but due to problematic issues, they were deleted mid-production run. Quote Did you conduct some wizardry for the photographs and backgrounds? I like the effect. Cheers, not really, Picasa provided the backgrounds and text...the photos were taken on my Nikon D7200 fitted to a Manfrotto tripod, using three studio strobe flashes fitted with remote triggers, a reflector brolly...oh and some white card, a mirror and a bit of smoke... Quote EXCELLENT !!! Desert warrior is one of my all time favorite B-25’s please tell me this is a kit option decal ? It certainly is and very nice they are too. I agree, a good choice by Airfix...these desert birds got very tatty so you can have a bit of fun with the weathering. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave N Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Extremely nice B-25 General sir!.| looking forward to this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbudde Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Old Airfix back again? Remember Mr. Cross of course. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson Duvalier Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Nice build. I'm a bit jealous, Melchie. I've had two of these on order since September or October, hoping to finish one for an IPMS meet in February... but the release date keeps getting pushed back. I wanted to be the first kid on the block! Still can't wait to get my mitts on them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJJunis Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 That is excellent! Very well done. All the Best! Don 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 More than any other release announced by Airfix, this is the one I've been itching to get my paws upon. Good to read that the problems are easily sorted, old friend. Bought a decal sheet months ago, all I'll need is a masking set and it'll hit the bench virtually as soon as it arrives !! Great build, Andy. Ian. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Very pretty Mitchell. Thanks for the warning about the undercarriage; I can't tell from my I-pad's interpretation of your photos if Airfix have mounded flats on the main wheel tyres which might help a bit. I'm waiting for the RAF version too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 (edited) Quote I'm a bit jealous, Melchie. I've had two of these on order since September or October, hoping to finish one for an IPMS meet in February... but the release date keeps getting pushed back. I wanted to be the first kid on the block! Thanks, Jackson, we tend to get the Airfix test shots and pre-production kits well ahead of time so that the build article coincides with the kit's release, or as near as possible...but it doesn't always quite work out like that as you can see. Hi Ian, how goes it on the far side? Quote More than any other release announced by Airfix, this is the one I've been itching to get my paws upon. Good to read that the problems are easily sorted, old friend. Bought a decal sheet months ago, all I'll need is a masking set and it'll hit the bench virtually as soon as it arrives !! I don't think you'll be disappointed, it's a lovely little number and yes the problems are easily sorted, many may well find the undercarriage OK as is, I just wanted it to stay put, especially with the amount of nose weight needed to prevent the dreaded nose-sitting. Here's an in-build shot of the correction, the nose leg just clips into place...(the bomb bay doors were painted aluminium later in the build). One word of warning...as mentioned, it needs a lot of weight up front, I also ended up cramming some in the engine nacelles to be sure. The engine facings are rather nice too, just a couple of lengths of red lead wire, some dry brushing and AK washes added...two styles of cowling are included, smooth-faced and those fitted with the Clayton flame dampers to enable all variants to be built. Just hope Airfix continue and produce the awesome solid nosed 'strafer' heavy gunships... Edited January 17, 2018 by general melchett 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 That's lovely General. Nice to see an option for the ventral turret, must be a 1st in 1:72nd? Cheers John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Cracking build mate, rather looking forwards to getting one of these. The stash of red boxes is getting bigger! love the photos too. Can’t beat a desert scheme, especially when it’s painted as well as yours 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 Thanks chaps, very kind of you, John, Quote Nice to see an option for the ventral turret, must be a 1st in 1:72nd? I think you're right, the only other early B-25s were the old Italeri B/C, the Monogram B/C (snaptite) and ancient FROG Mitchell II which has been repopped under different companies many times. Graet to see a modern-day tooling. Quote rather looking forwards to getting one of these. The stash of red boxes is getting bigger! Hi mate, thanks for that...looking forward to receiving the Mitchell II at some point, a real must for the table... Just hope they continue with the Bomber Command theme, a nice new Battle, Hampden and Albermarle (in both scales), among a few others would go down rather well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 Lovely, another thumbs up from me. I'm glad you mentioned the weight as B-25 kits are notorious tail sitters and I was going to ask how much you added, a lot, clearly. I can't wait (well I'll just have to) for the RAF Mitchell to be released so I can finally put my collection of Frog, Italeri and a Hasegawa donor kit plus various AM stuff safely out of sight. I'm not normally a builder of the victorious Allied types but my next door neighbour's father won a DFC leading a flight of Mitchells on a daylight raid over Holland and I had decided to build her Dad's aircraft (or at least a 1/72 scale facsimile) for her. When Airfix announced a new kit I gave a great sigh of relief as the alternatives involved skills that I really don't possess (general modelling skills) so I'm looking forward to assembling one of these instead. Thanks for the heads up on what to watch out for when the kit finally arrives. Duncan B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted January 18, 2018 Author Share Posted January 18, 2018 (edited) Thanks Duncan, as I said you won't be disappointed, a decent Mitchell II is very welcome. Great to hear that you're building one for such a good reason too, I imagine he's got many a tale to tell. I don't remember just how much lead I shoved in there but I put it everywhere it would fit including the engine nacelles, luckily Airfix has given us a decent amount of space between the cockpit floor and the bottom of the fuselage, just have to be mindful of what can be seen through the bomb aimers crawlspace. Something I didn't mention earlier was using Key Publishing's excellent new B-25 Mitchell volume 2 of the new Combat Machines series that Chris and the lads at Key have been working hard on. Everything you need to know about the aircraft is in here, styled very much with the modeller in mind, it's well worth getting hold of... Melchie Edited January 18, 2018 by general melchett 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempestwulf Posted January 18, 2018 Share Posted January 18, 2018 I see they've used a whole clear piece for the side windows like they did for their B-17G/Fortress III. I don't recall seeing sprue shots yet but is there an option for waist gunner positions? Simple openings vs enclosed bulged windows would be neat. DK Decals have released a really sexy set of markings for B-25's lately (see below) so one day...maybe one day I'll build both a Mitchell II & B-25G. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Lovely job as usual,.....I`m really looking forward to building a few of these when they eventually arrive!! I bought the magazine solely for your article,....again!!! Cheers Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael51 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 I so want this kit. Have two on back-order. Michael 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roman Schilhart Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Beautiful model, I"m really looking forward to this kit! Greetings from Vienna, Roman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 Thanks chaps, Quote I see they've used a whole clear piece for the side windows like they did for their B-17G/Fortress III. I don't recall seeing sprue shots yet but is there an option for waist gunner positions? Not in this issue of the C/D (the kit portrays the earlier airframe) but who knows what will be released later down the line, if a J or H are on the cards then the parts will allow all variants to be built. Personally other than the hard-nosed G and H 'strafers' I'd really like to see a Marines PBJ-1D with the APS-3 search radar nose option at some point. Quote I`m really looking forward to building a few of these when they eventually arrive!! I bought the magazine solely for your article,....again!!! Cheers Tony, long time no see, hopefully catch you at one of the shows this year, (or maybe Neil can arrange another museum trip). Sorry to cost you a few bob...there are quite a few more to come I'm afraid Greetings and thanks Roman...you'll enjoy the kit, I'm sure... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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