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PBJ-1J USMC bomber


Fifer54

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I'll have a go with this B-25J.

mitch006.jpg

As you can see, it's the Revell/Monogram 1/48 offering.

I've been meaning to build this as a PBJ-1J of the US Marine corps, but seeing as one of the schemes on offer in the kit

is for a New Guinea-based aircraft, I may actually do that.

I have found a photo of a PBJ-1J without a radar pod, which was what I wanted to find out, 'cos I knew the vast

majority of them had radar pods, so finding one in 2x blues/white without a pod means I can build this OOB as a USMC

machine- anyway I'll cross that bridge when I come to it...

Here are the kit's other mugshots

mitch007.jpg

mitch009.jpg

Gotta love those instructions with captions and descriptions in English only, not multilingual diagrams...

I'll hope to make good progress with this, I want it to be well under way by the time my own GB, the Emergency Services GB

starts (I do mean the GB I'm hosting, not my own personal GB. you understand!)

Edited by MadNurseGaz
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The New Guinea machine B-25J-22 #44-30561 "Jaunty Jo" 398th BS, 345th BG "Air Apaches" was flying from Clark Field in the Philippines when it was lost on the May 26th 1945 mission to bomb and strafe the Byoritsu oil refinery on Formosa, hit by flak at very low level it crashed just beyond the target, there were no survivors.

I have quite a bit of info on B-25's should you need it.

Cheers

Phil

Edited by Red Dragon
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HI

A great idea. If do not know you can go there.

Patrick

Thanks for the link. I hadn't seen that site before. Very interesting.

Also, I think I may be able to expand my options as to what aircraft I choose to depict. In the stash I have a 1/48 Revell

(ex-Monogram) F4U-5 Corsair. Included on the sprues in that kit is a radar "pod" to mount on the leading edge of the wing

to build a F4U-5N night-fighter. I think I'll (at least attempt to) create a wingtip radar pod from that to allow me to choose from

a lot more PBJ-1Js...

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Deffo, building a PBJ now! My F4U-5 has now donated its radar pod

mitch012.jpg

Here's where it goes. On the Corsair nightfighter, it goes on the leading edge of the starboard wing, but on the

PBJ, the pod is mounted on the wingtip.

mitch010.jpg.

So, I got out the trusty Dremel clone

mitch014.jpg

marked up the wingtip

mitch013.jpg

and after a quick pass with a grinding wheel, the wingtip was amputated, and the pod "slotted" to suit and then

cemented in place.

mitch015.jpg

So now I'll leave it for a couple of days to let the cement cure fully, and then I'll blend it in...

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Fantastic you made the right choice with this leatherneck Mitchell. The radar pod from the F4U is a good idea.

Some years ago I made a PBJ-1H and I love the blue/blue/white scheme.

Patrick

Edited by VG 33
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The cockpit is ready...

mitch016.jpg

The flash has bleached out the interior green in the photo, it's proper interior green, honest!

OK, the fuselage is ready to close up, next time you see her she'll be pretty much an assembled

airframe. Then the real work starts...

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Nice cockpit even if I think your interior green is closer to a UK one than a US one.

Patrick

I know, Patrick! The flash for the photo has really bleached out the colour. In the plastic the colour is a Zinc Chromate green- a

proper apple green...

You remember I said that the next time you saw her, the airframe would be assembled...

mitch018.jpg

Next, fillfill, sandsand...

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Fast as a shark... :guitar: but it's nice as well.

Patrick

Nice VERY Nice.And DAMN fast too!

It's not me, it's the kit!

Typical old Monogram, this kit has a small number of big, well detailed (for its age) parts, and just flies

together to the assembled airframe stage. most of the joints have just needed a few strokes with a sanding stick.

Just(- just he says!) detail assembly and painting left. At least the decalling will be easy. From what I can gather

PBJ-1s tended to have only national insignia and an ID number...

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Looking good, :thumbsup2:

Mitchell Cheers,

ggc

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Now she's Blue!!

mitch027.jpg

and white!

mitch028.jpg

The B-25 has become a PBJ!

Decals next. The thing with PBJs is they tend to only carry national insignia, with or without

identification numbers, so decals for individual aircraft aren't really an issue. A "generic" PBJ

in "stars'n'bars" only is as valid as building MB15 of VMB-611...

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M.N.G. Looks good, let's go find some Japanese inter-coastal shipping and have a strafe..... :mg:

Cheers,

ggc

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