Revell B-25J
Trying to clean up the cowlings...
After 3 days of off and on work, the wings and cowlings are almost cleaned up. "Perfect Plastic Putty" is a godsend.
I forgot why I don't build Revell anymore. I want the bomb-bay doors closed. Revell wants to learn geometry.
At least the 6 part tail section went together relatively well.
After about a week of work, the wings have had the considerable seams at the nacelle's fixed, the leading edges worked, and are coated in Future ready for Alclad.
Fuselage together. Not a terrible fit (except for the bomb bay), but like the wings/nacelles, there will need to be more than a little sanding and scribing.
Test fit of the wings and tail to see how much more weight I will need to make it sit correctly.
It took 2 coats of bondo, a coat of perfect plastic putty, some mr. surfacer, and lots of sanding to get the bomb bay gap closed. The red dots are bondo in sink marks.
Bombardier's position with Norden bomb-sight, actual seat, and other PE bits.
Canopy is masked and installed. Top seam of fuselage is filled, sanded and scribed (the nose is still slightly uneven, but I will fix that when I install the forward glass)
Getting close to applying the base coat of Future on the fuselage.
Base of Alclad Aluminum is down. Going to hit that with micromesh, highlight some panels, and so on. The front bird-cage is only affixed temporarily. Once I get everything finished, I will install the .50 cals and glue that down.
Well, things were going too well. Masking off the different panels with Tamiya tape, and I pull off the whole wing tip. I sanded it down smooth as I could. I am going to try to cover the whole wing in future then repaint the wing tips.
Change of plans...
I abolutely hate that I had trouble with the Alclad. I was looking forward to a NMF B-25. That said, I'm kindof digging how it is turning out.
Love these barrels
The 'field expedient' OD on top of the NMF is finished.
The deadline is quickly approaching. While I wait on the nose art decals to arrive, I've started applying the generic markings. I can get that under gloss clear coat and start on the wash and weathering while I finish up the turret, ladders, & gear.
The kit pitot tube was just a lump of misshapen grey styrene. I decided to make my own out of some spare brass rods that I had, and a little piece of PE that I cut out.
Solid, Jackson!
Ready for dull cote.
Getting close to complete. Still working on the base. Needs props and aerial wires to be finished.
Finished! More pictures to come.
Comments
16 November 2015, 22:24
Wim van der LuijtCount me in for this one.....Have one in my stash as well so I am curious to see how it builds up
20 November 2015, 10:08
Clifford Keesler@Wim, mine built up really nice and it was OOB. I want to do another one with some aftermarket stuff.
20 November 2015, 15:18
Wim van der LuijtThat's good to hear Clifford, I already have Dutch markings for mine.....the rest of the stash is just kind of in the way 😄
20 November 2015, 18:39
Clifford KeeslerI know what you mean. When I get the chance I will take some pictures of mine.
21 November 2015, 20:35
GaryVery nice!! I think that if you turned the bombay doors around they might have fit better. I did mine with them open. Gary
9 December 2015, 18:45
Derek JordanGary, I actually tried that when I was test fitting. At least in my kit, the orientation of the doors didn't have any noticeable difference. Question: what is the routing of the antenna that go from the top of both vertical stabilizers to some point on the fuselage near the turret? I can see the wires are there in pictures of B-25J's but can't tell what they actually attach to.
9 December 2015, 20:02
GaryThe antennas stick out on the side just aft of the cockpit. I'll have to post some pics of mine. I converted it into a gun nose with the bird face. Gary
10 December 2015, 17:22
Derek JordanWim, thank you. Yes, this required more putty and sanding than I enjoy in a model. But, because I had been preparing it to be NMF, I had put more effort than was required into the seams. In the end, it looks great (to me) with the OD over NMF.
10 December 2015, 20:52
Derek JordanClifford, thanks! I'm finally feeling like I am making significant headway after feeling so bogged down for awhile.
10 December 2015, 20:53
Derek JordanGary, I would like to see the pictures. I've found some schematic type drawings that show the aerial wires, but I just can't tell where exactly they meet the fuselage. Maybe seeing what you did will help.
10 December 2015, 20:53
Derek JordanAll, what are your thoughts on painting the framework on the turret canopy? I've read some things that say that the framework is actually just overlaid plexiglass and that the framework wasn't painted. But, I've seen pictures that seem to indicate otherwise (as well as the instructions, and instructions for the masks from Eduard). Anyone have the definitive word?
10 December 2015, 20:54
Derek JordanOh, note that the front birdcage over the bombardier's station is simply held in place with tape. Once I get paint and decals on, I will install the guns and affix it permanently (hopefully with no gap if the test fit holds true).
10 December 2015, 21:59
GaryHi Derek, I added a B-25 album yesterday. It includes pics of real B-25's. It can be found here. Your doing an excallent job.Gary
B-25J | Album by centaur567
11 December 2015, 12:56
Derek JordanWell Ladies and Gents, that one is done just in time for me to get it gifted and out the door tomorrow. I hate that my cell phone can't take better pictures of the glass (it looks uneven and really bad in the pictures, but not that way in person). The reflections make things look really wonky in these photographs that don't in person. Odd. Anyway, thanks for coming along on this journey. Your thoughts, tips and critiques are appreciated. Thanks and Happy Holidays to all. See you in the new year for the Reddit F-4 groupbuild.
19 December 2015, 04:37
Clifford KeeslerTotally awesome Derek. Wonderful job. You should be very proud of this one.
19 December 2015, 20:12
Derek JordanThanks Clifford. There were several times I wanted to throw it against the wall and be done with it. Glad I saw it to the end. 🙂
19 December 2015, 21:53
GaryGreat job Derek!!! What made you change from NMF to OD? Your NMF looked very nice. Gary
30 March 2016, 12:15
Derek JordanGary, the Alclad pulled up as I tried to mask sections off. I decided that was due to a residue left behind from a tac cloth I had been using.
30 March 2016, 12:58
Gareth WindsorI can't believe I missed this. I've bought the same model specifically to try scribing. You've done a great job......again.
3 April 2016, 04:04
