1/48th Mitchell II - Allied Advance and Defense of the Reich WWII.

[Crimea_River]

Good start Terry. Yes, as I pointed out to Geo, wait for all pics to upload 100% before hitting the "full image" button in the insert pane. You should then see all your full-sized pics in your draft post. You can then scroll down to the space you want, hit "enter" a few times to create space to add your text between pics. This last step is still very finicky to me and I find I need to play around a bit to get the space to show up where I want it.

 

[JKim]

Nice start to the build Terry! Will be paying close attention to the cutting part... something I need to learn more about.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Andy and John, and thanks for the tip Andy.

 

[Airframes]

Found out a bit more about my subject.
W/Cdr. Hamer and crew flew FW-192 on 29 November, 1944, bombing a bridge at Zwolle. Flak was intense, and several Mitchells in the formation received minor damage, FW-192 had it's controls badly damaged, but managed to stay with the formation. On the return journey to Melsbroek, Hamer's aircraft was hit again, over Arnhem.
The crew, with the exception of W/Cdr Hamer, bailed out near Melsbroek, and FW-192 orbited the airfield for over an hour, until the rest of the Squadron had landed, when Hamer made a successful belly landing on the airfield.
As mentioned in the introduction, the aircraft was sent off for repair, returning just after VE Day, only to be scrapped !

I've been studying the photo carefully, and it looks as if the serial number might not have a hyphen - when I locate that darned file, I should be able to confirm whether or not it did. Also, I can't see any evidence of a tail gun, although the shape of the rear fuselage, with no evidence of the 'Perspex' dome seen on the 'C' and earlier 'D' models, suggests that the cupola is present. I'll probably fit a single .50 cal anyway.
I also found a pic showing some 'D' models, taken at Boundary Bay OTU, Canada, which show the waist and tail gun positions, plus another pic, of an airborne 'D', which again I think is possibly in Canada.
Interesting the the second pic shows the 'package' guns, and the other guns appear to be wrapped in transit tape, so this might be just after arrival in the UK (the landscape looks rather 'British'). The 'package' guns were normally removed in RAF service.

I'm hoping to start work on cutting the various apertures, and making templates for some internal bulkheads, later today.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

I think I might have solved the serial number hyphen dilemma.
The B-25D was built at the North American Kansas plant, whereas the earlier 'C' model was built at the Inglewood plant, and photos of the latter show the hyphen in the serial number. On checking a few, sometimes grainy, photos of the 'D' model in the 'FW' serial ranges, they don't appear to have the hyphen, so it's quite possible that Kansas painted the serial numbers in a different style, which rings feint bells in my memory, from when I compiled those notes 28 years ago.
However, just to confuse matters, I've found a photo of a Mitchell III (B-25J) which also has a hyphen in the number - and the 'J' model was built at the Kansas plant !!
I just hope I can locate that file before I get to the decals stage ...........
I've also discovered that there'll be a little more work to do, as those resin cowlings I've ordered do not have the carb intake front section, or the cowling flaps, which the kit parts have. This will mean removing the cowl flaps and front intake from the kit parts, and grafting them on to the resin cowlings, and hope everything matches up!
Also, something I nearly missed - the kit, being an early 'B' model, has a rectangular aperture on the upper fuselage, where a window is located. The 'C' and 'D' models had an astrodome in this location, which means I'll have to fill the aperture with a rectangular plate with a circular aperture in the center, and mould an astrodome from clear sheet. I'll also have to mould bulged windows for those small, square window apertures behind the cockpit, as the kit parts are flat and flush- fitting.
Maybe I should have just used the B-25J kit, and built a Mitchell III instead !!

 

[T Bolt]

Also, something I nearly missed - the kit, being an early 'B' model, has a rectangular aperture on the upper fuselage, where a window is located. The 'C' and 'D' models had an astrodome in this location, which means I'll have to fill the aperture with a rectangular plate with a circular aperture in the center, and mould an astrodome from clear sheet. I'll also have to mould bulged windows for those small, square window apertures behind the cockpit, as the kit parts are flat and flush- fitting.
Maybe I should have just used the B-25J kit, and built a Mitchell III instead !!

View attachment 337451

Terry, I don't know why on earth I remember this after 40 years, but I seem to remember that my kit had an optional astrodome piece that fits into that square hole, so look and see if you have it in the box.
Edit:
I just wiped the dust off mine and it DOES have the astrodome.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Glenn. The later (1980s) version of the kit I built about 25 years ago certainly had the astrodome, as it was released as a 'C', with the bat nose art covering the bombardiers glazing. I've checked through the parts and sprues, and no sign of one, and no missing clear parts, and it's not shown as an alternative part in the instructions either.
No problem, I think I can mould one.

I've made a start on cutting out the entrance hatches and waist windows, but I've had to take a break, as my hands, wrists and shoulders are now hurting like hell !
First stage was to tape the fuselage halves together, to provide a more rigid base for drilling and sawing. Next step was to drill holes at each corner of the intended aperture, ensuring these were inside the pre- engraved lines. These will also act as a 'safety stop', to prevent cutting too far.
A second hole was then drilled alongside each 'corner' hole, and the bridge between each hole opened by cutting through with a scalpel blade. This allowed a 'needle' razor saw blade to be inserted, and cuts were made to join the holes.
On the entrance hatches, once the fore and aft cuts are made, the fuselage halves will be separated, and the cross-fuselage cuts made with a stiff-blade razor saw.
After removing the rectangle of plastic (which was quite thick), the waist window apertures were trimmed down to the engraved lines, using a scalpel, and then filed, at the same time chamfering the inner faces. A test-fit of the glazing shows that the rear, vertical edge of the aperture shown in the photo, requires just a touch more filing.
When it's time to fit the window glazing, either a shallow rebate will be filed into the aperture edges, or thin stripes of plastic inserted, to form a supporting frame. Once the glazing is installed, the top and bottom edges will have the curved, bulged fairing added, using plastic card formers built up with 'Milliput', moulded into shape.
The photos show the sequence as described, and I hope to get some more done either later tonight, or some time tomorrow.
Thanks to all for your interest in this project so far.

 

[Wurger]

 

[T Bolt]

You've got me wanting to do some major surgery on a model Terry. Maybe that 1/48th scale version of the twin engine P-40 I bought the kits for but never started.

 

[Donivanp]

Nice surgery there Doctor Terry. A fine surgeon you are indeed.

 

[Gnomey]

Lovely work so far Terry!

 

[Wildcat]

Yeah, good stuff Terry!

 

[Airframes]

Thanks very much chaps, it's much appreciated - makes the aches and pains all worthwhile !

I've just noticed something - in the second photo in post #44, the mid-upper turret is the later, heavier type, as fitted to the B-25J. Compare it to the 'frame-less', lower profile turret on the aircraft on the ramp in the first pic.
Interesting, as a report from the A&AEE at Boscombe Down, commented on turrets on the Mitchell II and III. They were both troublesome, but the A&AEE favoured that on the 'J' model, which was mounted better, and more sturdy, having been 'designed in' on the 'J', whereas the original design for the aircraft did not include a turret, added on the 'B' model onwards. It was thought that the structure in the area of the turret, down the rear end of the fuselage, wasn't strong enough, and this contributed to, if not caused, some traversing problems.
If that happened with the original turret, I wonder what it was like with the heavier 'J' type turret in the aft position ?!

 

[Wayne Little]

Doin good there Terry!

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Wayne !

 

[Crimea_River]

You're certainly challenging yourself on this one Terry. The amount of work you need to do on this would scare me off for sure.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Andy, but it's not as involved as it looks, although it's hard on the wrists and fingers. The interior will take more work though, but I'm going to try to keep detail to a minimum.
Got some more done yesterday, but ended up in so much pain, I had to have a lie down !
I'll post some pics later.

 

[Wayne Little]

Pace yourself man....

 

[Airframes]

Trying to Wayne - I'm really looking forward to getting the all-clear to start back on the new meds, which will make a heck of a difference.
Anyway, here's where things are up to so far.

PIC 1. The entrance hatches have been opened up, and just need some final sanding. The bomb bay doors will probably be posed closed, as they'd need to have the inner, perforated faces scratch -built, as well as a full interior in the bay itself.
PIC 2. Waist gun hatches are done. The slightly rough edges will be covered by the glazing and the top and bottom fairings. The mouldings for the blanked-off oval windows, below the wing, have been removed, and the oval window to the left of the waist widow will be filled in.
PIC 3. The tail gunner compartment aperture has been cut in both the top and bottom tail-plane halves, and await final trimming and sanding in this pic.
PIC 4. The cupola will be constructed by combining the spare B-25J transparency with the nose of a drop tank from the spares box.
The shape is slightly different to that of the 'J' model, and will be achieved by blending-in the the drop tank and transparency, using 'Milliput', and painting to represent the smaller clear areas of the 'D' model. The tape on the transparent part roughly marks the rear edge of the clear area, with the remainder being 'solid'.
The extreme rear of the fuselage will be built out very slightly, retaining the slope, and a 'canvas' cover added when that stage is reached.
Plastic strip has since been added between the tail-plane halves to fill the gaps, and the trailing edges of the elevators have been thinned down.

Next step is to start work on the interior, adding some bulkheads and ribbing, and modifying the kit floor.
Thanks again for your interest, and I'll post more soon.
OK, I give in - how did the pics end up above the text, when I inserted them after the text ??!!
I'll get the hang of the pic upload eventually, but I think it's a bit clumsy - can't seem to move pics around either.