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

I keep my fingers crossed.

Good to see the decals going on..

Thanks Wojtek and Wayne.
The 'sealing coat' of Humbrol 'Clear' appears to have eliminated that 'bloom', and the other decals, which wrinkled slightly, have now settled down nicely. The red prop warning stripe has now been painted too.
I'm going to leave the model for at least a further 12 hours, before spraying the matt clear, just to make sure it has fully hardened. I'll also do a test with the matt clear, before spraying the model, as I don't want to end up with a 'chalky' deposit or grey-tinged finish. Some early, brushed-on experiments with the matt varnish suggested it needs a really good stir before use, to ensure all of the matting agent is fully dissolved with the carrier base.
Meanwhile, whilst waiting for the gloss coat to harden, I'll start preparing the main undercarriage legs, and drill-out the axle holes on the B-25J kit wheels, which I'll be using in place of the original kit wheels.
I had intended to scratch-build the entrance hatch 'doors' and integral ladders but, in order to save some time and effort, I might use the kit parts from the 'J' kit, and sort out hatch covers for that model when I get to it.
I also need to build the internal bits and pieces for the dorsal turret, which can be popped in place later.
This build seems to have dragged on and on, and I really must get to work on the Stirling diorama for the museum, so I'll get the (Mitchell) model finished, but do the diorama base for it later.

I'll post some more up-date pics when there's something worthwhile to show.

Decals look good Terry! I had negative experiences with Techmod decals. I sprayed them with a light coat of clear gloss to prevent ripping but I couldn't get them settle into any of the panel lines. I've also experienced discoloration of the clear coat from Microset/Microsol but the milky clouding went away after a while.

Thanks John.
It seems that water-induced clouding of the clear coat does return to 'normal' after a few hours, but that from the Micro Sol did need to have a further coat of varnish to eliminate it.
This is the only the second time that I've used the relatively new Humbrol 'Clear', so i'm still 'finding my way' with it, and what can, and can not be done.
I haven't used the matt version before and this is a fairly recent addition to the Humbrol range, so I'll be testing before committing it to a finish coat.

The model is looking great Terry.

Thanks Andy.
I'm toying with the idea of changing the upper wing roundels.
I have some vague information, and a couple of profiles and photos, showing the use of smaller roundels when AEAF stripes were added, the roundels remaining, of course, when the stripes were removed.
These were positioned on darker circles of paint, where the original roundels had been painted out on the starboard wing, with either the same painted-over area on the port wing also, or a painted-over US 'Star and Bar', as on my model, on those aircraft originally finished for the USAAF but transferred to the RAF.
Although there is evidence of this practice, I have been unable to establish if this was general, or relating to particular squadrons or aircraft, and for what reason - I can only think that it was to allow room for the roundels, as the stripes, being outboard from the engines, would infringe onto the roundel when the 'standard' 54 inch roundel was used.
The more I look at the model, and the more I think about it, I believe the roundels should be the smaller version for the time period depicted by the model.

For what it's worth, here's the CWH B-25 with apparently smaller roundels.

Great work so far Terry!

Thanks Andy and Hugh.
That's the sort of 'look' I've seen on a few photos where the upper surfaces are visible.
I found some of my old notes, where it states that smaller roundels were carried when the 'invasion stripes' were applied, so I've painted over the roundels, as darker circles, and applied smaller roundels. Another slight delay, but I'm getting on with the other bits and pieces whilst the decals and clear coat set.
Might have some pics tonight.

This girl looking quite Nice Terry !

Though it may be true, the logic escapes me why there would be a connection between the AEF stripes and the roundel diameter. I know that the directive to paint on the stripes was immediate and urgent, allowing little time for a tidy application, let alone changing roundels from large to small.

Thanks very much Kevin.

I've made some progress, although I'm not that happy with the way the matt clear coat is performing.
This is the first time I've used the fairly new Humbrol Clear Matt, and after doing some tests by applying the varnish by brush, it was evident that it could very easily dry with a grey, streaky appearance, unless the bottle was given a good, long shake, and then thoroughly stirred for at least five minutes, in order to ensure that the matting agent is completely dissolved into the carrier.
The first, sprayed, coat has gone on reasonably well, although it's patchy, as I couldn't really see where I was spraying !
I'll spray another coat, in daylight, and hope that the few small areas where it's dried with a cloudy finish, will clear.
The cloudy areas are due to spraying over areas already coated - my fault due to the poor lighting.
Experience so far would suggest that this varnish needs to be sprayed in a series of thin coats, allowing each coat to dry thoroughly before spraying the next, otherwise it will exhibit greyish-white patches.
Whilst the varnish was drying, attention was turned to the landing gear legs and wheels, with the work shown in the photos below.

PICS 1 and 2. The roundel decals were painted over with a darker shade, to simulate the painted out 54 inch roundels, and new, 24 inch roundel decals were applied, using those from the Tech Mod sheet. Darker areas were also roughly brushed on to the top of the wings, to simulate the areas where the AEAF stripes had been removed, the darker stripes representing the remains of the black stripes, and another gloss clear coat applied.
PICS 3 and 4. First coat of clear matt applied - the cloudy and patchy areas can be seen here, with the varnish still drying.
PIC 5. The wheels from the B-25J kit are being used, and the hole for the axle had to be drilled out (not yet done here), as the kit axle is substantially larger.
PIC 6. Brake hoses have been added to the outside faces of the wheels, using lead wire.
PICS 7 and 8. The main gear legs had moulding seams removed, the torque links were drilled and filed, the axles, hollow on the real aircraft, were drilled out, and brake pipes and hoses were added. The hose runs from the metal brake pipe to a brake nipple on the inner wheel face, and a second hose runs through the axle to the brake nipple on the edge of the wheel on the outer face.

Once a second matt coat has been applied, the masking can be removed, and the main gear legs fitted, followed by the modified nose gear leg.
I'm hoping that, after spraying the second matt coat tomorrow, that it'll dry without clouding problems, and that I can then proceed as planned.
All being well, I should have some more pics tomorrow.

Just seen your post Andy - must have been posting as I was compiling my post.
I agree, it seems odd, but photos do show painted - over 54 inch roundels, with the smaller roundels on top, for this period.
A short series of B&W profiles I have from the late 1970s, also shows this, with a note stating that the smaller roundels were carried when (and after) AEAF stripes were carried, and the colour profile of a 226 Sqn aircraft, on the Tech Mod decal sheet, also shows this. However, the latter scheme is shown as May, 1944, so if the smaller roundels were in place then, I'm assuming that a Directive was issued for the smaller roundels which had nothing to do with the stripes, as you suggest.
I think I might have some info on this somewhere, but it'll take a bit of searching to find which book it's in !

Nice work Terry and you can't beat photo evidence to support your marking selection.

Thanks chaps, but it's all gone to rat s*it !
I sprayed a second coat of clear matt, but this time, I added a small amount of clear gloss, in an attempt to reduce the possibility of a chalky finish.
It looked fine at first, even after an hour or more, so I left it overnight.
This is what I saw this morning !
If the surface is dampened, the chalky appearance disappears, so I'm going to give it an overall gloss coat, and let that dry for at least 12 hours.
Then, I'll revert to my 'normal' method, and mix the clear gloss with Tamiya Flat base, to obtain a matt varnish, and re-spray the model.
If that doesn't work, the final photo shows the solution, followed by an extremely 'stiff' letter to Hornby Products, telling them where to stick their Clear Matt varnish !!!

Bummer Terry.....

Oh boy..

Yep, a touch on the bad side, what !
This Humbrol Clear Matt is about as much use as a chocolate tea pot !
So, I gave the model a light rub over with a damp sponge, to remove any loose chalky deposits, then sprayed another coat of Humbrol Clear gloss.

PIC 1. The matt varnish appears to have attacked the fin flash decal, which flaked and fell off when rubbed over lightly with the damp sponge - it also burned in to the black paint of the de-icer boots, at top and bottom, where the 'boot' narrowed to a thinner section !
PICS 2 to 4. How the model looks now, after a fresh coat of the gloss Clear.
PIC 5. This small area around the tail, and a couple of other small spots elsewhere, 'bloomed' when re-sprayed. This might have been my fault, as I might have hit these areas rather heavily. However, after 15 minutes or so, it seemed to be slowly clearing, so it might dry OK.
The dark patches on the elevator are deliberate, and were neat rectangles and squares, simulating repair patches over flak damage. Again, the matt varnish seems to have 'eaten' into the edges of the paint, and dissolved it !

As it's my mate, Mick's, 60th Birthday today, I'll be meeting him in the Ex-Servicemen's Club later tonight, and going to his 'official' BBQ party at his daughter's place tomorrow afternoon, so I won't have much time for modelling. This has worked out well, as it will allow plenty of time for the new varnish coat to fully harden by the time I get back to the bench.
Given that it dries without leaving white patches all over, then I think I can save the situation, although I expect there'll be some areas that will need re-touching.
Sometime on Sunday, I'll then attempt to spray my usual 'home made' matt clear coat, using the Humbrol Gloss Clear mixed with Tamiya Flat base, and hope that it works !

Oh, and the next time I say I'm going to do extensive work on an old kit, tell me not to be silly, and to go and have a bacon sandwich and a lie down in a darkened room !!!