If I may give you a tip for those missing frames, panels etc. on clear or other plastic parts.
I started using strips or shapes of self adhesive aluminum foil (the one HVAC-people use to tape the gaps of ducts). Cut to size, I glue them in the desired areas. The tape is very thin and flexible and can go over spherical surfaces as well if cut in narrow stripes (e.g. green houses, framing). This is enough to create an edge for painting later.
Same foil tape can be used as NM stripes on the inside of canopy framing too.
The glue is very good and does not allow the strips/shapes to come down after time. I'm using a foil-tape from Home depot, called Cantech (a Canadian product), not the cheapest one from Dollarama.
With a pin puncher you can cut out small circles and use them in many different cases - e.g. your ball-socket caps in the glazed nose, you are afraid to paint free hand.
To prepare for better adhesion of the paint I sand the surface of the aluminum foil with 800/1000 before (or after-depends on the area) applying it.
Cheers!
Thanks again, Yves. I can certainly look into aluminum foil in the future, it might come in handy if I decide to do the XB-28 in NMF, because currently my silver paint is easily the worst one for canopies, as it just cannot be picked off in the same way the other paints can. I do wonder if covering the exterior of that model in foil could be an option, as iirc that one doesn't have rivet detail anyway and new panel lines can be scribed. Would certainly look more natural than brush-painted silver.
Regarding the pin punch and the ball socket mounts, there's just a lot of issues, including the small size, my unsteady hands, and their overall shape. As you know, the B-25B's ball sockets are recessed and have covers, which aren't round but instead a teardrop shape. I barely got the forward socket to look right when painting, and that one has the teardrop shape molded onto the part. It's just too small for me at this scale. I have considered poking my drill through some masking tape to make a circle mask, but I'd rather have no sockets than have them be the wrong shape.
However, that doesn't mean I'm done modifying the model. I've just noticed that the left side of the nose has some sort of intakes molded onto the outside. I don't know what these are for but they seem to be B-25C-1 parts and are absent from all photos I've seen of B-25Bs, including the Doolittle Raid birds. As such, I will be removing these from the model.
Regarding the turret, the dipping method failed but I came up with a not too complicated solution: I masked the bottom of the sides by using my thinnest Tamiya masking tape, keeping it in contact with the bottom rim. I then applied another stretch of tape parallel to the first, and removed the first and painted two coats. This has worked very well, with no paint bleeding under the tape. I opted to paint the leading edges of the wing flaps NMF just to stand out a bit more, two coats of each color with masking tape to help. Cowl flaps were painted and glued to the engine cowlings right after the back of the engines were painted. Vertical stabilizers received their second coat of OD, rudders might need a second coat of Light OD, which I hope I can replicate. Decals will be applied and deice boots will be painted on before the empennage assembly is completed. Wheels were touched up but I'm still not 100% happy with them.
Propellers have received the relevant decals, those being the propeller specifications in yellow. I used the ones from the kit, though I feel these are too large. Looking at them now the Kitsworld ones seem to be more accurate, but I honestly forgot that Kitsworld included these since I only bought them for the noseart and serial numbers. The decals are already set with Microset and Microsol, c'est la vie. It seems that both Airfix and Kitsworld opted to print the large U.S. ARMY lettering on the wing undersides in black. I cannot tell from photos if the writing was black or insignia blue, my understanding is that the black lettering was not maintained for long. I'll have to check Dana Bell's books again. When I made liveries of these planes for War Thunder some 7 years ago I opted for insignia blue. In the end this doesn't matter for the model as I don't have any dark blue paint and will have to use either the Airfix or Kitsworld decals, but I'd still like to know for my own curiosity.
Photo 1: Photo from late last night, test fitting the wheels.
Photo 2: Painted stabilizers, turret, and cowlings. Props have received decals, engines have been painted, cowl flaps painted and attached.
Photo 3: Test fitting the engines and canopies. Wheels and wing flaps have been painted.
Photo 4: Same as above.
Photo 5: Doolittle sitting next to his wrecked B-25B, 40-2344. I think the U.S. lettering is insignia blue, but am not sure.