The B-25 Mitchell in RAF service.

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Airframes

Benevolens Magister
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Aug 24, 2008
Cheshire, UK
Mitchell II and III in RAF service in Europe, WW2.

I've just completed the compilation of this article, to aid Karl, ( and myself) when building models of RAF Mitchells, and I thought it might be of interest to others.
This is a much expanded and adapted version of original notes for a magazine feature I put together in 1987, and is designed mainly with modellers in mind, although it may also be of use to other researchers.
Please note that this is copyright.
 

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Thanks chaps.
Andy, if your kit is the AM or Italeri release, then it should include the required parts among the "parts not for use" sprues.
The recent Revell 1/48th scale B-25D (ex AM) certainly has the parts, although sprue numbers are different, and as far as I'm aware, all of the AM / It;aleri releases also included them.
I downloaded the original AM instructions, and marked the relevant parts to be able to build a Mitchell II in early and later versions, so if you need a copy, just let me know.
 
I'm not seeing a link or attachment?
 
Oops !
Sorry Mike, I deleted the original PDF as I spotted a couple of minor spelling and numbering mistakes. I thought I'd edited and attached the corrected version, but apparently it didn't attach.
I'll attend to this forthwith.
 
Airframes said:
The recent Revell 1/48th scale B-25D (ex AM) certainly has the parts, although sprue numbers are different, and as far as I'm aware, all of the AM / It;aleri releases also included them.
Click to expand...
Academy is re-boxing the same kit with decals for 4 RAF "Mitchells" for the next year.

BTW the Mitchell II (ex-RCAF) you are showing pictures of is a B-25D-30. This is the interim variant and at the moment the a/c is missing the waist windows and the modified tail. Same variant (and another ex-RCAF B-25D-30, s/n 43-3634) is owned by the Yankee Air Museum, and has the waist windows but not the modified tail. You might have some photos of the exterior or the interior of "Grumpy" still showing the original riveting of the elliptical fairings over and under the waist windows.
Thanks for the article!
Cheers!
 
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The former Fighter Collection B-25D Mitchell shown in the article was photographed by me, and retained the original oval and circular scanning windows on the rear fuselage, ( not present when the non-staggered waist windows were fitted) with no evidence of ever having the waist windows, or the tail cupola. The extreme tail was also missing the Perspex blister at that time.
Photos below, from the same photo session (one incorrectly marked as 1988 - should be 1987) show the side windows, and exterior and internal shots of the tail position, including the observation couch.

EDIT:- I forgot to add that I've since checked on the AM "Doolittle Raiders" kit, and it appears that this release does not have the required extra parts to build early or late Mitchell II. However, from what I've seen, the other releases of the B-25C/D, do have the parts, including the recent Revell kit, the latter also having the parts for the B-25B (Mitchell I) and being a bit cheaper than the AM/Academy/Italeri kits is very good value, although the limited decal sheet is for USAAF machines only.


 
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Thank you for those photos!
 
Airframes said:
and retained the original oval and circular scanning windows on the rear fuselage, ( not present when the non-staggered waist windows were fitted) with no evidence of ever having the waist windows, or the tail cupola....
Click to expand...
I might have the answer why is this a/c not having the waist windows - yesterday, after reading your article and thinking about details I've collected through the years, I remembered something about MItchell II used by RCAF during WWII and post-war. I just need to find the right document. As an addition to what I think I might have, a photo of the sister-ship of the above one - KL160 (B-25D-30, s/n 43-3312):

Note the modified nose, cowlings, no tail gunners canopy, probably no waist windows, more antennae and antenna-wires (e.g. below cockpit) etc. Those are all Canadian modifications.
Cheers!
 
Nice photo !
I'm not totally sure after all these years, but when I visited TFC to photograph the Mitchell, back in 1987, I was shown some history and photos, and I think there was a similar, smaller photo showing KL-161.
From memory, it was a 3/4 front view, showing the starboard side, and in similar weather conditions etc.
 
By the way, the earlier collector ring exhausts were much quieter than the ones with the short stacks and were popular postwar for B-25's used as transports. Gen Doolittle's personal B-25 was so modified.

I have one of the AM parts with the cowlings. It has a B-25G nose and I was thinking of modifying a Revell/Monogram B-25J.
 
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Yep, some former RAF Mitchell crews told me that the earlier, single exhausts were quieter. I was also told they preferred the Mitchell II (B/C) over the Mitchell III (J), as the latter didn't have as much "oomph", and wasn't quite so manouverable, presumably due to being heavier.
 
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