Looking forward to seeing how this comes together. I’ve got the Doolittle boxing so will be good to pick up a few tips along the way.
Is this the current boxing with ‘Oh 7’? I believe Airfix have made an error with this kit and suggest using the wrong cowlings. According to the profile in the Combat Machine 02 book on the Mitchell, it should have the early smooth cowls. The kit should still have these on the shared sprues that Airfix’s various boxings have.
Ok cool.
Odd thing about the mistake with the cowlings in that kit, is that the Corgi diecast got it right. And they’re supposed to be working under the same company!
the decal sheet i have has “floogie” and “midge” on it. I can find several pictures of the nose art on “floogie” but no pics of the whole plane for either frame…
I have an osprey b-25 book which I need to check but I, um, can’t put my hands on it right at the moment…
Been there, done that. I was after a book a few weeks ago to check something. Turned the house upside down and turned out to be in the first box I looked in. Just didn’t look properly!
I’ll have a look in my references and see if I can find anything on those.
Finished up the interior painting on mine today. Paint wear is probably a bit exaggerated, but it should look ok through the glazing. I’ve still got the aft gunners position and waist guns to do. I epoxied a lump of lead in the rear of the nose gear bay. The doors are moulded shut besides the small hatch at the front (as on every B-25 kit), so it’s completely invisible. Gave it a coat of aluminium paint just in case. I’m going to add more weight anywhere else I can and some in the forward area of the engine nacelles. Should stop it tail sitting.
I’ve just had a look and I’m not seeing much online. I’m assuming it’s the Kit World sheet? It does show the smooth cowl and short exhaust system. I think this a flame damping system that replaced the single large exhaust. I’ll see what I can turn up for that, but I don’t think it would be difficult to replicate in 1/72.
Question is though, was this a system available as replacement that could be retro fitted in the field? If Floogie and Midge were originally delivered with the early exhaust, it would save you the work.
I don’t know the difference between the early exhaust and what came later. There is a smooth cowl in the kit, I guess I’m not sure what the short exhaust system is?
Interestingly, there is a 2nd profile of floogie in the pack that is depicted as mottled camo and has the not smooth cowl, also in the kit, and I think that’s a later config?
There were three different types of exhaust system on the B-25.
For simplicity I’ll call them early, mid and late.
Early: fitted to the B and early C/D’s, vented out of the outboard of each nacelle from a single large pipe. Airfix includes this in the kit.
Mid: because the early system shot out a lot of flame, making them stand out like a sore thumb on night ops, a flame damping exhaust was developed. This did away with the single pipe and had smaller pipes under the cowling gills. Usually grouped in 4’s. It’s possible some early systems were replaced with this in the field. I’m honestly surprised no one has yet produced this in resin.
Late: exhaust stubs fitted through the cowling. I believe each cylinder vented out directly rather than into a collector ring. This is probably the most common system fitted and again is in the kit. If Floogie had the engines replaced completely, this is a possible fit. I would assume Kit World did their homework on this. It would save scratching the mid system and the desert pink/OD scheme would look interesting. Entirely up to you of course.
I’ll see what I can dig up in terms of photos to show the system better.
I started to throw my tow cents in, but thought (dangerous I know!), someone out there has had the same issues. Low and behold, from the Britmodeller site, via modeler 72modeler. Best I can tell is that the exhaust configuration has something to do with the R-2600-9 (B-25A/B) vs. the R-2600-13 (B-25C and up).
This should answer the majority of the questions you have, hope this helps.
Thanks, I’ll have a look at those.
None of my reference books on the B-25 have nothing but a few sentences and pictures about the exhaust systems.
Considering it’s one of major changes between the variants, you’d think there would be.
Not that I succumb easily to temptation, but that post makes me want to buy a 1/48 b-25 and scratch that exhaust system. That is not a strong temptation, so I’m probably safe…
I may have some pics soon of the interior. I didn’t really do much to it. But it gives instructions to put a 25gram weight in the nose. Any suggestions about an easy way to do that?
Could you fit a piece of lead in the nose gear bay like I did? I think the Airfix shares the same peculiarity of moulding the doors closed so it would be hidden from view. I know the 25 did this, but I really wish manufacturers moulded them all as separate parts to assemble when painted and decalled. It’s just begging for the nose gear to be snapped off with all that awkward masking.
There should also be plenty of space in the front section of the engine nacelles forward of the main gear legs. Would help move weight forward.
