1/72 Italeri B-25 Mitchell: Neccesity is the Mother of . . .

Piracy ?  

Don't think badly of me - I was Pirating my own stash.  

Last fall I purchased a not-so-new 1/72 Italeri B-25 Mitchell kit at a local club show.  About half-way through the build process I realized that I was missing all the parts for the top turret. The build was completed - all but the turret - and I thought I would figure something out sooner or later for the turret.  Fast forward to mid September as I'm getting ready for the local show and I'm looking at my 20% completed A-20 Havoc thinking "that turret is just about the right size . . . ".

With a slight modification to the hole in the top of the Mitchell, I now have a turret that will be doing double duty for both the Mitchell and the Havoc.  At least until I run into some spare parts stash.

Here she is:

White decal paper was cut into strips for the fuselage stripes - these did not come with the kit.

Good exterior detail on this kit - the interior is a little sparse.  Looks like a Mitchell to me

Here is the base alone - another pre-show project.  Wood base painted black.  A medium thickness layer of gel medium over part of the top surface.  run the back of a paintbrush over the surface a couple times to make ruts.  Sprinkle with baking powder.  When dry and solid - paint with a blending mix of greys and browns.  When that is dry, fill in the bottom of ruts and puddle areas with dilute dark brown in future for the wet spots.  Voila ! 

As always - any suggestions / criticisms gladly accepted and encouraged.  Thanks for looking.

Chris