1/48 B-25 Group Build! All Invited to Join!

Oh, now I get it.. Thought you meant a shot of the take-off and runway from the bombardier's POV...

Speaking of CGI... Movies have become so dependant on it that it's lost it's "romance"...  Each director is trying to out-do the last one...  I still think that The Blue Max, for instance, was MUCH better than Flyboys from an aerial photography standpoint (won't get into the movie itself)...  There's no doubt when you see those D VIIs, Pfalz D IIIs and Dr Is when they fly past the camera... 

Kinda feels like a rip-off anymore... I mean, when you think about it, getting 12-15 airworthy B-25s in one place in 1970 to shoot a movie was a Herculean effort on the producers and director's part...  Or even the five B-17s (along with a few Ponies and Buchons) used in Memphis Belle...   Of course, you don't run the risk of losing either or both plane and crew in a CGI bird. which happened in the "Belle" (B-17) and "Blue Max" (plane and pilot)...

It's just wierd though... When I watch "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and there're seven F4Us there, vs HBO's "The Pacific" and it's CGI Corsairs, well.. The difference is rather obvious...  Video games are looking more like movies, and movies are looking more like games...  Somethin' wrong with that...

Anyway, that's the way I feel about it... Time to finish off the damn nose of this Mitchell...

Well it's MY birthday so I call you "confused".

Pour him another.

Real airplane movies with real airplanes trump CGI any day, sez me from a looking up position.

I still vote "Strategic Air Command" as the best of the best.

"Catch 22" was ok.

"King Nine will not return" was wonderful.

"Sole Survivor" was ok.

Just saw "King Nine Will Not Return" last week... ("Twilight Zone" episode for those of you in Rio Linda, CA)    That's what inspired me to open the hatch on the bombardier's glass...  First time I ever saw it in an open position...  Dunno where they got that top turret from though...

"Sole Survivor" was a good flick, as far as made-for-TV goes, yeah...  "ABC Movie of the Week", wasn't it?

You ought to read Greg Board's account of getting three B-17s across the pond to film "12 O'Clock High", lol..  Wound up in jail in Azores, among other things... Or was it Portugal?.. Been a long time...

Hans von Hammer

Just saw "King Nine Will Not Return" last week... ("Twilight Zone" episode for those of you in Rio Linda, CA)    That's what inspired me to open the hatch on the bombardier's glass...  First time I ever saw it in an open position...  Dunno where they got that top turret from though...

"Sole Survivor" was a good flick, as far as made-for-TV goes, yeah...  "ABC Movie of the Week", wasn't it?

You ought to read Greg Board's account of getting three B-17s across the pond to film "12 O'Clock High", lol..  Wound up in jail in Azores, among other things... Or was it Portugal?.. Been a long time...

Can you see the irony of those early missions? B-17s, escorted by Messerschmitts, being intercepted by Spifires...

Was Sole Survivor about Lady Be Good ? .or ??..

Hey, B-25 guys.  Coming to an Air Force Museum near you.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123265550

Hans von Hammer

Can you see the irony of those early missions? B-17s, escorted by Messerschmitts, being intercepted by Spifires...

Finally done with what sidetracked me for weeks!  I hope to have the B-25 done soon, closed the darn fuselage up before pics but will try and shoot a few anyway.

p38jl

Was Sole Survivor about Lady Be Good ? .or ??..

Hans von Hammer

Can you see the irony of those early missions? B-17s, escorted by Messerschmitts, being intercepted by Spifires...

The second prototype He 274 being used by Sud Aviation as a test launching platform for the Vautour jet program.

Anyone actually making progress?  I see lots of post, but few pics.   I just buttoned up the fuselage and will do some minor puttying....will post a few pics today or tomorrow.  Getting back on track, after losing power the past 48 hours from the hurricane....

I've finished the nose and the cockpit, starting on the radio compartment and top turret... I'll get some pics up later tonight..

p38jl

Was Sole Survivor about Lady Be Good ? .or ??..

Not really, but there's a "nod" to her in as much as the B-25 was found in the N. African desert years after WW2 ended... It's more of "ghost story", with a really good surprise ending that you won't see coming...

ah.. I see... coool..

The Mitchell so far...

Hans von Hammer

The Mitchell so far...

Hans, haven't looked too hard at the paint callouts yet - is that zinc chromate on the cockpit area but not on the fuselage interior?

Hans, very nice.  I opted to not do so much of the interior because not much of it will be seen where I will display it.  Your pit is looking really good.

Looking good Hammer.  Yeah, there seems to be several opinions as to the 25's interior color.  Some say it's yellow chromate, others green chromate and still others just dull green.  I chose a dulled green chromate throughout.  As mentioned earlier, it's a shame to "hide" all that nice interior detail inside the fuselage.  There is a lot of glass in the nose (depending on version) so it makes sense to detail it a bit more.  I have found masking this beast less than pleasurable.

BTW, since this bird is a tail sitter, I saw where one builder stuck some weight between the instrument panel and the solid plate just in front (this was after I had already fused the halves ).

Thanks guys,,,

I'm not weighting the bird, since it's going on a diorama.. I'll trap a screw in the nosewheel and put it through a pre-drilled hole in the dio-base...

I weighted the PBJ-1 though, and it took weight in the space you talk about, weight in the tunnel, plus weights in the radio rooom, and both nacelles...

The interior colors are not done... I sprayed the fuselage halves with a "moss" green to provide a "primer" for the green ZC.. But I kinda like the colo rit is too..

I had to add the nose and 'pit details, since the bombardier's escape hatch will be open, as well as the center panel of the canopy..

I decided to go NMF on this bird, vice OD.  I plan to do something a little different this time in that I will keep the sections apart.  This should accommodate an easier task when it comes to masking the different panels to get the various shades.

hutchdh

I decided to go NMF on this bird, vice OD.  I plan to do something a little different this time in that I will keep the sections apart.  This should accommodate an easier task when it comes to masking the different panels to get the various shades.

 

Smart idea Hutch, I'm interested to hear how that works.  I'm also doing a NMF but will try assembling first and am little concerned about some of the masked areas accessability.

Reasoned

 

hutchdh:

 

I decided to go NMF on this bird, vice OD.  I plan to do something a little different this time in that I will keep the sections apart.  This should accommodate an easier task when it comes to masking the different panels to get the various shades.

 

 

 

Smart idea Hutch, I'm interested to hear how that works.  I'm also doing a NMF but will try assembling first and am little concerned about some of the masked areas accessability.

Thanks...I look forward to seeing your finished build.  How do you plan on doing panel lines?  I have had success with using a very faint coat of Tamiya smoke...since the panels lines are not recessed and I am too lazy to scribe any, I will go with the old faithful route.

hutchdh

Reasoned:

 

hutchdh:

 

I decided to go NMF on this bird, vice OD.  I plan to do something a little different this time in that I will keep the sections apart.  This should accommodate an easier task when it comes to masking the different panels to get the various shades.

 

 

 

Smart idea Hutch, I'm interested to hear how that works.  I'm also doing a NMF but will try assembling first and am little concerned about some of the masked areas accessability.

 

Thanks...I look forward to seeing your finished build.  How do you plan on doing panel lines?  I have had success with using a very faint coat of Tamiya smoke...since the panels lines are not recessed and I am too lazy to scribe any, I will go with the old faithful route.

Are you going to post shade the smoke w/AB or do a wash?  I'm not going to scribe panel lines but will probably use an acrylic wash over the NMF, weather it up a bit.

Post shade...works real well...see below:

Looks fantastic, I've seen your F-100 before (love the exhaust work).  How did you do the post shade on the P-47 and what type of NMF are you going to use?

I used the Tamiya Smoke on the post shading of the P-47 as well.  I plan to use various shades of Alclad on the Mitchell.

hutchdh

I decided to go NMF on this bird, vice OD.  I plan to do something a little different this time in that I will keep the sections apart.  This should accommodate an easier task when it comes to masking the different panels to get the various shades.

be careful of the tail boom join (the flat part that sticks out,  Idk what to call it). When I built my B25 earlier this summer, it required some putty work.

FWIW, I post-shade with charcoal a lot.. Small brush, powdered charcoal, and apply gently until you get the effect you want...

OWL...thanks for the warning.  I will dry fit and take a look see...I may have to install before applying NMF.

Hans...I'll have to give that a shot.  I used to apply charcoal and pastels/powders years ago and have gotten away from it.