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Reasoned

Okay Hammer or somebody, where in the heck do the following "little" decals go on the B-25J?

1)  "Fuel Sump Drain"

2) "Boost Pump Drain"

3) Battery Locator Forward Position Wheel Nacelle"

Edit: BAH never mind, just saw on the instruction sheet where they go, there is an inset on the "Jaunty Jo" version (which I'm not building).

I really wanted to say "near the fuel sump drain...", but you already found them!!

I had a few minutes last night, didn't want the hassle of setting up & tearing down the a/b so I brush painted the interior of the fuselage with good ol' Testor's Zinc Chromate. Looks too yellow to me though, I'll have to add some green to the wash I'll be doing.

Hans von Hammer

Depends on what decal sheet and kit instructions you're using, R-man.. They're just letter call-outs..  No way I can read the stenciling itself.. Not that I use it anyway.. Battle-damage, sheet-metal touch ups, all that stuff ya know...

Heck I had to use a magnifying glass to make it out, amazing they can print that lettering so small.  Have you ever used "battle-damage", "sheet-metal touch ups" as an explanation to the rivet counters at a contest?

Not that this is going in a contest.

Depends on what decal sheet and kit instructions you're using, R-man.. They're just letter call-outs..  No way I can read the stenciling itself.. Not that I use it anyway.. Battle-damage, sheet-metal touch ups, all that stuff ya know...

Okay Hammer or somebody, where in the heck do the following "little" decals go on the B-25J?

1)  "Fuel Sump Drain"

2) "Boost Pump Drain"

3) Battery Locator Forward Position Wheel Nacelle"

Edit: BAH never mind, just saw on the instruction sheet where they go, there is an inset on the "Jaunty Jo" version (which I'm not building).

Even North American didn't get it perfect... The cowls are, after all, separate form the wing... You are refering to the intake scoop area, right?

There's a couple ways to go about it though.. Either the "putty & sand" or "caulk and wipe" method...

 I prefer using a stryene strip and shimming it though..

Thanks Vance. All that makes perfect sense. I probably was too far away from the surface. I spray with a Badger Velocity, so it's a fine stream... sometimes I try to overcompensate by backing away too far. I need to be more patient when I airbrush large areas.

Also, can someone post a picture of their seam between the wing and the cowling? I don't think I will every be able to get that perfect. lol You can always tell they're two separate parts. How do you guys get it perfect?

VanceCrozier

icer22x:

...

I spray at around 25 PSI and the paint is mixed well. I wonder if I am doing the strokes too fast and not letting the first coat dry enough? Still pretty new to airbrushing.

 

Not sure of the pressure, but if I get that rough texture it's usually because I haven't thinned the paint enough; or I'm spraying from too far away. (Or it's very dry & hot where I'm spraying) Either way, the paint is starting to dry before it hits the surface. I'd say dial the pressure back a little, use a little more thinner, and work a little closer to the surface. (I suspect your small parts are fine because you hold the airbrush closer to them to lessen the overspray - I know I do!)

Those are excellent tips , I also have that problem with certain colors (e.g. yellow, white)

icer22x

...

I spray at around 25 PSI and the paint is mixed well. I wonder if I am doing the strokes too fast and not letting the first coat dry enough? Still pretty new to airbrushing.

Not sure of the pressure, but if I get that rough texture it's usually because I haven't thinned the paint enough; or I'm spraying from too far away. (Or it's very dry & hot where I'm spraying) Either way, the paint is starting to dry before it hits the surface. I'd say dial the pressure back a little, use a little more thinner, and work a little closer to the surface. (I suspect your small parts are fine because you hold the airbrush closer to them to lessen the overspray - I know I do!)

So I finished my first paint last night. I am doing the bottom in a neutral grey. But I cannot for the life of me get a smooth coat. This is the second plane I've used an airbrush on and when I paint large areas, the paint always goes on slightly grainy. I end up letting it dry for a few seconds and wiping the grain off with a cloth. It makes it pretty smooth and gives a cool wear effect, but what am I doing wrong? I can spray small pieces just fine - silk smooth. But larger areas are tough.

I spray at around 25 PSI and the paint is mixed well. I wonder if I am doing the strokes too fast and not letting the first coat dry enough? Still pretty new to airbrushing.

Hans von Hammer

The Vals they used in the movie were B-18`s I think....

BT-13s..

The CAF Tora Squadron operates the Vals, Kates, and Zekes... There's also the one authentic Zeke airframe we have as well, although it's been re-engined with a P&W mill..

The Vals they used in the movie were B-18`s I think....

BT-13s..

The CAF Tora Squadron operates the Vals, Kates, and Zekes... There's also the one authentic Zeke airframe we have as well, although it's been re-engined with a P&W mill..

[quote user="icer22x"]

I was lucky enough to see a B-25 in flight at Little Rock AFB last year. Amazing planes. They also did a re-enactment of Pearl Harbor with REAL Zeros (the actual planes used in Tora! Tora! Tora!).

I was lucky enough to see a B-25 in flight at Little Rock AFB last year. Amazing planes. They also did a re-enactment of Pearl Harbor with REAL Zeros (the actual planes used in Tora! Tora! Tora!). I have to say - for a 25 year-old USAF applicant - it was pretty powerful to sit there and watch a few planes do that - even knowing I was completely safe.

ANYWAY - on to why I am posting tonight. I don't know if you guys have read into the B-25J, but I found some awesome finished kits and good info here:

http://modelingmadness.com/reviews/allies/us/usaaf/48b25.htm

VERY interesting. The B-25s talked about in this article were flown to Corsica after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and were RE-PAINTED over their aluminum bodies with OD (or the Euro equivalent) to camouflage them from bombing raids.

Now, if you look on the front of the box for our kits, you can see the bottom half of the Mitchell is a shade of what should be aluminum. I wonder of it is making reference to these Corsica Mitchells... even thought it's a J.

I'm curious if anyone is going to try and go for this paint scheme. It might look weird to have an OD top with a aluminum bottom... but that is technically what happened to that squadron!

What do you guys use in your airbrushes to get that aluminum fuselage look? Lacquer?

Also found this for you guys that are going ALL OUT and adding rivets and panel lines:

http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/mark_hayward/b-25j_mitchell/index.php?Page=1

Really nice looking build there! I've always wanted to do a natural metal build.

Reasoned

Did a little B-25 research and came across this You Tube Vid, the props are FREAKING ME OUT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Dm-fjUm6U

 

Wow, that's funny. Just the way the "frames per second" on the camera syncs up with the propeller speed. It justifies us showing a prop-plane in-flight without prop-blur though!!

Did a little B-25 research and came across this You Tube Vid, the props are FREAKING ME OUT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Dm-fjUm6U

hutchdh

Look at it as a refresher. 

That's the ticket!  At my age anyway, refreshers are always good.  Remind me what? lol!

Gary

Aw shucks...another example of me having no original ideas....so says my wife...

Look at it as a refresher. 

Hans von Hammer

Probably means I could dig up that tip in something like a 1979 issue of Military Modeler too, lol...

Yeah no doubt.  Prolly some other old painter figured that one out a long time ago.  Prolly closed up some gaps in an old Tiger...

Probably means I could dig up that tip in something like a 1979 issue of Military Modeler too, lol...

Well Tex, you were ahead of your time and spot on, thanks for the reference.

My old painter Uncle Elzy used to say, "ain't nothing new boy!"

/forums/p/20511/200391.aspx#200391

hutchdh

Hans von Hammer:

Might wanna send that in to the Reader Tips before some unsrcrupuled bassige does it after reading the shared info here...   It's happened to me... Someone gets paid for a tip I FREELY gave up...

 

Done!!!!

Atta boy...

troublemaker66

 

hutchdh:

 

Go with the acrylic caulk...the silicone usually does not take paint well.....I am talking about the stuff that has a lot of silicone in it as more of a sealer vice caulk.

 

Cool...that`s what I have..bought a case of DAP "painter`s all purpose acrylic latex caulk"...purchased at the Home Despot... I don`t know how many times I thought about using caulk for model seams and just never tried it...thanks for taking that step Hutch..lol.

 

The silicone stuff would be a bugger to deal with too at scale-model-size, along with not taking paint it dries quicker than the acrylic & doesn't clean up as nice.

Okay, shot the MM NMF, now high as a kite .  Boy does that stuff show sins.  Will attempt to clean things up tomorrow and post some pics, over and out 

First, DO NOT use silicone for it will not take paint.  Secondly, as Hutch said use a damp finger (smallest is best) and apply in joint, remove as much excess as you can, then let it set a few minutes (don't let it dry out) and gently go over with damp paper towel to remove any additional excess.  You will want to do this because this stuff does not do sanding well, it tends to ball up.

Oh, and since this has been the build from hell, I've nixed the Alclad NMF for left over Model Masters Metalizer from a rattle can. Why? because there is no sense in waisting the expensive stuff on this.  I hope to begin shooting after signing off.  And if it goes as bad, I will plan on attaching one of my son's Estes "E" rocket engins to the Mitchel and send it off in style!

icer22x

What do you use to wipe off unneeded excess? Wet paper towel? I just picked some up here - can't wait to try it. I HATE puttys with a passion. HATE them.

Anything wet will wipe it up very easy.......it is very forgiving....a damp paper towel works well...so does a Q-tip...make sure the applicator is damp vice dripping wet.

Good luck....

icer22x

What do you use to wipe off unneeded excess? Wet paper towel? I just picked some up here - can't wait to try it. I HATE puttys with a passion. HATE them.

hutchdh

Go with the acrylic caulk...the silicone usually does not take paint well.....I am talking about the stuff that has a lot of silicone in it as more of a sealer vice caulk.