My 1/72 scale aircraft

[Dean62]

B-25 Mitchell update…

Work continues on the wings.

I added the gear doors and actuation cylinders, painted the engine cowlings inside and out. Inside = silver, outside = sand, light grey bottom, and yellow.
Just waiting on motors now.

Then I painted the propellers and added decals…


Next I will join the wings to the fuselage.

 

[Dean62]

Update…wings are on…


She’s starting to take shape!
Cowlings and props waiting on motors…


I got a email notice the motors may arrive early! So I’m excited about that. In the interim, I can add the ladders and other small bits that need to go on the fuselage.

 

[RussF]

I don’t understand this. If they molded the other half on, why not these too?

That's an easy one. The two halves of the injection mold met at the aft edge of the cowling. The rearward scoops came right up to the separation line, thus they could slip out of the mold quite easily. The forward scoops would have created an obstruction that would prevent mold release.

As always Dean, your painting skills are second to none. I am truly amazed that you can match the color of that decal so perfectly given your colorblindness. Wow! She is coming along beautifully!

 

[Dean62]

That's an easy one. The two halves of the injection mold met at the aft edge of the cowling. The rearward scoops came right up to the separation line, thus they could slip out of the mold quite easily. The forward scoops would have created an obstruction that would prevent mold release.

As always Dean, your painting skills are second to none. I am truly amazed that you can match the color of that decal so perfectly given your colorblindness. Wow! She is coming along beautifully!

Thanks Russ! You are absolutely correct on the mold release. I should have recognized that...lol

 

[RussF]

Dean, from the looks of your paper towel "tailwheel", it would appear that adding some nose weight prior to closing up the fuselage might have been prudent. Will you be able to tuck some in through that little square access hatch now that it's all glued together?

 

[Dean62]

Dean, from the looks of your paper towel "tailwheel", it would appear that adding some nose weight prior to closing up the fuselage might have been prudent. Will you be able to tuck some in through that little square access hatch now that it's all glued together?

Good observation. The instructions call for a support. The two open hatches will have the hatch with built in ladder for crew access added to the fuselage. They hang straight down. The rear one hangs down the lowest and you add a step ladder under it. That is the solution from Hasegawa. I have added nose weight in the past to some kits and they still needed a support…sigh! So I save the sprues for clear parts (canopies) and use them if needed. I can attach them with PVA, which can always be removed later. So sometimes aircraft with a nose wheel require a clear support in the rear. Other times weight works fine. This would most likely require too much weight given how much mass is behind the main landing gear wheels.
Another clever thing I have seen, is making wheel chocks and gluing them to the tire.

 

[Dean62]

My upgraded engines were supposed to arrive between Nov 17-24. But I received an email saying they are arriving early, this Friday! To say I’m excited is an understatement! So keeping my fingers crossed.
On another note, once the B-25 is finished I will have to clear off my shelves with cars to start using for my remaining aircraft.
I sill have room for 4 of my remaining WW2 aircraft on the other shelves. But I have 14 left. And the shelves for my jets still have room for 14 more. But I still have 19 left.
So that’s 15 that I have to put on the car shelves. In addition I have 10 more WW1 and biplane aircraft to build. So that total of 25 aircraft have to be placed on the car shelves.
In short, cars have to be boxed or sold.