Revell B-25J

1
November 16, 2015
Trying to clean up the cowlings...
2
November 16, 2015
After 3 days of off and on work, the wings and cowlings are almost cleaned up. "Perfect Plastic Putty" is a godsend.
3
November 16, 2015
I forgot why I don't build Revell anymore. I want the bomb-bay doors closed. Revell wants to learn geometry.
4
November 16, 2015
At least the 6 part tail section went together relatively well.
5
November 20, 2015
After about a week of work, the wings have had the considerable seams at the nacelle's fixed, the leading edges worked, and are coated in Future ready for Alclad.
6
December 3, 2015
7
December 3, 2015
8
December 3, 2015
9
December 3, 2015
10
December 5, 2015
Fuselage together. Not a terrible fit (except for the bomb bay), but like the wings/nacelles, there will need to be more than a little sanding and scribing.
11
December 5, 2015
Test fit of the wings and tail to see how much more weight I will need to make it sit correctly.
12
December 5, 2015
It took 2 coats of bondo, a coat of perfect plastic putty, some mr. surfacer, and lots of sanding to get the bomb bay gap closed. The red dots are bondo in sink marks.
13
December 5, 2015
Bombardier's position with Norden bomb-sight, actual seat, and other PE bits.
14
December 5, 2015
Canopy is masked and installed. Top seam of fuselage is filled, sanded and scribed (the nose is still slightly uneven, but I will fix that when I install the forward glass)
15
December 7, 2015
Getting close to applying the base coat of Future on the fuselage.
16
December 8, 2015
Base of Alclad Aluminum is down. Going to hit that with micromesh, highlight some panels, and so on. The front bird-cage is only affixed temporarily. Once I get everything finished, I will install the .50 cals and glue that down.
17
December 9, 2015
Well, things were going too well. Masking off the different panels with Tamiya tape, and I pull off the whole wing tip. I sanded it down smooth as I could. I am going to try to cover the whole wing in future then repaint the wing tips.
18
December 9, 2015
Change of plans...
19
December 10, 2015
I abolutely hate that I had trouble with the Alclad. I was looking forward to a NMF B-25. That said, I'm kindof digging how it is turning out.
20
December 10, 2015
Love these barrels
21
December 11, 2015
The 'field expedient' OD on top of the NMF is finished.
22
December 12, 2015
The deadline is quickly approaching. While I wait on the nose art decals to arrive, I've started applying the generic markings. I can get that under gloss clear coat and start on the wash and weathering while I finish up the turret, ladders, & gear.
23
December 14, 2015
The kit pitot tube was just a lump of misshapen grey styrene. I decided to make my own out of some spare brass rods that I had, and a little piece of PE that I cut out.
24
December 16, 2015
Solid, Jackson!
25
December 17, 2015
Ready for dull cote.
26
December 18, 2015
27
December 18, 2015
28
December 18, 2015
Getting close to complete. Still working on the base. Needs props and aerial wires to be finished.
29
December 19, 2015
Finished! More pictures to come.
30
August 19, 2016
31
August 19, 2016
32
August 19, 2016
33
August 19, 2016
34
August 19, 2016
35
August 19, 2016
36
August 19, 2016
37
August 19, 2016
38
August 19, 2016
39
August 19, 2016
40
August 19, 2016
41
August 19, 2016
42
August 19, 2016
43
August 19, 2016
44
August 19, 2016
45
August 19, 2016
46
August 19, 2016
47
August 19, 2016

Comments

16 November 2015, 22:24

Clifford Keesler
It will turn out nice, I know it will.

16 November 2015, 22:40

Wim van der Luijt
Count me in for this one.....Have one in my stash as well so I am curious to see how it builds up

20 November 2015, 10:08

Clifford Keesler
@Wim, mine built up really nice and it was OOB. I want to do another one with some aftermarket stuff.

20 November 2015, 15:18

Wim van der Luijt
That's good to hear Clifford, I already have Dutch markings for mine.....the rest of the stash is just kind of in the way 😄

20 November 2015, 18:39

Clifford Keesler
I know what you mean. When I get the chance I will take some pictures of mine.

21 November 2015, 20:35

Wim van der Luijt
Thanks, that would be great!

23 November 2015, 09:06

Gary
Very nice!! I think that if you turned the bombay doors around they might have fit better. I did mine with them open. Gary

9 December 2015, 18:45

Derek Jordan
Gary, I actually tried that when I was test fitting. At least in my kit, the orientation of the doors didn't have any noticeable difference. Question: what is the routing of the antenna that go from the top of both vertical stabilizers to some point on the fuselage near the turret? I can see the wires are there in pictures of B-25J's but can't tell what they actually attach to.

9 December 2015, 20:02

Gary
The antennas stick out on the side just aft of the cockpit. I'll have to post some pics of mine. I converted it into a gun nose with the bird face. Gary

10 December 2015, 17:22

Clifford Keesler
Looking very nice Derek.

10 December 2015, 17:36

Derek Jordan
Wim, thank you. Yes, this required more putty and sanding than I enjoy in a model. But, because I had been preparing it to be NMF, I had put more effort than was required into the seams. In the end, it looks great (to me) with the OD over NMF.

10 December 2015, 20:52

Derek Jordan
Clifford, thanks! I'm finally feeling like I am making significant headway after feeling so bogged down for awhile.

10 December 2015, 20:53

Derek Jordan
Gary, I would like to see the pictures. I've found some schematic type drawings that show the aerial wires, but I just can't tell where exactly they meet the fuselage. Maybe seeing what you did will help.

10 December 2015, 20:53

Derek Jordan
All, what are your thoughts on painting the framework on the turret canopy? I've read some things that say that the framework is actually just overlaid plexiglass and that the framework wasn't painted. But, I've seen pictures that seem to indicate otherwise (as well as the instructions, and instructions for the masks from Eduard). Anyone have the definitive word?

10 December 2015, 20:54

Derek Jordan
Oh, note that the front birdcage over the bombardier's station is simply held in place with tape. Once I get paint and decals on, I will install the guns and affix it permanently (hopefully with no gap if the test fit holds true).

10 December 2015, 21:59

Gary
Hi Derek, I added a B-25 album yesterday. It includes pics of real B-25's. It can be found here. Your doing an excallent job.Gary
B-25J | Album by centaur567

11 December 2015, 12:56

Derek Jordan
Very nice! Thank you.

11 December 2015, 21:02

Derek Jordan
Well Ladies and Gents, that one is done just in time for me to get it gifted and out the door tomorrow. I hate that my cell phone can't take better pictures of the glass (it looks uneven and really bad in the pictures, but not that way in person). The reflections make things look really wonky in these photographs that don't in person. Odd. Anyway, thanks for coming along on this journey. Your thoughts, tips and critiques are appreciated. Thanks and Happy Holidays to all. See you in the new year for the Reddit F-4 groupbuild.

19 December 2015, 04:37

Clifford Keesler
Totally awesome Derek. Wonderful job. You should be very proud of this one.

19 December 2015, 20:12

Derek Jordan
Thanks Clifford. There were several times I wanted to throw it against the wall and be done with it. Glad I saw it to the end. 🙂

19 December 2015, 21:53

Pedro Negron
Fantastic work! I love it.

30 March 2016, 11:54

Gary
Great job Derek!!! What made you change from NMF to OD? Your NMF looked very nice. Gary

30 March 2016, 12:15

Derek Jordan
Gary, the Alclad pulled up as I tried to mask sections off. I decided that was due to a residue left behind from a tac cloth I had been using.

30 March 2016, 12:58

Derek Jordan
Thanks for the compliments, gents.

30 March 2016, 13:01