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HKM B-25


SimonCornes

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I'm just after a bit of opinion please. Having now got hold of a B-25 kit I am looking at aftermarket. I am wondering how Profimodeller compares with Eduard? From looking at a few images I get the impression that maybe Eduard stuff is more refined? Its certainly more expensive but I would appreciate some opinion from those who have maybe had to face the same choices!

Many thanks

 

 

Simon

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I have one of the HKM B-25J Glass-nosed bomber kits with some Eduard and Profi-Modeller upgrades, if I had to make a choice, I'd go with the Eduard sets, they are definitely more refined and extensive, although the Profi-Modeller sets include resin parts. The AIMS propellor set is well worth having as is the G-Factor u/c legs and the Brassin wheels. Hope this helps, cheers, D :)!

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I'm looking at maybe PE for the pit and bomb bay, maybe gun barrels. I have the "H" thanks to some very generous people here on LSP.........Harv

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Thanks guys. My kit came complete with some pretty useful aftermarket - resin prop blades, Master gun barrels (!), brassin wheels and the zoom cockpit set so I'm not starting from scratch. I think maybe the full cockpit from Eduard would have been better, probably the Eduard bomb bay and fuselage interior/tail turret. But the profimodeller stuff is, by comparison, very reasonably priced but looks a bit rough and chunky to me. One think I can't see on offer is waist gun detail and a fuselage walkway, also the radio operators compartment. Any ideas?

Thanks

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Simon imho go with the detailing for the cockpit, nose, bomb bay, etc but dont bother with any detailing back past the waist guns with the exception of the replacement canvas boot.

 

I spent ages detailing these areas with replacement gun belts gun balance cables pulleys etc only to find that when I closed the fuselage up very little was visible.

 

The time spent getting it "just so" almost stalled the project to the point of no return. When I completed said detailing to find it couldnt be seen, that made matters far worse. but hey, "you know its in there" right?

 

With the above in mind, have a think about doing out the bomb bay fully especially if you intend to fill it with a bomb load. Picking up this beast and putting it down again is a PITA and will almost certainly result in breakages unless of course your displaying on a mirror in which case ill just shut up. 

 

The PE inner bomb bay doors however, do look wonderful.

 

On another note, the profimodeller nose weight is a must to avoid that tail sitting feeling.

 

Seriously though my advice would be to focus on the major parts, I have mentioned above and enjoy the build rather than get bogged down in invisible minutia it is however your build obviously

 

Whatever path you take I can guarantee you'll really enjoy it.  

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Off-topic: dunno much about the aftermarket but congrats on finding the kit. ;)

 

Thanks Mr Carrot, I was very pleased be able to do a deal and I also found out that the price of HKM stuff - at least on sale in the UK - was due to increase from the 1st May.

On balance I think that, whilst the B-25 is a lot of aeroplane, because it really benefits from so much aftermarket, the retail price should never exceed £200. About £150 is probably right. I think that the major components are very well done but the detail - like the machine guns -  is easily improved by the likes of Eduard - its not Tamiya quality so you almost have to compere it with a Tamiya Mosquito to see where it should sit, price wise. In theory you don't really need much aftermarket for a Tamiya Mossie whereas its almost essential with the B-25 Even so, its a very impressive chunk of aeroplane!

 

Many thanks for the suggestions Phartycr0c. You make a very good point about getting bogged down. I suppose we all want to build the best model that we can and most of us won't build two of these! The p/e gunbelts really do intrigue me though - they're all flat aren't they, i.e. 2 dimensional? So how does that work with .50 cal ammo?  :hmmm:

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I have the B-25J 8 gun nose version and some aftermarket as well. If you think that's an impressive "chunk of aeroplane" (which it is) you should see the box of 1/32 B-17F I have in the closet! Good Grief...gonna have to call in a construction company to pour some concrete and build a hanger for that old girl!!!!!

 

The PE gun belts are flat but you'll need a tool like a "hold n fold" to bend them to look like a gun belt.

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Guys, FYI there is another (fourth)  HKM Mitchell release, though limited, viz.a all-clear fuselage version, strafer style, but with an extra clear nose sprue added to it.

For the rest it's identical to the others.

 

J.

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Probably due to being spoiled by Tamiya and Hasegawa kits, I find myself a bit disappointed by my HK glass nose B-25. While the overall quality is quite nice, I am underwhelmed—to say the least—by the fit engineering. To call it "vague" in some places would be over-complimentary. The placing of the pilots' seats is a good example. Just put them any ol' where is HK's feeling, apparently.

 

Much worse are the waist guns, which, if mounted per the kit's design, would have them each swiveling horizontally on two separate points: the swivel mount built into the corner of the window (as in the real plane) and a pintle offset a few scale inches inside the window. This would be an impossibility for a poor waist gunner, of course, effectively locking his gun in one azimuth. Where HK got the idea to put that pintle there is a mystery to me. Just needed something to glue the gun to, I guess.

Edited by AdamR
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