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FINISHED - Civilian Restored B-25 - Maid in the Shade


red Dog

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Hello gents,

 

it was a while i couldn't work on LSP because of a few smaller scale projects i had to finish.

But here i am again with something i looked forward to for a long while a HK B-25J model.

 

The B-25 will be the Maid in shade currently part of the commemorative airforce in Arizona.

 

c88409c6f9afb817dadf1e0186714595.jpg

 

The build will create a few challenges.

 

- Obviously the interior has been adapted to air rides rather than combat. Although the guns are still installed there are lots of seats all over the forward and aft cabin. I'm not sure i'll be able to make the internals as the modern restored aircraft, especially considering that most of all this will be invisible once assembled.

 

- the natural metal finish will be interesting as well and of course there is no decal for this one - well not that i know of. So i had to design my own. the larger decals (national insignas and tail numbers will be painted

decals_maid_in_shade.png

these are not final yet, just a work in progress when I need a break from the bench.

 

- the biggest issue for me will be the need to convert the engine exhaust from the full clayton of the model to the modified clayton that restored B-25 usually have. Some of the top cowling individual exhausts are collected into one larger side exhaust pipe and the carburator intake on top of the wing is much larger and rectangular in shape.

I don't think i have already seen such a modification on 1/32 B-25 model.

 

The model will use a bit of aftermarket products such as the usual eduard PE sheets, AMS props, Brassin wheels, brass gears and turned barrels for the .50s. Not forgetting the much needed nose weight :)

 

Let's go for another B-25 WIP :)

Edited by red Dog
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Hi Red dog,

 

very interesting build, certainly on the "inside-job", and it could be possible to show it using the clear fuselage version of the HK Mitchell, which is a special issue of this kit.

 

Jack.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Lovely!

Brian,

I Hope you won't mind me using your splendid WIP of the "Lady Lil" ?

http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=43199&page=1

To be honest I used yours as inspiration - I'll be happy if mine turns half as good as yours.

 

Standard internal work started with some PE fun with the eduard sheets for the B-25J:

 

bomb bay:

B25_01_bombbay.png

 

Cockpit:

B25_02_cockpit.png

 

Access doors:

B25_03_access_door.png

I broke a few teeth on that one. I think (but I may have screwed it) that Eduard instruction sheets (32-756) have some mix ups about the access doors and the inner walls to the access doors.

There is a narrow and wide door and if you follow the instructions the inner wall details PE fret won't fit the kit's parts. As they are too wide or too narrow to fit the entrance.

All it takes is switching a few parts around to fix it.

Here's how I did in the end:

1. Eduard instruction says: front door inner wall is 59-58 but should be 60-56 and inversely for the rear door on instructions

2. Eduard instruction says: front door is 69-67-66-23-22-74-53 but should be 69-67-66-23-22-73-46

3. Your instruction says: rear door is 70-68-62-23-22-73-46 but should be 69-67-66-23-22-74-53

Again, that is how it was for me. I'm still scratching my head about this one wondering if I screwed up :)

 

Seats:

B25_04_seats.png

The Pe seats are gorgeous. Unfortunately I can't use them as I need the standard seats and certainly not the smaller seat. So I would need to buy an extra seat PE set to get a second pilot seat or live with the kit's seats which are perfect for the restored civilian version but quite less gorgeous than the PE's.

That said I could use the kit's seats in the fuselage as Maid in Shades has a lot of extra seats for the rides they sell.

I'm still wondering what to do about that one. I could use one PE seat and 4-5 extra kit's seats.

Edited by red Dog
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Thanks guys, all pretty basic stuff for now.

 

The crew of Maid in shade certainly earned the right to get comfortable flying the B-25 so I added some cushion in milliput on the kit's seats

 

B25_05_cockpit.png

 

The hydraulic pump was redone with soldering wire - although I screwed up the end of it. the rest is basic painting, and eduard PE's. weathering is Wip.

 

B25_14_cockpit.png

 

Right side wall populated with eduard PE. I added some wires for the boxes.

I also added some basic detailling in the top turet compartment behind the cockpit. The gear manual pump and some tanks.

 

B25_08_front.png

 

There is no wall detail at all in the top turret compartment, I'm not going to remake the whole structure but I added some very basics ones so it looks at least like the rear compartement. That area will be heavily populated anyway with large boxes.

Maid in Shade don't have the turret column installed so I may leave that out of the compartment.

Edited by red Dog
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  • 4 weeks later...

It's slow but i made some progress :)

 

The bomb bay was painted in aluminium with details in interior green. More plumbing will be added as I close the bomb bay.

I decided to stick the two top bombs in there just to pupolate a bit the bay. Obviously these would be dummies :)

 

B25_10_bombbay.png

 

B25_11_bombbay.png

 

B25_23_bombbay.png

 

B25_22_bombbay.png

 

I sourced some textured plastic sheet to simulate the soundproof padding some civilian B-25 have on the inner fuselage walls. That's a great opportunity also to hide the lack of details in some part of the fuselage. The emergency exit door is not detailled inside the fuselage so I used the PE meant for the fuselage side bomb bay exit which is totally invisible after the fuselage is closed. It will be barely more visible on the fuselage side but it greatly populates that area.

I'll also detail the counterweight mechanism for the waist guns.

 

B25_12_waist.png

 

B25_18_waist.png

 

Some more paint and more goodies added. The other side received the same treatment

 

B25_19_waist.png

 

The front cabin was also painted and detailled a bit more.

Black boxes, fire extinguishers, wires, first aid kits...

 

B25_17_front.png

 

An hydraulic tank was added on the bomb bay front wall in the top turret compartment.

 

B25_16_front.png

 

B25_15_front.png

 

I'll add some floor in the rear compartment. If it is not done and the rear access door is left open, the internal side wall of the door are just sticking out of nowhere. The plasticard floor will address that issue.

Edited by red Dog
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