MPC profile series B 25 Bomber 1:72 scale by Popeye the Sailor - finished for now but not forgotten

[popeye the sailor]

I remember these kits back in the 70's.......   MPC wasn't known for their military kits...mainly cars and stuff.   these kits are from airfix molds......I got it for Christmas.      the box was a bit beaten up......the parts were still in the bag,  but many of them were off the sprues.  there is a lot of flash and poorly molded.....so bad in fact,  that I was hesitant about doing a log on it.  since I don't have too many models in this scale,  I decided to build it....who knows....I might be able to salvage it  

the stabilizer fin was a little warped as well......hoping that when in place,  it might straighten itself out.  pardon the picture 'bluing'......

the wings were assembled and checked for fit.......a nice feature that they fit into a 'well',  rather than fitted with the usual tabs

 

the rudders were assembled.......

...and began to assemble the interior bulkheads and floor

through all this,  a lot of trimming and sculpting was going on,  in an effort to fit the parts together at least halfway decent.  fitting the model together to this degree gave me a good idea of how it would look.  it does show some promise  

the stabilizer does straighten out alright.......so,  I added more to the interior.  the turret does turn,  so that's a plus.

three different planes can be built from this kit,  as seen on the box.

 

 

Edited February 6, 2021 by popeye the sailor

[Old Collingwood]

That doesn't look too bad Denis  - think they will shape up quite well  - looking forward to more pregress mate.

 

OC.

[Canute]

Fit doesn't look too bad, Denis. Kits of that vintage require a lot of cleanup and engineering to build up so nicely. You have a great start with this old girl.👍

[popeye the sailor]

ailerons were added to the wings and stabilizer.   

 

the engines were assembled and adjusted so they would line up to the nacelles.   had to do some cleaning up around the nacelle wing roots.  the interior was adjusted to fit better in the fuselage. 

 

 

more parts were cleaned up....to either be assembled,  or readied to paint.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks OC and Ken..........this one was worse than I've been accustomed to.    true that most kits do require some fitting......but this one looks like it might have been the last of the run.   very soft plastic to boot.........the cement seems to soften it even more,   so I need to watch how much pressure I put on the parts to hold them together.   the fruits of my labor are paying off though.

 

to bring you all up to where the model is at this moment.........the interior of the fuselage has been painted.......the landing gear has been painted,  and the tires and props are in the process of being painted.  the tires for the PBJ are on the table too.......they are being painted.  simply......more painting.

 

the nacelles were cemented on the wings today.......I'll be doing some trimming,  scraping and sanding to clean the lines up.

there is a gap at the wing tip of the port wing......I filled it with a strip of plastic.  the doors were a terrible fit as well...that's why you see the clamps.....I glued them shut.

 

[lmagna]

Great start Denis. Have you lost any of the parts yet! 

[Egilman]

36 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

....the doors were a terrible fit as well...that's why you see the clamps.....I glued them shut.

They always are on those early birds, not impossible, but sometimes a real pain... but with the gear down we know where they belong.... Nice job...

[Landlubber Mike]

Great start!  Looks like it will turn out a beauty in your hands.

[popeye the sailor]

thanks all....and for the likes    I did just a tiny bit more on her.....and then the rest of my time was spent on the PBJ.   with the way the other one is coming out,  I'm tempted to do them both as PBJ's.   the Revell kit did have a hurdle to get over,  but I think I sorted it out.......I'll show you in that log  

     it's just a dry fit,  but it shows more of what she'll look like.......

the rudders have been added to the stabilizers.....they are drying at this time.

the parts that were the big problem with the Revell kit have been cemented on the wings so I wouldn't lose them.   HA...Ha Lou!  sorry I missed your call.......I'll try and call ya tomorrow,  but gotta take the admiral to the dentist.   it never ends......

it actually stayed together long enough for me to snap this one.......it will look a lot better with paint     I have the Atlantis kit still Lou.......perhaps I'll lose something then     odd scale though........might be harder to get replacements   

[lmagna]

4 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

 I have the Atlantis kit still Lou.......perhaps I'll lose something then

The idea is to install the parts. NOT to lose them! It's called kit BUILDING for a reason.

[popeye the sailor]

there aren't that many parts to lose     the kit is a tad low on the part count.  

[popeye the sailor]

the Atlantis kit can wait..........the kit is a reissue of the old Revell kit anyway......like 1960 I think.......    this build fell short for a couple of days,  while I concentrated on the PBJ.  looking at the three planes that can be built from this kit,  I wasn't feeling it.  that was when I happened on this bottle of paint that was in the bunch I got from Lou.........SAC Bomber Green........Hmmmmmmm   the gears started turning......Strategic Air Command.......interesting.

 I was gonna go with the Ghost gray underbelly,  but changed my mind just as fast.  the shift went to accent markings instead.  this morning,  I painted the rudders,  the last of the accents.  going through the decals I have,  I will use some I can get away with,  but there are none to designate the SAC....so it will be in color only   

this is how she looks so far........

the cowls are stuck on there......I can't get them off to accent the engines.  I'll see what I can do,  but if not,  I'm sure it won't affect the overall look.  the interior is a chromate green....I bought another bottle when I went to H.L. last week.

I was going to stripe the rudders,  but that is mostly seen on British planes.  heavy American bombers,  like the B 17,  would paint the majority of the rudder red....I simply compromised   

some detailing in the cockpit,  but kept it simple since the canopy glass will be framed enough to hide it.

further detailing would be to alter the color of the stabilizer and wing ailerons........I may do that......perhaps dry brushing.

the first of the canopy glass is done.  the method I use worked quite well.......I haven't done any touching up on it

there is next to nothing as far as transparency goes....you know.......you paint the frames,  and still see a faint translucency to it.  I just let it dry a bit,  and went over them again.

still more to go on her......four other pieces of glass to do,  armament and such.........I'll do some generic markings to finish her off.  walking away from the table,  I took this last picture.  the light was turned off.......macro on with no flash......just normal light.

I wasn't pleased how the nose gear is positioned,  but that is how it located and so I guess I need to live with it.  the gear door is strange too......it is split in two sections that don't make sense in the open position.  I'll fudge it    more soon.

[lmagna]

6 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

SAC Bomber Green........Hmmmmmmm 

I have been inspired on a model choice from books I read, movies, even stories related by others. In a few cases it was nothing more than the fact that I liked the looks of the kit subject, but a jar of paint????????? That's a new one for me.

Edited January 27, 2021 by lmagna

[Canute]

The Air Force operational command in Europe for US bombers was 8th Air Force. It's still around and the bombers are the air component of the Strategic Command. They manage the bombers, missiles and sub launched missiles. Think the head right now is a Navy admiral. And who'd know it's a"modern" color. Looks OD to most folks. But yeah, Lou I haven't heard of using a bottle of paint as inspiration. Ah, the life of an artiste...

[Egilman]

3 hours ago, lmagna said:

I have been inspired on a model choice from books I read, movies, even stories related by others. In a few cases it was nothing more than the fact that I liked the looks of the kit subject, but a jar of paint????????? That's a new one for me.

 

2 hours ago, Canute said:

The Air Force operational command in Europe for US bombers was 8th Air Force. It's still around and the bombers are the air component of the Strategic Command. They manage the bombers, missiles and sub launched missiles. Think the head right now is a Navy admiral. And who'd know it's a"modern" color. Looks OD to most folks. But yeah, Lou I haven't heard of using a bottle of paint as inspiration. Ah, the life of an artiste...

Well the last flight of a SAC TB-25J was May 21st, 1960..... At the time, the aircraft, TB-25J-25-NC Mitchell, 44-30854, was painted overall aircraft grey with tricolor winged star insignias.. It was donated to the Doolittle Memorial Park in Niceville Fla. in a USAF bare metal scheme, it then went to the Doolittle Memorial, Valparaiso, FL and was painted up to represent Doolittle's 02344, Currently, it is on display in Elgin Fla. at the Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin AFB.... Still painted up as Doolittle's aircraft.....

They converted over 600 B-25J's into trainers after the war designated as AT-24D's

AS far as I know, no B-25 ever wore SAC Bomber Green which was developed sometime in the mid to late 60's....

Edited January 28, 2021 by Egilman

[popeye the sailor]

I thought the same when I painted it.......just another variant of olive drab.  I was going to order the Dolittle decal set.......all 16 planes,  but with the model build up from Christmas,  I thought I'd chill for a while and let the credit cards cool down.  the set is a bit pricy and I'd likely have trouble with the budget director.  this is a full bottle of paint......good that it hasn't gone bad.  I did mention that I had no decals for the SAC,  so that angle was moot.....so basically,  your telling me that they labeled this bottle of paint wrong?  

    if this model was 1:48 scale,  I could have decaled her as the "for the Gipper",  from the 42BG.......not having any decals for B 25's in this scale is a bit of a detriment.   

[Egilman]

7 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

...not having any decals for B 25's in this scale is a bit of a detriment.

But they are available brother.... https://www.kitsworld.co.uk/index.php?CATEGORY=5&SUB=3

 

But to do a SAC B-25, you'll probably have to get generic USAF decals for the 1950's stars and bars period correct with the red stripe....

 

Caracal models produces some that would work for the B-25, check out the C-123 set, those insignia's should fit the B-25 in scale in period, and any of the good WWII sets should do the stenciling for the aircraft itself....

 

https://www.caracalmodels.com/72scale.html

 

But as a modeler I understand the overheated wallet syndrome we sometimes are afflicted with....

 

[EricWilliamMarshall]

2 hours ago, Egilman said:

I understand the overheated wallet syndrome we sometimes are afflicted with....

amen - you are not alone. <just saying for a friend >

[popeye the sailor]

I know about kit world.......most of my decal purchases are from them    {actually from Mega Hobby}.   yea.....I'm still gonna leave this one as a generic bomber.......the kit really isn't that good to begin with.   to top it off,  the decals that came with it are junk!

    these are the old style decals where you need to cut close to the images.......the entire sheet is layered with the film    even with the decal set,  they seem to be lifting around the edges.   looking through my decal pile,  I don't have any others either.......I do have some that have the red outlines,  but one,  they are from another period,  and two,  they are 1:48.......way too big.   it looks like I'll have to order decals for this one no matter how I look at it.

 

the overheated wallet.......it was worth it     check these out....

 

 

 

 

I also got these two......the larger one has the motors and running hardware

 

[Old Collingwood]

You have got some Wonderul kits there Denis   - tell you what mate  I will deffo take a seat  for all of those  - Fabulouse stuff.

 

OC.

[Egilman]

2 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

the overheated wallet.......it was worth it     check these out....

Very Very nice my friend, all classics in their genre's They build into beautiful models....

 

About 30 years ago, The admiral told me I could go to Fantasy World at the local B&I and spend 50.00... well I spent half the day there, so many choices you have to check out you know.....

 

.....wound up spending 400.00..... 

 

All she did was smile then told me she knew what I was going to do and it was fine..... called it an early birthday present.... (I hate being that predictable)..... {chuckle}

[Egilman]

The last one Dennis I'm especially fond of.... Of course we have one on display here in the PNW....

 

Coast Guard Lifeboat 44300, the prototype of the class....

That is the Coast Guard Hall of the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria Ore.

That a real boat on display, it was The Columbia River Bar lifeboat for 30 some odd years...  The Columbia River Bar, known as the Graveyard of the Pacific the surf is legendary.... it's where these boats were tested... and proven unsinkable and indestructible... This boat has the distinction of not only being the prototype but of being rammed by a commercial ship and driven through three piers and buried in the wreckage.. they thought it was a write off, but when they cleared the wreckage it bobbed up on the surface righted itself, floating normally and was ready for duty.... (to everyone's great surprise, true story)

 

An absolutely spectacular display.....

 

 

 

[mtaylor]

I've seen that boat up close.   In Astoria (or there abouts) isn't it?  I"m not sure exactly where as it was about 15 years ago and we saw alot little museums up in northern Oregon.

 

[Egilman]

29 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

I've seen that boat up close.   In Astoria (or there abouts) isn't it?  I"m not sure exactly where as it was about 15 years ago and we saw alot little museums up in northern Oregon.

 

Yep, Columbia River Maritime Museum, about 2 hours away from where I live, been there a couple of times.... Last time I was there they had a number of absolutely gorgeous ship models... One of the wonderful places around these parts....

[mtaylor]

30 minutes ago, Egilman said:

Yep, Columbia River Maritime Museum, about 2 hours away from where I live, been there a couple of times.... Last time I was there they had a number of absolutely gorgeous ship models... One of the wonderful places around these parts....

 

Me thinks I need a road trip.  I don't recall ever seeing models there, so that'll be my excuse.  Now a little bit better weather and a certain virus to leave the room.

 

[Old Collingwood]

4 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

 

Me thinks I need a road trip.  I don't recall ever seeing models there, so that'll be my excuse.  Now a little bit better weather and a certain virus to leave the room.

 

You Two should hook up  @Egilman

 

OC.

[Canute]

My hat's off to those Coastguard men and women. I've seen some video of those boats going in and out of that area and having the boats doing loop de loops. And the helo rescue crews are great, too. Trying to hover over shops in near gales.  The rescue divers who get lowered into pitching, rolling ships to render aid. Beyond brave. Goes for all of them, no matter the nationality. Very gutsy in my book.

[Jack12477]

That's the 44 ft motor lifeboat, self righting, which I believe replaced their 36 ft MLB (36500) featured in the movie The Finest Hours based on the true story of what is still considered the US Coast Guard's greatest small boat rescue, Bernie Webber Station Chatam Mass Feb 1952.  The current boat is the 48 (49??)  47 ft MLB. [Correction]

 

A good friend of ours was one of the  CGC Tamaroa crew featured in the movie Perfect Storm, later commanded an East Coast station with 2 of the 47 ft MLBs.  Admiral and I watched that movie with him and his wife when it first came out. After we left the movie theater,  his wife commented to him "you never told me it was that dangerous!" After the movie came out the Coast Guard decided to award him the Coast Guard Medal. 

Edited January 29, 2021 by Jack12477

[Old Collingwood]

59 minutes ago, Canute said:

My hat's off to those Coastguard men and women. I've seen some video of those boats going in and out of that area and having the boats doing loop de loops. And the helo rescue crews are great, too. Trying to hover over shops in near gales.  The rescue divers who get lowered into pitching, rolling ships to render aid. Beyond brave. Goes for all of them, no matter the nationality. Very gutsy in my book.

Indeed Ken, and  most of them are so  un aware of just how special they are.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

18 minutes ago, Jack12477 said:

That's the 44 ft motor lifeboat, self righting, which I believe replaced their 36 ft MLB (36500) featured in the movie The Finest Hours based on the true story of what is still considered the US Coast Guard's greatest small boat rescue, Bernie Webber Station Chatam Mass Feb 1952.  The current boat is the 48 (49??) ft MLB.

 

A good friend of ours was one of the  CGC Tamaroa crew featured in the movie Perfect Storm, later commanded an East Coast station with 2 of the 44 ft MLBs.  Admiral and I watched that movie with him and his wife when it first came out. After we left the movie theater,  his wife commented to him "you never told me it was that dangerous!" After the movie came out the Coast Guard decided to award him the Coast Guard Medal. 

"Perfect Storm"   that was some film Jack   -  amazing work they do  and so brave.

 

OC.