A few things of note that almost everyone gets wrong: 1.) The black parts of the leading edges are de-icing boots and are made of rubber with inflatable air cushions underneath - hence they would never show metal / silver on the black leading edges unless HEAVILY damaged if they were installed. 2.) Almost all control surfaces on WW2 planes were covered in fabric ( not all all - most ) and being a different material they would fade faster than the metal aluminum components. Your kit will have a crosshatched and sometimes "saggy" texture if the surfaces were canvas covered. 3.) From the factory most planes were fairly glossy but exposure and sun faded them to nice matte / semi matte finish. This is true of modern aircraft as well. Aircraft painted in the field were were painted with the appropriate federal standard paint when possible. However, depending on the unit, paint would be thinned down with fuel since it was more easily found than paint thinner so the colors / shade / tone of aircraft would differ from each other over time. 4. ) Paint - even if it is a perfect Federal Standard match - would appear lighter due to the visible scaling phenomena. Lightening scale model paint to a certain degree depending on the scale of the model makes it more accurate. 5. ) Build / paint / display how you want! As long as you like it - WHO CARES! Nice work on the kit.
Thanks for your comprehensive comment, appreciate it. I guess the "chipping" on the de-icing boots is the one mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I had studied a number of historical photo references (grainy b/w images) but obviously misinterpreted those spots that were clearly visible on some of the wings' leading edges. Too bad I didn't know they were made of rubber. I like heavy weathering but have been a lot more careful and restrained on my more recent builds. Greetings from Germany, RWO
@@RWOModels In my defense, I've been doing this for 40+/- years...lol. Also the boots were factory and depending on the unit / mission they would get removed, so they'd be or not be installed depending on the exact time frame of the aircraft being modeled. Happy modeling and thanks for the response!
Totally different from the old model I build a lot of time ago, now the details are really astounding. This is always been one of my favourite WWII medium bombers, for the ballast in the nose you could also use two part epoxy glue, it's more sure than PVA glue.
Thanks for your comment and your advice regarding the epoxy, much appreciated. In this case the lead ballast is so well enclosed in the nose gear bay I'm sure it can't move :) Thanks again, RWO/Oliver
Thanks for the hint! I can only recommend to put as much weight to the front as possible, and to hide it under the cockpit floor sounds reasonable. I really underestimated the tail heaviness of the model and thought filling up the nose gear bay with lead was enough.
Broom sticks painted black for rear 'guns' on the originals, I believe....and 75 ft clearance on deck for Doolittle's plane to take off.😊 That's one beautiful piece of modelling masterclass, inspirational !
Thank you so much for your feedback! I think I will change a few details on the model, including the black broom sticks, and do a short follow up video. Seems like I got a few details wrong and feel like I need to correct them. 🙂
The B-25B did not have a tail gun position. The top turret, located aft of the bomb bay, served as the tail gun. As well as the waist guns. Subsequent models of the B-25 moved the top turret forward of the bomb bay and added a tail gun position and waist guns. Other modifications were added in theater to make the B-25 one of the most modified medium bombers. Early B models had a dorsal gun on the bottom, but this was removed prior to the Doolittle raid as it was ineffective. Many, if not all, of the Doolittle raiders stuck black painted broom sticks in the tail to simulate a tail gun, without the increased weight. My main source for this information is “Thirty Seconds over Tokyo,” by Ted Lawson, one of the pilots of the Doolittle raid.
YES YES YES..... this is my favorite version of the B - 25... I have a REVELL 1/87 issue in the original box art... I just bought the ATLANTIS reissued kit... I also have the ITALIRIE 1/72 B - 25 with photo etch, and Squadron clear canopy kit.. you did a great job.... now you need a carrier deck to sit it on... if you don’t mind , I’ m going to follow your technique... saved this video... again you did a GREAT JOB
Thank you very much for your comment, I really appreciate it. My wife also asked me to build a diorama for the B-25 and when I told her a full carrier deck in the same scale would be three and a half meters long we both had a good laugh. 😂 Stay safe and enjoy your build! Greetings from Germany, Oliver/RWO
Beautiful job. My uncle was a radio man on B25s in Europe during WWII. I'm thinking of building this kit as a tribute to him for my office, next to the M4 tank like those my father scouted for as an advance man in Patton's army.
Thank you for your comment. We owe these heroes so much and we need to keep their memory alive. Both of my grandfathers served in WWII - unfortunately on the wrong side. The horrific wartime stories they told me when I was a young kid left a deep impression on me, and I realized early on that being able to live a life in freedom and peace is the highest privilege we have. Thanks and best regards from Germany, Oliver/RWO
Nice build. I would remind you though ( and I do so because it is so easily repairable) that since the "deicer boots on the leading edge of the flying surfaces, such as the wing, are made of rubber so that they can expand to break the ice free of the wing leading edge, they would not suffer from "chipping". Perhaps you could touch up those chipped areas affected with some black paint. Just a thought, after all, it is your airplane. Love your paint work.
Thanks Randy, appreciate your kind comment! Putting the "chipping" effect on the leading edges was the biggest mistake I made on this build, I received quite a lot of feedback from viewers about it. I actually never knew these black parts were in fact made of inflatable rubber. Learning never stops! I hope I'll find the time to do a short follow-up video where I'll fix the leading edges - and also re-paint the rear "guns" since they were broomsticks painted black rather than actual guns (another build mistake). Thanks again and stay safe, greetings from Germany, Oliver/RWO
Thank you very much! I studied the historical film footage available to get an impression how the actual planes looked when they launched off of USS Hornet. The image quality is not the best though so I put a bit of my own imagination into the build. It might not be perfectly accurate but this is how I think this plane could have looked like. Glad you like it! Cheers!
I swear I recall someone explaining that there were no defensive guns on the Doolittle B25s because they wanted to save on the weight and that they used broom handles painted black instead. Does anyone know if that's correct?
Very good work overall but the silver chipping on a black leading edges of the wings was a bad idea. There are de-icers made of black rubber, not black-painted metal.
Thanks for your comment! Another viewer already pointed me to that stupid mistake. I studied some original Doolittle Raid images and some of the planes had some spots visible on the leading edges. Image quality was quite bad so I assumed it was chipping. I really did not know the black edges were in fact de-icing rubber boots... Learning new things every day, even as an old man at the age of 50... Thanks again! Cheers, Oliver/RWO
Thanks! My next model will actually be built from an older, more simple kit so I’m already curious how you guys will like it. I usually only build what I like and try to have fun and learn new things. 🙂
I see you're applying tamiya extra thin over painted parts. Do you not have issues with that? I'm a new modeler, and every time I try that the paint reacts as well and sort of bulges out from the joint. Maybe it won't do that with the paints you're using? I don't have an airbrush yet, so I'm stuck using spray cans which I think are usually enamel, lacquer, or some other kind of solvent based.
Yes, you need to be very careful with glueing painted parts. If you need a really strong bond you definitely need to remove your paint from the contact surfaces. Using only very small amounts of glue can help prevent the paint from reacting with it - but I can tell you I have messed up a lot of parts this way. 😬 I only use acrylic airbrush paints so I’m afraid I can’t help you with other types of paints. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the build, I wanted to see this kit IRL before buying. One note on the painting: AFAIK the black leading edges on the wings and control surfaces were the de-icing boots, made of rubber - so there can not be any chipping on them.
Oh my, that’s embarrassing… Before painting the model I studied some of the historical film footage of the mission and there were a couple of planes that actually had a few spots clearly visible on the black leading edges that looked like chipping to me (the image quality was not very good). Did not know about the de-icing boots. Sorry for the mistake.
It’s all good, after all I’m happy to have learned something new here. I never would have guessed they had inflatable rubber boots on the leading edges to crack off the ice in flight. I will repaint my model ASAP. 🙂 Thanks again, RWO/Oliver
try heating the wheels up a little to soften them the push down on the to belly them out and flatten the bottom of the wheel a little to imitate the weight of the plane on them
This Airfix kit actually has weighted wheels out of the box, the effect is not very pronounced though. Will try your suggested method in a future model, unfortunately the wheels for the next build are already painted and finished so I can't do it there. :) Thanks for watching!
Thanks for your comment! The music I use in my videos is taken from the RU-vid Audio Library. Most tracks are from the Ambient genre there. Hope this helps. Cheers!
Thanks for your comment and sorry for the late reply. Yes, I usually add thinner to my paints. I mostly use Vallejo Model Air and Tamiya acrylic paints together with Vallejo Airbrush Thinner and Tamiya X-20A respectively. Don’t give up if your first results are not as successful as expected. It takes practice to figure out mixing ratios, pressure etc. and you will get better and more satisfying results with each build. My first attempts ended up in a real mess but after a while I realised that painting the models is the part I like the most. 🙂
Orginal plane was crashed 🙁. I have book about "Doolittle raid" , only one plane survived (Edward "Ski" York ) , witch landing near Vladivostok in USSR.
Vielen Dank! Qualität und Passform des Bausatzes sind sehr gut, sodass man nur sehr wenig nacharbeiten oder eigene Lösungen finden muss. Die Anleitung ist detailliert und zeigt alle Schritte genau. Aber es sind schon relativ viele Teile, sodass ich persönlich denke, dass es von Vorteil wäre, wenn man schon einige Modelle gebaut hat. Letztendlich ist es immer die Frage, wie hoch die eigenen Ansprüche sind und wie sehr man sich in so ein Bauprojekt hineinkniet. Mein erstes Modell ohne jede Vorerfahrung war eine Saturn V in 1:144 von Revell. Habe ich irgendwie hinbekommen, bin aber auch schon ein älteres Semester mit entsprechender Ernsthaftigkeit und viel Geduld. 😊 Danach habe ich nochmal mit ganz einfachen Modellen von vorne angefangen und habe den Schwierigkeitsgrad meiner Modelle dann Schritt für Schritt erhöht.
Thanks for your comment and your subscription, appreciate it! In my videos I'm trying to create a calm, relaxed atmosphere, I'm sorry you don't like the music.
It’s either to protect my fingers from paint, glue etc. or to prevent fingerprints or grease getting on sensitive parts. I had blue gloves before, now I have black ones. 🙂
I use three different pairs of Tamiya HG tweezers and some very pointy cheap tweezers from Amazon. The Tamiya HG are quite expensive but a pleasure to work with. Thanks for watching!
Very Nice, I love 1/72 scale. Maybe consider silly putty for nose weight, it fits everywhere and won't attack the plastic. Great Job, Thank you. Jeff IPMS 31180
Thanks for watching. Please take a look here, no yellow prop tips on the planes: commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:B-25_on_the_deck_of_USS_Hornet_during_Doolittle_Raid.jpg commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Hornet_(CV-8)_with_USS_Gwin_(DD-433)_during_Doolittle_Raid_1942.jpg
Maybe you shouldn't compare your models too much with what the others build. After all it's about you having fun and building something that interests you with your own hands. We all have our setbacks, ruin some details or even whole models. Take your time and don't give up! Cheers!
I'm a little late, but let me tell you about my, rather short because I'm 17, experiences with modelling. For the last three years, I have been stuck with painting models by hand, and by hand only. It was a struggle, and I often felt like i wasnt good enough. Until, of coourse, I met some friends on some modelling discord forums. They helped me figure out what i needed to do to improve. Just a week ago, though, i got my very first airbrush. I never fully understood the struggle of painting by hand until i used it for the first time. And then, i felt better about what I've done before. Sure, airbrushing is nice, but hand brushing is where some of the truly skilled can flourish. You've got this. Keep it up!
Yes, that’s exactly what I do with my current builds, no more washing. This kit however was pretty stained so I decided to give it a good wash. 😉Thanks!
Hey RWO, elegant, methodical work. Nice style. Can you help me with reason for weighting the nose. Won't this cause the plane to pitch forward? What's the physics involved? Thanks in advance for your time and sharing you skills. Happy New Year. Cheers mate
Hi Michael, Happy New Year! Thanks for your comment. The real airplane and the model have a different center of gravity. Where the real plane has solid, heavy engines, fuel tanks, equipment and other stuff forward of the c/g, all parts of the model are made of the same plastic and have the same specific weight. This makes the model tail heavy so in order to prevent it from sitting on its tail you need to add weight to the nose. Problem with my build was that I fully loaded the front landing gear bay with lead but this was not enough so the model is still tail heavy. Hope this helps. Cheers, Oliver/RWO
@@RWOModels Sorry to have bothered you. I'm an idiot!! I didn't realize that jets have the landing wheel in the front NOT the tail like most of my builds. Sorry again for being so absent minded. Thanks again for your getting back to me
Beautiful build and paint job a great looking . Thoroughly enjoyed the vid. If you are struggling with space for weights in the nose. I often put weights in engine nacels.
Thanks for your great comment! I considered putting additional weight into the engine nacelles but unfortunately at that time I couldn't open them any more. I thought filling up the nose gear bay to the max was enough but apparently it wasn't. Learning never stops I guess. :) Cheers, Oliver/RWO
Thank you! Regarding weathering I personally think there is always a thin red line between „not enough“ and „too much“. I was not sure how this particular plane actually looked on the day of the Raid. Some of the participating aircraft looked extremely weathered whereas others appeared to be in almost pristine condition. So I decided to go for a more decent „in-between“ look. In my upcoming video you‘ll be able to see a heavier weathered plane, maybe you’ll like this one better! 🙂 Cheers, Oliver/RWO
Micro Krystal Klear is basically water based PVC glue, so it is impossible that your windows were fogged by that. More likely is there was a small opening or crack that wasn't masked properly and some over spray got inside the fuselage.
Thanks for your explanation, much appreciated. Fortunately I managed to get into the fuselage with a few cotton swabs and similar objects and wipe off most of the windows. The residue could be removed very easily so I assumed it had to do with Krystal Klear I had used shortly before. Thanks again for pointing this out.
I love the Airfix new tooled aircraft! I can't get enough of them! Some people cricize the deep panel lines, but I find them very easy to accent and weather. Their are no fit issues, they are so well engineered and detailed.
That's a really nice job you've done there. If there's one piece of advice/reccomend and that's use the Alclad paints for metal finish, it's a better look and easy on the spray gun.
This is an excellent build mate. I’m just about to start this kit and was looking for some inspiration. I found it here!!! Thank you for sharing this lovely work.
Very nice build! Could you please consider music background change. It makes some fear and negative tension in my opinion. First time when I felt really relaxed was from 26 min.
there were no guns on the plane they had to replace them all with broomsticks painted black because it was too heavy for the plane to get off the carrier deck
I m used to replacing some parts of the landing gear using Office clips, just to reinforce it, besides so much work deserve it Dont you think? Greetings from Chile
Hi Gustavo, I just checked again on my model, the landing gear legs bend a little when you push them but I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to reinforce them. I would say it depends on how much you move your models around and how safely you can store them. 🙂 Most important advice would be to add as much weight to the nose and even to the front of the engine nacelles as possible to keep the model balanced. All the best from Germany, stay safe! Oliver/RWO
A great build sir, I am more of a fan of 1/48th scale, but I could be persuaded to go to 1/72nd after watching this video, keep safe and well in these crazy time we are in, greztings from Australia.
There are lots of model builders online, but you sir, are one of the finest. Thank you for showing this and for the absolutely awesome music. I hate jarring loud music when watching something like this. This is an art show not a disco.lol. Totally subbed and liked
Thank you! If you look closely you’ll see it’s not a Sub on my wrist. 😉 Actually been trying to buy one for some time now but as you may know these are very hard to get or they are sold for ridiculous prices. Thanks for watching!
Excellent! I am building this same kit now. What did you use on the glass - as in those stickers? Is that a template? Also, can you please explain why/ how you did the landing lights the way you did? It looks fantastic - I just don't understand it... thanks a ton for sharing!
Thanks Bryan! The „stickers“ I used on the clear parts are a set of pre-cut masks manufactured by Eduard specifically made for the B-25. These sets are way easier and quicker to use than cutting your own masks from masking tape. Is that the information you needed? Regarding the landing lights I wanted to achieve a more realistic look instead of just painting the insert part silver as the instructions suggest. So I only painted the rear of the part in Aluminium silver to have a „reflective coat“ on the back. Then I carefully masked the round „lens“ on the front using masking fluid. After that I covered the whole part with a flat black coat, front and back (over the silver coat). Finally I removed the masking from the „lens“ and now it looks like there is a reflector lamp sitting in the wing just like real landing lights. Hope this helps. Enjoy your build! 🙂 Cheers, Oliver/RWO
@@RWOModels Thank you! This makes perfect sense now... I had no idea you could get pre-cut masks, so that's something I will add to my list. Also the Revell glue - is that something I need to order online only? I've never seen it at any retail locations. Thanks for sharing your videos - they are very helpful.
Great build RWO. Well done sir. On a side note, can anyone please tell me what the black box was in the bomb bay instead of a fourth bomb? It was below the bomb above it, so I guess it’s something designed to be dropped...
Good question, but the thing is you KNOW the interior details are THERE even if you barely can see them. 😄 There may be an irrational side to this but hey, it's just a hobby and it's for fun! ☺️ Thanks for watching!
You did an amazing job on every single aspect of this build. I'm working on a 1:72 Avro Lancaster right now, I'm wondering if you could tell me what you used to achieve the oil and exhaust stains?
Thank you very much! I sprayed on the exhaust stains with highly diluted paint (up to 80% thinner). Some dark grey, brown or black or a combination of multiple layers will do, just as you like. Low pressure (10-15psi) and 0.2mm nozzle. For the oil stains I used one of Vallejo Weathering Effects, can’t remember which one exactly, probably 73.813 Oil Stains or 73.814 Fuel Stains. These products are ready to use, I have a few of them and really like them. Hope this helps. Good luck with your Lanc! Cheers, Oliver/RWO
Hi, I tested a GoPro style action cam but was not satisfied because of the image distortion and the overall quality of the recordings. It was no original GoPro cam though. I now use a mirrorless Panasonic Lumix G9 system camera mounted overhead on my main working desk. When airbrushing in my extractor booth I use my old iPhone mounted on a Manfrotto Magic Arm.
