I realized it has been about 15 years since I posted something here! Time flies…I’ll catch yall up a bit. I just finished my interpretation of the venerable B-25D of the 345th BG, 498 BS based in Port Moresby. Known as the “Air Apaches,” this aircraft depicts “Red Wrath” in its configuration and colors during March, 1943.
The kit is mostly OOB, but I did add some resin seats. I painted the model with a combination of Tamiya, Gunze and Model Master paints. The weathering was done with rock salt, AK weathering pencils, oils and Tamiya weathering masters effects ( the stuff that looks like a women’s make up box ). I did discover the Accurate Miniatures instructions were much better than that of the Academy kit by adding historical information as well as more accurate color choices. Two glaring errors I made are the side rectangular window behind the cockpit. I didn’t ensure they were flush with the fuselage when I glued them in and I didn’t catch the error until the halves were glued together….oh well. The nose was painted with a combination of Gunze and Tamiya acrylics after I photocopied the decal sheet from the Academy kit and made stencils. I have terrible luck with very large decals with compound curves and I think the result is very nice. Overall olive drab with neutral gray lower surfaces and 3 or 4 different weathering methods used to try and get a more realistic weathered look.
Overall, a nice kit to build with very few fit issues. I’ve set it next to my “vintage” Monogram B-25H which I built a lifetime ago. Now I need to do an HK kit for comparison and also to add a “J” version to the mix.
