North American PBJ-1C Mitchell. 13 Sqn RAAF 1944.

[zenrat]

North American PBJ-1C Mitchell. 13 Sqn RAAF 1944.

North American PBJ-1C Mitchell - 29 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

North American PBJ-1C Mitchell - 8 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

PBJ-1C Mitchell transferred from US Navy to RAAF.  Stars in the US insignia were overpainted with roundels but the bars were left in place.  Additional markings were not added to the unmarked (as was US practice) starboard upper and port lower wings.  Lack of space forward of the fuselage insignia resulted in the squadron codes being painted below the cockpit.  As the work was carried out in a hurry tail markings were reversed (not noticed until it was too late and not corrected) and US "99" codes were not overpainted.

North American PBJ-1C Mitchell - 23 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

North American PBJ-1C Mitchell - 13 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

North American PBJ-1C Mitchell - 26 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The Model.

Airfix B-25C/D Mitchell built OOB with every available void forward of the main gear filled with ballast.  And it still only just sits on its nose wheel.

North American PBJ-1C Mitchell - 32 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Paint scheme and markings are taken from a RW Lockheed PV-1 Ventura.  This aircraft did actually have its tail markings painted on backwards.  It also had non-matching codes on the fuselage sides with only the port side letters having a black border.  I didn't replicate this as I screwed up the first set of codes I applied and didn't have spares.
Fuselage windows and the wing roots prevented the squadron codes from being in the usual place.
Transfers are from this Red Roo Models set;



I have tried to weather it as it would have appeared flying patrols from Gove Field in Arnhem Land between August '44 and June '45.

[Flyer]

Nice! 

[PR19_Kit]

That looks so TOTALLY non-Whiffy, and all the better for it. 

[McColm]

Great build 

[NARSES2]

That really has come out well mate 

[Dizzyfugu]

Cool. 

[Old Wombat]

B-25 ........ Not much else to say, really.

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Good one - very convincing!

[Wardukw]

B-25 ........ Not much else to say, really.

Could not agree more with that ..love the B-25 and still tempted as hell to get an academy one in 48th..there cheap for what they are size wise.
As a builder of many B-25s another trick for keeping that nose down is putting weight behind the engines too...works a treat .
Fred ...mate...made my days seeing that   

[PR19_Kit]

I built an Airfix B-25 and converted it into an H, the one with the socking great 75 mm cannon in the nose.

I solved the nose weight problem, endemic to all B-25 models, by filling all available empty spaces with lead, including the engines and by using a cast white metal 75 mm gun, ALL of it, right back to the breech! 

[Pellson]

That looks so TOTALLY non-Whiffy, and all the better for it. 

I second that, and its impressive! 

[DogfighterZen]

That looks so TOTALLY non-Whiffy, and all the better for it. 

I second that, and its impressive! 

Being a bomber, if i saw that anywhere else, i'd think that's a really good model of a real plane.
Excellent work, Fred! 

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.  Glad y'all like it.  It's good kit which builds well.

DUKWy - I filled the fronts of the nacelles AND the backs of the engines.  Also the nose UC bay and the bombardiers crawlway.
Anymore Mitchells from me will either be wheels up (floatplane or in-flight) or have a solid nose.  I keep hearing good things about the 1/72 Hasegawa.

[Wardukw]

OK so ya added ballast then did ya 
I know we all use lead as most times it's free and the only stuff we can get but if ya ever get ya hands on some small bird shot from a 12g shotgun don't throw it out...it's brilliant for ballast..those small balls are very heavy and fit into every gap possible ..it's better than lead many times over .

[Tophe]

In B-25Z, Z does not mean Zwilling which is a German word, it is meaning Zenrat (Factories):

= link http://www.kristofmeunier.fr/b25Z-zenrat.jpg