Italeri 1/48 scale B-25G Mitchell by Roland Sachsenhofer

Italeri (Accurate Miniatures) 1/48 scale
B-25G Mitchell

by Roland Sachsenhofer

B-25G 499th BS, Biak 1944

Hobby Boss' 1/32 Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop is available online from Squadron

Description

The G variant of the B-25 is equipped as a real "cannon boat" with a massive bow armament in the shape of a 75mm M4 cannon. The firepower, but also the recoil were enormous, reloaded by hand, targeted with the whole aircraft over the longitudinal axis.

A total of 420 aircraft of this series were manufactured before the B-25H, an improved version for this task, was put into production.

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The improvements consisted by the way in a further increase of the offensive armament around six machine guns at the bow, as well as in the use of a T13E1 gun, which had also the caliber 75mm, but for the use in airplanes was substantially better suitable.

The depicted B-25 was used in 1944 in the fierce battles that raged on and around Biak, an island in northwestern New Guinea. It belonged to the 345th BG, a unit which was known for its spectacularly designed nose.

With kits from Italeri you can make quite different experiences, as I could experience myself recently with the construction of a Hurricane. However, this offer seems to me to be beyond any doubt. The plastic parts come from the well known Accurate Miniatures moulds, which are, you might say, legends.

Impressively fine and highly detailed is the entire interior, from cockpit to stern, even the mount of the M4 cannon and these themselves are reproduced with pleasure in detail. Both, as much may be revealed, as the largest part of the interior sinks completely into merciful darkness after assembling the fuselage.

The casting of the old moulds was of the highest quality; no fish skin and no sink marks, which one would have had to supply, keep the modeler from a quick and frustration-free construction of the model. I used some etched parts for the cockpit area. Apart from the harness, none of this is really necessary, because, as already mentioned, the components impress with their richness of detail.

From the first moment I was curious about the quality of the decals. Especially those for the bow have to "withstand" a lot: Curvatures and indentations have to be covered by the decals in such a way that a seamless painting can be simulated!

After my experiences with two of these colorful birds I can give the all-clear: it really works! You only have to approach it with a little sensitivity, some decal softener and enough time, then the success is likely.

The well thought-out cutting of the decals and their excellent quality with regard to tensile strength and at the same time the suppleness of the carrier material provide a good starting position for this not unhealthy work.

Conclusion

In summary, I can say that this double project was unbelievable fun for me. ...and with Italeri I am reconciled again

Here is a really attractive kit with spectacular decal versions! Who knows, maybe I'll build the two still open versions sometime!

If you are interested in the building process, please have a look here on Scalemates:

https://www.scalemates.com/profiles/mate.php?id=10148&p=albums&album=50323

As ever, remarks will be appreciated: ro.sachsenhofer@gmx.at

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