B-25 Mitchell

[Ken Pugh]

Here is a B-25 Mitchell I am making for my 10 year-old granddaughter.  I know some may like some build photos but I was really up against it for time on this one.  I do plan to make one for myself and was hoping to refine my technique with lessons learned from this one.  The detail has been reduced to increase durability (protection from her little sister).  As of today she is already in primer and should be painted by tomorrow.  I will probably use decals to save time so all should be ready very soon.

I need to get it finish for delivery this Friday so only one more pic of this one.  The next one will probably be a J model gunship and I will present detailed build pics.  This model also uses some new finish techniques I have learned from the woodworkers that seem to turn out well.  I will lay all this out on the next one.

Ken Pugh



http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pid=5530

[lastvautour]

Very nice look Mitchell. I like the way you carved out the engines and you blending of the pieces looks flawless from my perspective. I await your next one. Don't forget a finished photo.

Lou

[Balsabasher]

Lovely model Ken,the old Billie Mitchell makes for a fine subject.
Barry.

[Ken Pugh]

Thanks, guys.  The engines don't exist!  When I use the spinning prop disc, I just hollow out the area and leave a bulge in the middle for the prop transmission (?).  If the engine can't be seen I don't bother with it at 1/72 scale.  There will definitely be a finished photo and I plan to start the next one right away with plenty of pics to show how to build this one.  The wings can be a pain to get good joints that are strong and the tail feather alignment can also be a challenge.  I will show how I finally overcame all that.  I will also show the method I have learned for finishing wood that provides that "piano finish."

She did turn out very smooth, unless something comes through under paint.  Again, I learned some good techniques this time to do that and will share all.  I hope to paint it today, unless my disability gets in the way like yesterday, and she should be finished very soon.  This will be my mini cookup since there will be two models (or more)!

Ken Pugh

[lastvautour]

Ken, have you considered doing the wing in one piece similar to the Corsair I made? It would solve your weak joint situation.

Lou

[Balsabasher]

Looking forward to seeing your finishing techniques Ken.
Yes cranking outboard wings is a black art,the thicker the wing then more juggling to get the airfoil to line up nicely,your engine idea creates the right illusion,well done.
Barry.

[Ken Pugh]

Hi Lou,

I have tried the one-piece wing.  Many of the techniques I am trying are definitely the hard way at 1/72, but would be helpful in other scales.  I did solve the problem and will show how I did it (employing woodworker tips).  I am still developing my preferred methods for the future so I may do things out of the ordinary then come back to normal practice.  The thought of carving that much poplar on a Corsair wing makes my hand hurt!  Poplar is my choice of wood for wings because of the stronger trailing edges.  When I carve a one-piece wing, it is difficult for me to get everything symmetrical, so I am trying to make it in pieces.  The shape of the B-25 wing took me three pieces, even after I originally tried to do it with two.

I may try a different technique for the tail, for that matter I may just make several tails to see what is the best way to do this.

Please, everyone suggest different ways of doing things than I am because I am evaluating and developing ideas for my future models.  I hope to have some standard techniques to speed up my model progress (how else can I catch up with Barry!).

Regarding my use of the term "piano finish."  I am not saying I can finish to that level or am I implying that anyone else is or is not.  That is the term used in a furniture finishing book I found in a library.  I thought it was a good term when I realized that furniture finishers do not try to remove the grain from the final finish.  That is a specific technique that is used only on certain items, such as pianos.  It is an easy technique but is different from the ones I normally hear used and it varies from whether one uses water-based or oil-based finishes.  I only learned the water-based method because I don't want to mix finish types.

Ken Pugh

[Ken Pugh]

The prototype is finished and ready for my granddaughter.  I'll take a day or two off then start another with a build thread.  This one is low detail.



http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pid=5544



http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pid=5545



http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pid=5546

Ken Pugh

[Balsabasher]

Ken this is a delightful model,I am interested to know how you did the prop blurr etched into the clear discs ? I think the detail is just right for this type of model.
Barry.

[Mark Braunlich]

Very nice Ken.  Your granddaughter should be very pleased.  I know I would be!
Mark

[Ken Pugh]

Thanks guys.

Prop discs are made from the plastic that encases everything we buy today.  I use a compass with two metal points to draw the disk and mark the center.  I enlarge the center hole with an XActo knife.  The disk is chucked up in a dremel cutting wheel.  These use a very fine screw, as opposed to the Chinese tools that use larger ones.  Spin the disk at slow speed and touch a ScotchBrite pad to the underside and topside of the disk.  Wait for the streaks to appear then move it further out on the disc.  You can also true up the disk on sandpaper.  When you are done, enlarge the hole as necessary to fit the shaft.  Sometimes, like on this one, I use sandpaper.  I have a big roll used to make sanding belts from and I just tear off a piece.  It is 240 grit aluminum oxide.  A soft touch is needed to get the streaks instead of just sanding it down evenly.  I will try to remember to include this process in the photos I take for this build.  I don't even glue the disk onto the shaft.  Glued things can become broken things so I just slip it on and can slip them off for shipping.

I said I would wait a couple of days to start the next one.  After posting that, I turned around to my work desk, looked at the templates, then started on the new parts.  So much for a break.

Ken Pugh

[Oceaneer99]

Ken,

That is a very effective prop blur technique.  Nice stand, too!  I still need to make a stand for my VKA-23 spaceplane.  With the blended delta wings, I can't suspend it from a thread harness from a magnet stuck to an overhead heating duct like my WW II planes.

Seeing your B-25 is an inspiration; I have a relative who was a B-25J navigator with the 499th Squadron of the 345th Bomb Group in the Pacific, and I've always wanted to make a model of one of their planes (they had bats painted across the nose, and were known as the "Bats Outta Hell").

[cliff strachan]

Thanks Ken for the detailed description of how to construct prop disks. I've been toying with the idea of only replicating a portion of the props that seem to be most visible in aircraft photos.
Cliff.

[Ken Pugh]

I thought about the blurred prop we see in pics and how to duplicate that, then it occurred to me, the blurred prop is only visible in photos, not in real life.  In reality, we see the whole disk blurred.  Sometimes we also see the tips if they are painted, but the prop sections are photographic effects.  Because of this, I went with the entire disk being blurred.  Of course, all I really am doing is putting grooves in the disks just like the old vinyl records.  The grooves are not uniform though they are circular.  I think the nonuniform nature of the grooves adds to the effect.  You also have to be careful to sand off the edges of the disk neatly so they are circular and there no bits hanging on from the knife cuts.

Ken Pugh

[cliff strachan]

Really interesting and much to reflect on. Thanks again Ken.
Cliff.