1/32 HK B-25J 345th Bomber Group "Apache Princess"
Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 2:52 am
Hello, I figured I'd share the monstrosity that had consumed my life a few months ago. Against my better judgement, I took on the task of building the HK 1/32 B-25 J. It's in the markings of "Apache Princess" from the 345th BG. My research revealed it was shot down by AA fire while trying to bomb an airfield and railyard on Formosa in May of 1945. The flight engineer was KIA, and the remainder of the crew were POW'd.
I agreed to build this because the wings were supposedly designed to come off, making shipping/storage manageable. Well I couldn't get them back off so I had to pack this beefcake as is. What a nightmare. Anyways, the guy I built it for supplied some extras, which included Master gun barrels, Brassin resin wheels, and the decals, which were made by Zotz. I added PE seat belts I had in the stash. Main stars and bars were painted on with Montex masks. The paint was AK Real Colors with alternating shades of OD 41 and faded OD. I was happy with the effect. This would have been a serious tail dragger, so I added 200 grams of Crossman BB's to the nose. This was my first attempt at the chipping technique using liquid frisket on the cowl. I was pleased with the effect and use it often now.
A few in progress pics.
I agreed to build this because the wings were supposedly designed to come off, making shipping/storage manageable. Well I couldn't get them back off so I had to pack this beefcake as is. What a nightmare. Anyways, the guy I built it for supplied some extras, which included Master gun barrels, Brassin resin wheels, and the decals, which were made by Zotz. I added PE seat belts I had in the stash. Main stars and bars were painted on with Montex masks. The paint was AK Real Colors with alternating shades of OD 41 and faded OD. I was happy with the effect. This would have been a serious tail dragger, so I added 200 grams of Crossman BB's to the nose. This was my first attempt at the chipping technique using liquid frisket on the cowl. I was pleased with the effect and use it often now.
A few in progress pics.
Those master barrels are great
A 1/32 Mitchell!!! Boy that’s a lot of weight in the nose! I do hope that the build has some metal landing gear struts to support all that weight. On a technical note, it’s very good to see that you used the correct accurate color for the interior. 
