North American B-25 Mitchell Mk. II by Airfix

1/48 scale
Kit No. A06018
Cost: $31.00
Decals: Two versions – 1) No. 180 Squadron, RAF Dunsfold, based at Surrey, England, 1943; 2) No. 305 Squadron (Polish), RAF Lasham, based at Hampshire, England, Fall 1943
Comments: Engraved panel lines, highly detailed interior including cockpit, bombardier’s position, bomb bay; separately molded ailerons and twin rudders, four 500-lb. bombs; optional position landing gear; optional cowlings; optional trailing edge flaps; optional windshields

History

The North American B-25 Mitchell was developed in response to a U.S. Army Air Corps request for proposal for a twin-engined medium attack bomber, and took its maiden flight in January 1939. Its development was completed just before the outbreak of World War II. The B-25 served in nearly every theatre of war: the Pacific, the Far East, North Africa and the Mediterranean, and was sent to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease Act. Curiously, there is little record of the Mitchell serving with the U.S. Army Air Forces in England, although they were flown from there by the Royal Air Force.

Named after Major General Billy Mitchell, the strident aviation pioneer and advocate whose 1925 court martial publicized both the need for America to develop a strong air arm and the political hostility to that goal — both among top military brass who were offended by Mitchell’s insubordination and the Congress, which was tight-fisted throughout the 1920’s with military appropriations — the B-25 eloquently vindicated Mitchell in perhaps the moment of its greatest fame, the April 18, 1942 bombing raid on Tokyo, Japan, just over four months after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. A less well known point of distinction is that the B-25 is among the aircraft credited with sinking the first enemy submarines off both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

The prototype was delivered to Wright Field near Dayton, Ohio on July 4, 1939. Its top speed with Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engines was only 265 mph, but once they were replaced with Wright Cyclone radials, this initially increased to 285 mph during flight tests, ultimately reaching 332 mph. The prototype initially had a large greenhouse canopy which was eliminated in favor of a more traditional windscreen design, and the shoulder-mounted wings were moved to a mid-fuselage position. Engine nacelles were redesigned for greater aerodynamic efficiency and extended to a position aft of the fuselage. A tail cone with a .50 caliber machine gun was added for rear defensive firepower.

The first unit to receive the B-25 Mitchell was the 17th Bombardment Group based at McChord Field in Washington State during 1941 — which began flying coastal patrols in the weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack. The 17th would later perform the same duty on the Atlantic Coast and off the Gulf of Mexico.

Just as the B-25A represented a modification to increase protection in the form of armor plate around the cockpit and self-sealing fuel tanks, the B-25B, the subject of this kit, ushered in more defensive firepower. It was the B that first featured the installation of Bendix electrically operated machine gun turrets in both dorsal and ventral positions, both housing two .50 caliber machine guns. The ventral turret was fully retractable and operated by a gunner who knelt over a periscope-gunsight, an uncomfortable position if it had to be manned for any length of time, and one which caused some crewman to experience vertigo. The ventral turret would later be phased out beginning with the B-25C.

The gun turrets were an impressive modification that were never fully adopted by the air forces of the Axis powers; they had to be designed not only for aerodynamic efficiency, but with sufficient room internally for not merely the guns, but the gunner, ammunition, mountings and electrical equipment to power them. In addition, a fire interrupter system had to be devised to keep the gunner from shooting off bits of his own airplane as he tracked enemy aircraft.

Doolittle Raid
Once tapped to lead the raid on Tokyo in early 1942, Lt. Colonel James Doolittle selected volunteers from the 17th Bomb Group, among the most experienced aircrew with the B-25 in the entire Army Air Force, and the 89th Reconnaissance Squadron. During training, the aircraft were modified to increase range; the ventral gun turret was removed and replaced with an auxiliary fuel tank increasing fuel capacity to 1,141 pounds while decreasing the plane’s empty weight by 600 pounds. The top secret Norden bombsight was removed in favor of a “twenty cent wonder” called the Mark Twain, which was better suited to the low altitude bombing that was planned over Tokyo. Twin fake .50 caliber machine guns made of wood (by some accounts they were broomsticks painted black) were installed in the tail to discourage attacks by enemy fighters.

The U.S.S. Hornet, with sixteen B-25’s lashed to her deck, set sail from San Francisco on April 2, 1942, steaming due east.  The bombers launched on April 18th, hours ahead of schedule, after being sighted by Japanese patrol ships, in an effort to maintain the element of surprise so crucial to the success of the attack. While the damage the bombers inflicted was light, the psychological effect was tremendous, particularly for the United States, which after Pearl Harbor had received a steady stream of bad news from the Pacific and the Far East, including the fall of Singapore and the doomed battle American forces were then waging against the Japanese in the Philippines (the Americans would be forced to surrender Corregidor, their last stronghold, on May 6, 1942).

The Tokyo Raid was the only first of a large number of operations in which the B-25 would carry the war to the enemy. Particularly in the Pacific, the B-25 was repeatedly modified for the anti-shipping role. These modifications included replacing the nose glazing with an all metal nose bristling with up to eight .50 caliber machine guns (B-25G), or four .50 caliber machine guns and a 75mm cannon (B-25H), which was reputed to have nearly stopped the aircraft in mid-air when fired, due to its fierce recoil. The B-25 Mitchell, as the instrument of the Tokyo Raid, gave American morale a huge boost at a moment when the war news from other quarters was very grim indeed. For this, it would forever seal its reputation in American aviation history. Nearly 10,000 B-25’s were produced before production ended.

The Kit

Airfix’ B-25 Mitchell Mk. II is a re-box of their B-25 C/D, first released in 2018. It is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 166 parts, 24 of which are clear plastic including the optional windshields for the cockpit, the glazed nose, and various windows. The kit features the same outstanding detail as the 2018 offering, with extensive raised relief throughout its interior surfaces, from the cockpit floor and interior sidewalls, to the bombardier’s position and bomb bay, to the interior of the nacelles housing the wheel wells for the main landing gear.

The cockpit features detailed twin control yokes and an instrument panel bearing some engraved detail which will be complemented by a decal. The interior has a level of detail unprecedented in 1/72 scale and consistent with the noticeably higher standards of Airfix molds in recent years. This kit could easily have been produced by Accurate Miniatures. The seats, bulkheads, even the central wing spar and bomb bay are impressive in their level of detail. There are separate parts for the bomb bay interior sidewall detail, molded as an integral part with the doors, which are in the open position. Modelers who wish to depict the bomb bay doors closed will need a sharp hobby knife and a bit of scratchbuilding skill. Four individual 500 lb. bombs are provided in a faithful recreation of the B-25’s 2,000 lb. payload.

There are detailed radial engines with separate crankcases, to be cemented into the cowlings. There are two types of cowlings, the early streamlined version or the later type with multiple exhaust vents, including seven separate small vents to be cemented to the cowling exterior with care. The engine nacelles may be built with the gear up or down, with an option for alternate gear doors which may be cemented into place if the gear are up. If they are down, detailed wheels with diamond tread tires are provided. Highly detailed machine guns will complement the dorsal and ventral gun turrets, and a Norden bombsight is even provided for the bombardier’s position in the nose.

Markings

The kit decals are in-house by Airfix and are of the usual excellent quality characteristic of their newer releases, fully in register with accurate colors and a good, semi-gloss sheen.  The first is for an aircraft of No. 180 Squadron, RAF Dunsfold, based at Surrey, England in 1943.  The second is for a bomber of No. 305 Squadron (Polish), RAF Lasham, based at Hampshire, England, Fall 1943.  Although in RAF service, the British did not bother to repaint the Mitchells based in England, as both aircraft are painted in the standard U.S. Army Air Force scheme of olive drab over not neutral grey as might be expected, but U.S. Compass Grey.  A color plate assists with painting and decal placement, and all paint colors are identified by Humbrol numbers only.

Conclusion

Airfix has released an excellent, detailed mold of the early B-25. Highly recommended.

Reference

B-25 Mitchell in Action – Squadron/Signal Publications, Aircraft No. 34 by Ernest R. McDowell; Copyright 1978 by Squadron Signal Publications, Inc., Warren, Michigan.