North American B-25 Mitchell by Accurate Miniatures

1/48 scale
Kit No. 3430
Cost: $36.00
Decals: Any one of six aircraft involved in the April 1942 Tokyo Raid – “Ruptured Duck,” “TNT,” “Whirling Dervish,” “Whiskey Pete,” “Hari Carrier,” and Plane #8
Comments: Engraved panel lines and recessed rivet detail; detailed cockpit, bombardier’s position, bomb bay, gun turret assemblies and radial engines; paint masks

History

The 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. 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 employed in the Italian Theatre.

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 if 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 Toyko 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 Phillipines (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. Particulary 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.

The Kit

Released by Accurate Miniatures in 2005, this version of the B-25B Mitchell is identical to their initial 1999 release of the same kit, the key difference being the dramatic box art depicting the famous April 1942 Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, Japan — the markings from the 1999 release remain the same. The kit is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 231 parts, 28 of which are clear plastic. plus a set of paint masks for the cockpit and extensive glazing in the nose. With this kit, Accurate Miniatures lived up to its reputation for painstaking detail.

The fuselage interior features ribbed structural detail, and the detailed cockpit features control yokes, a rear bulkhead, raised detail on the floor, and a clear part for the entire instrument panel, making it easier to depict individual instrument dials without painting them. The cockpit seats are a bit plain and lack even seat straps, so some modelers may want to replace them with aftermarket examples (e.g., Quickboost).

Wing spars form an integral part of the forward and rear bulkheads for the bomb bay assembly, and this kit includes the same auxiliary fuel tank in the roof of the bomb bay as were fitted into the aircraft of Doolittle’s Tokyo Raiders (for added realism, modelers may want to scrounge up some 1/48 scale jerry cans, as a few of these were stowed in the radio compartment of the Raiders’ B-25’s). There are plenty of sidewall details for radio and other equipment to be cemented to both sides of the fuselage interior throughout its length.

The bombardier’s station feature a Norden bombsight, interior sidewall detail and a .50 caliber machine gun to be fitted through the glazed nose, through which modelers will have to drill a hole. The detailed bomb bay offers a choice of 1000 lb., 500 lb., or 100 lb. bombs, or depth charges. There are detailed machine gun turret assemblies for the dorsal and ventral positions, although the latter will not be included if the kit is accurately built as a Tokyo Raider.  The detailed radial engines each consist of three parts, with the entire engine assemblies, including cowling and propeller, making up nine parts each, and the landing gear feature flattened tires.

If a version other than the Tokyo Raider aircraft is chosen, there are machine gun packs that can be fitted to the forward fuselage sides, as well as the ventral turret machine gun assembly. Finally, the instructions include a paint reference chart including Model Master, Humbrol, Gunze Sangyo (both Aqueous and Mr. Color), and Xtra Color paints, as well as Federal Standard numbers.

Markings

Decals are provided for six of the 18 Tokyo Raiders, and are based on sketches and art work provided by the surviving Raiders. They include Plane #3 “Whiskey Pete,” Plane #9 “Whirling Dervish” (featuring a cyclone image), Plane #7 “Ruptured Duck” (featuring the head of Donald Duck with a pair of crossed crutches), Plane #11 “Hari Carrier” (featuring the outline of a winged woman in flight carrying a bomb), Plane #8 (featuring no artwork but merely the number 3), and Plane #15 “TNT” (which features an image of a chemical symbol for dynamite, although not an accurate one). All markings are clear, precise and in register with realistic color.

Conclusion

This is a highly detailed kit of the B-25B Mitchell that should provide modelers a great deal of satisfaction, whether you decide to build a Tokyo Raider or some other version of this historic aircraft. While it retailed for up to $50.00 prior to the unfortunate demise of Accurate Miniatures, it is possible to find one for somewhat less than that from aftermarket sources. 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.