Hi ya fellas

hey, i'm in a spot of bother, one of my dad's friend's used to fly the lovelly B25 for the RAF in WWII, anyway, when i was about ten he gave me a MatchBox B25 and i built it and painted it in the USA Olive Drab colours (i made a right mess of the thing to), I'm sure it was 1:72 scale and anyway i feel some what bad about it all coz i think its beyond repair and the colours and decals are all in USA configuration (Not forgetting that i did this when i was ten years old, had no modelling skills, no airbrush......etc).

Anyway, i would really like to build a high class model of a B25 and give it to him as a sort of gift. i was wondering, what kind of colours did the RAF paint the B25 Mitchell and what is the best 1:72 scale B25 kit to use.

thanx, Mic

From my limited info on the B-25, it would seem that the RAF aircraft (or at least some of them) retained the US o/d, neutral grey scheme. However, an old Italeri instruction sheet also sugests the standard day bomber scheme of Dark Earth/Dark Green/Sky. As to the best kit in 1/72, that is undoubtedly the Italeri offerings, though not without some faults. They do two versions (that I know about), a US Navy PBJ-1D and a B-25-B/C. Essentially they're the same kit but with added or retooled parts for the Navy version. If you need reference material, I can recommend the Detail & Scale book from Squadron/Signal publications.


Update.
After posting the above message I did a quick search at a couple of my favorite on-line retailers. It would seem that there are very few 1/72 B-25s currently available. However, I did learn that Hasegawa has a B-25-J scheduled for release sometime.

While they are not in 1:72, Accurate Miniatures makes three B25 versions, B, C/D, and G in 1:48 scale. These are probably the best B25 kits out there, and make excellent gift quality buildups straight OOB.

:-) Giving gifts like this to veterans is the best feeling in the world :-) He will be overjoyed. Do you know anything about the actual aircraft he flew, serial number, codes or even just the Squadron? It would be even better if you could finish it in the markings of at least the squadron he was in. If you can get any of this info, I'm sure there are plenty of us willing to help with research. Count me in :-)
As far as the best 1/72 kit to use I wouldn't know, the coulours would depend on the actual aircraft, if you go that route. My limited references, like Geoff indicate Olive Drab over Neutral Grey (320 Squadron 1943, Mk II B-25C) or Dark Earth/Dark Green/Sky (226 Squadron 1944 Mk II B-25C. D-Day stripes) :-)
Mal

This is a bit belated I'm afraid. I have quite an archive of aviation material but as I dont model aircraft these days it is all boxed away. However as a result of our washing machine having a slight haemorage I had to empty out the spare room and so I had a look to see what I could find!

My references all suggest standard RAF day bomber scheme -dark earth/dark green over duck egg. The upper scheme extends down the fuselage sides and meets the under surface colour in a wavy line. As they were used in the European theatre for ground attack they would have had invasion stripes toward the end of their career.

The main versions used were the B25C and D. If it helps your research the first squadron to equip was 98, followed by 226,305,320 and 342. Deliveries commenced in October 1942 , and 98 Squadron flew its first mission on January 22, 1943.

Sorry I have no pics I can send you.

Hope this helps.

Regards Dave