LB's FlightLine B-25J to B-25C "Desert Warrior" Build

[jetfool]

Outstanding design! Your work amazes me.

[Elbee]

Hey Ya'll,

Quick look at the Main Wheels and Nose Wheel designs.

I had an inquiry, of sorts, so much easier to post what I've done.

This might explain why it's taken soooooo long to get these right.

I wanted these to be strong and as scale-like as my Corsair wheels.

These are slightly smaller so getting the hub as thick as reasonable was a big part.

The cutaway profile could use some tweaking, though for this project it is not too shabby.

I could not get the website to post the pictures so you could simply thumb through those.

So, I posted the pic as individuals, harder to view, but I did try.

Not certain why that happens, I will try an edit later and see if I can get the pix easier to view.

For now, no STLs, but you never know what the future will bring.:smirk:

If anyone chooses to improve on this design, that's good news, right?!

Quick Parts List

• 304 Stainless Steel Tubing 5mm OD X 0.6mm wall
• Sealed Ball Bearings 5mm ID X 10mm OD X 4mm W
• Sealed Ball Bearings 4mm ID X 8mm OD X 3mm W
• Wheel Collar 5mm ID X 10mm X 5mm W

Best, LB

[f4u ausie]

Just one more little elb detail!! Good pickup. Or observation. ... Fine wine..

[Elbee]

Bomber Band of Brothers.

It's been a while since I've posted an update.

Frankly, would have thought I'd gotten her on her feet already, but.....

I couldn't figure why something looked off when I was designing my nose wheel.

It's the nose wheel door, which is a marvel of Motion-RC engineering, but it is too long at the front and covers the nose wheel strut when viewed from the side.

My guess this is done to allow better access to the retract mounting screws for faster assembly at the factory.

That said, I cut the door, used excess EPO from previous surgeries, and mounted the cut portion of the door to the forward fuselage.

A little filler, a little paint and abracadabra, it closer to 1:1 in my mind.

The other thing I've been doing is designing new main gear wheels and a new nose wheel.

I know there are many great authors who have done some good designs.

Though ones I looked at needed some tweaks and I like ball bearings, so I started from scratch.

Fitment has been a bit of a choke point only because I wanted to add the detail of hollow axles for the pass-thru brake lines.

davegee has gotten me hooked on this detail modification and to his credit, it is quite prominent once you know to look.

Thanks, Dave for the inspiration.

More when there is more.

Best, LB

[f4u ausie]

Absolutely awesome Steve... Always wished I got a birdcage f4.. 4 me lighter colour show the dirty weathered effect so much more.. I'm looking forward to finished product almost as much as u. I really like a dirty warbird!!

[RRHandy]

Awesome

[jetfool]

Looks fantastic!

[Elbee]

Bomber Bunch,

Kwik Update.

Adding the nomenclature and graphics to the nacelles, weathering as I go.

More when there is some more...:pop

Best, LB

[davegee]

Mitchell Maniacs,

Finally, mounted the LB Cowls to the Nacelles.

Had to design a jig to hold those at the correct down thrust angle per OEM.

The jig uses the motor's prop shaft as the zero and an inner ring that fits the ID of the cowl to center and stabilize the entire part to the center line of the motor until the glue dries.

Whew, that was quite the description.

Anyway, it works.

Next is repainting the prop tips as per davegee's suggestion (thanks, Dave) that the OEM yellow tips are too long/wide from the tips to the base to be scale.

Well, I checked my references and he is quite correct, so somewhere along the line I'll need to repaint the tips on my Spittie and my Corsair, too.

Gotta do what ya gotta do, right.

Once props are complete it's on to mounting the nacelles to the fuselage.

Best, LB

I just found this on a quick online search: I just checked my guesstimates on my FMS P-47 and what do you know, the yellow tips measure out to an equivalent of 4 inches tall, by 1941 military standards! Besides, to me the OEM prop blades make the plane look like a toy with those wide yellow bands. Comparing our models to period photos, no question, narrower is better and more scale (not that Any of us care about scale!) HA! Davegee

During World War II, the standard for painting propeller tips on Allied military aircraft (USAAF, USN, and RAF) was a 4-inch (approx. 10cm) yellow band applied to the tips of the blades, primarily as a safety warning to ground crew.

• Primary Purpose: The bright yellow tips provided high contrast against the typically black-painted, rapidly rotating blades, helping personnel avoid walking into the propeller arc.
• Coloration: The tips were painted yellow, often on both the front and back sides of the blade, though sometimes only the front.
• Time Period: While some earlier, pre-war, or early-war aircraft used red/yellow/blue painted bands, the standardized yellow tip was adopted by the USAAF around August 1941 and for US Navy aircraft by early-to-mid 1942.
• Other Markings: While yellow tips were standard for visibility, some early war British propellers used by Rotol carried colored identification discs (white, red, or blue) indicating blade material or settings, rather than just tip safety paint.

[Elbee]

Mitchell Maniacs,

Finally, mounted the LB Cowls to the Nacelles.

Had to design a jig to hold those at the correct down thrust angle per OEM.

The jig uses the motor's prop shaft as the zero and an inner ring that fits the ID of the cowl to center and stabilize the entire part to the center line of the motor until the glue dries.

Whew, that was quite the description.

Anyway, it works.

Next is repainting the prop tips as per davegee's suggestion (thanks, Dave) that the OEM yellow tips are too long/wide from the tips to the base to be scale.

Well, I checked my references and he is quite correct, so somewhere along the line I'll need to repaint the tips on my Spittie and my Corsair, too.

Gotta do what ya gotta do, right.

Once props are complete it's on to mounting the nacelles to the fuselage.

Best, LB

[Elbee]

I know there is always discussion about these lights...look great, Elbee. What did you use for the silver bowl-shaped parts of the recognition lights?

Cheers

davegee

Dave,

Designed and printed the "cups".

Wonderfully simple: 14 mm diameter cylinder X 3.7 mm deep dished from the zero datum to the top with a semi-flattened 1/2 sphere.

For the 0.5mm inner lip use a cut out (negative) cylinder at 13 mm diameter set 0.5 mm below the top of the positive cylinder.

Presto-Change-O, add a bit of brite-silver paint for the reflection and "Bob's your uncle."

Cut the lenses from 1/32nd clear sheet using a sharpened brass tube and used Clear Colors of Tamiya Acrylic Paints for Amber, Green, and Red.

Best, LB

[jetfool]

Looks amazing

[davegee]

Bomber Dudes and Dudettes,

Quick update.

Outer wing panels primed, sanded, and painted.

Added the obligatory (for me anyway) Comm Lights (or whatever these lights were/are) to the bottom of the RH wing tip.

Did not light 'em this time as I couldn't even see those when I did the first check flight on my Corsair which are lighted.

Looks pretty slick to me either way.

On to exhaust staining on the engine cowls.

More when there is some more.

Best, LB

I know there is always discussion about these lights. A small control panel in the cockpit (at least on the P-47 that I know of), allowed for turning one, two, or all three lights on and off, and to signal Morse code to those on the ground who might want to be sure they were friendly and not enemy. I got the opportunity to talk to several WWII pilot veterans over the years, and I never found one who even knew what I was talking about! They might have been a good idea early on, but in practice, especially as the war progressed, probably weren't used on a regular basis, if at all. Still, almost all tactical airplanes had these installed at the factory. Who knows?

They look great, Elbee. What did you use for the silver bowl-shaped parts of the recognition lights?

Cheers

davegee

[Elbee]

Bomber Dudes and Dudettes,

Quick update.

Outer wing panels primed, sanded, and painted.

Added the obligatory (for me anyway) Comm Lights (or whatever these lights were/are) to the bottom of the RH wing tip.

Did not light 'em this time as I couldn't even see those when I did the first check flight on my Corsair which are lighted.

Looks pretty slick to me either way.

On to exhaust staining on the engine cowls.

More when there is some more.

Best, LB

[jetfool]

Elbee,
I agree, less is more for the show. At this size if I can get the paint correct, scale details to make a difference it should be competitive against the larger jets. Hopefully the more you look the more details pop out at the viewer.
Waiting on Callie for quote on graphics/stencils.
Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

davegee,

Many thanks my friend.

A little here, a little more there, and shazam, you're done....or not.

Best, LB

Do you know if this was the only aircraft of its type to be painted up this way? I'm guessing the plane was eventually scrapped like so many other old warhorses. Wouldn't that be neat to meet one of the crewmembers, although at this point I doubt any are still around, unfortunately. That desert sand camo color is very attractive!

Cheers

davegee

[Elbee]

davegee,

Many thanks my friend.

A little here, a little more there, and shazam, you're done....or not.

Best, LB

[Elbee]

Thanks, Rex.
Yeah well, there's only like a million of the those little things on a Phantom...

I spent the best part of 4 sessions doing Callie's Nomenclature on my F-Phour.

Most of those are on the bottom as I recall.

If you need a placement guide, I have one around here somewhere.

It's generic, in that it matches F-4B/J.

At first it just looked like way too much stuff, but I look at her now (the Phantom not Callie) I am happy I took the time.

It just helps completes the illusion for me if I squint a bit

I'd go gently if you decide to add a few and do only those that really matter and maybe do more as time goes on, just my $00.02 USD.

Next on the Mitchell List will be the Outer Wings, those need a little massaging, too.

More when there is more...

Best, LB

[jetfool]

Great detail Elbee! I'd like to do the Phantom with no decals if possible.
Excited to see more.
Rex

[davegee]

Looks just like the real things! Well done, Elbee!

Cheers

Davegee