1/48 PBJ-1D (B-25D) – VMB-433 - “The Fork-Tailed Devils”

[DavidsScaleModels]

I am taking a short break from commission builds during this holiday season. So for the first build of 2025 I am building Academy's 1/48 PBJ-1D (B-25D). The scheme will be "The Fork-Tailed Devils" of VMB-433 for the U.S. Marines located on Emirau Island, New Guinea 1944. I will be adding some resin seats as well as photo etch details to compliment the model. For a reference I am using William Wolf's "B-25 Mitchell – The ultimate look" book. This covers everything on the B-25 from drawing board to flying arsenal as well as all versions including the PBJ's. One nice thing is this lists out all the various colors used on the interior. Surprisingly there are three different "greens" used throughout the interior. The book has color images of various interior sections including the variances from version to version.

As usual I am starting off with the cockpit. The resin seat is way more accurate than the kit version. The cockpit floor and control sticks required some clean up due to mold marks. The instrument panel in the kit is molded in clear. This allows you to place the decal with the gauges on the backside and paint the front flat black. This gives the instrument panel gauges the depth of the real gauges. The control sticks and the center pod was detailed using photo etch levers and the adjustment wheel. For the cockpit floor more photo etch details were added. I am working of finishing the cockpit and then moving onto the Navigators station and the bomb bay which houses an internal fuel tank.

You can all the photos and details in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-pbj-1d-b-25-mitchell/

 

[DavidsScaleModels]

Welcome to 2025! This is the second week of the PBJ-1D build. This week was spent on building and detailing the interior assemblies and fuselage walls. Starting with the center section I detailed the Flight Engineer's seat which sits above the forward entry ladder and then added the internal auxiliary fuel tank in the bomb bay section. The next section was the dorsal turret section. The twin kit guns were detailed using the photo etch set. This replaces the barrels with photo etch versions which are the correct diameter and length for the scale. The ammo belts were also replaced with photo etch versions. The turret assembly was then mounted to the platform and I added some additional wiring for the turret motors.

I finished off the cockpit by mounting the seats and installing the control pedals. The interior of the fuselage halves were then detailed and painted to match the color photos in the reference book. Finally I test fit the 3 major interior assemblies to make sure there were no issues. I still need to detail the bomb bay walls and I am starting to detail the nose area.

You can all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-pbj-1d-b-25-mitchell/

 

[TimM63]

Very nice detail work.

 

[DavidsScaleModels]

The third week of the PBJ-1D build was spent detailing the nose area. To start with the starboard side has the ammo boxes, electronic gun and the spent casing bag. The gun is molded and only half of the frame. The ammo belt was just a blob of plastic. I had a set of Eduard Brassin resin guns so I decided to use these instead of the kit versions. I started by cutting the starboard wall apart. The kit "blob" for an ammo belt was cut off and replaced with a photo etch ammo belt. The resin gun was then mounted on the spent casing bag. The upper ammo case for the nose gun was then modified for the belt feed and mounted on the starboard side.

For the port side I detail painted the wall and the bomb sight. I then used some solder to replicate the air duct for the bomb sight. The nose gun was then detailed with the photo etch handles and added the chute to the ejection port. The ammo belt was then routed from the upper ammo box to the gun. Another detail I added was the elastic lines that hook up to the rear of the gun to hold it up in place when not in use. The clear nose and the top canopy of the nose were then sanded slightly to clean up the fit to the nose section.

I am currently reviewing details of the tail gunners section. The kit only has a twin gun mount to stick out the back. I will be making the entire section using photo etch and scratch building. I will be using some more Eduard Brassin resin guns and will need to make a tarp that covers the opening of the tail. The reference photos show this was used to keep sand and dirt out of the gun assembly. I will detail how I make the tarp when I get to that point.



You can all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-pbj-1d-b-25-mitchell/

 

[DavidsScaleModels]

The fourth week of the PBJ-1D build I worked on the tail gunner section and the bomb bay walls. Since the kit only supplies a twin gun mount that is not very detailed I used a combination of photo etch, resin and some styrene to make the tail gunner station. I used two more of the Eduard resin guns and made a mount for them. The photo etch set provided the floor, seat, and armor shield. I scratch build the control for the twin guns. One interesting thing I found out from the reference book was the ammunition boxes are mounted and a covered feed duct goes from the ammo case to the end of the tail to feed the guns. The duct has a twist in it so that it can clear the shield in front of the gunner then twists back to mount to the fuselage end. I used a square styrene rod and some hot water to create the twists. The shield had to be modified to allow the ducts to fit past it and match the reference photos.

I also worked on the bomb bay framework for the sides of the bomb bay. Since the version I am building utilizes the auxiliary fuel cell in the bomb bay I did not need to add the mounting spars for the bombs. The frames were detail painted and installed. I then checked the fit of the bomb bay section and verified everything fit.

I am hoping to have the fuselage together this coming week. I still need to add the nose landing gear and add some details around the boarding ladder areas.



You can all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-pbj-1d-b-25-mitchell/

 

[Peppylepugh]

Absolutely a stupendous build.
These are the lofty heights I aspire too.
Also glad I went to the build log. There is a
lot more eye candy there and didn't get into
the other logs. I've got to get out of the chair
and do something. Even if it's wrong.
Great looking builds Dave.

 

[BarleyBop]

aspire

...and inspire

 

[Edbert]

PBJ is a great subject matter for sure.

I've never been paid to build, but I've heard many commission-builders say it burned them out and caused a loss of enjoyment. That makes sense to me. It can be frustrating enough when you're just doing it for fun. The client can make it seem like work, even if it is something you enjoy.

 

[DavidsScaleModels]

The fifth week on the PBJ was spent adding the final details to the interior and then I was able to get the fuselage halves together. The fit was OK. Trying to get the halves aligned with the interior sections lining up required some minor sanding. The bulkheads in the bomb bay have gaps as the bulkheads do not conform very well to the fuselage curves.

The next area I worked on was the canvass cover for the tail guns. I started by using some clinging plastic wrap on a scrap styrene sheet. The clear tail for different versions was used as a guide. I covered it with a layer of plastic wrap. I then used a mixture of acrylic gel and water. I used 3 parts gel to 1 part water. I then used tissue lightly brushed with the gel and laid it over the part. Using the brush I carefully shaped it to the mold. I ended up using 3 layers of tissue. I opted to use the acrylic gel over the typical white glue as the gel version allowed a better item to form the sags and folds of canvass. I actually made two versions one with white glue and the one with acrylic gel. The acrylic gel was a little better to work with and shape. The white glue version tended to crack/tear when attempting to shape it. Once dry I drilled out the two holes for the gun barrels and trimmed the part to fit the aft of the fuselage. I ten glued the tarp to the fuselage using CA glue. Finally I used a wooden stick to press and shape the tarp. It is hard to see the details of the tarp in the photos but it will look much better once painted and highlighted with weathering.

While the tarp was drying I worked on the tails and the wings. These went together well but the tail section to fuselage has some gaps which will need to be filled. The wings required some minor sanding and shaping for alignment to the spars but the fit to the fuselage was very good.

I am currently working on the nose. It looks like there may be some minor fit issues when I did a dry fit. I need to mask the canopies and then start on the main landing gear. I am hoping to start the painting process by the end of this coming week.

You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-pbj-1d-b-25-mitchell/

 

[DavidsScaleModels]

PBJ is a great subject matter for sure.

I've never been paid to build, but I've heard many commission-builders say it burned them out and caused a loss of enjoyment. That makes sense to me. It can be frustrating enough when you're just doing it for fun. The client can make it seem like work, even if it is something you enjoy.

I can see how commission builds can wear you down that is why I am very selective on commission builds. If it is a subject I have not previously built or for someone I know it is not a problem. I have only two commissions from friends this year so I can build what I want the rest of the time.

 

[DavidsScaleModels]

The sixth week of the PBJ-1D I had to make some minor adjustments on the nose to fit to the rest of the fuselage. I then used Kapton tape to mask the two nose pieces and the canopy. For the nose section I added the jump seat and the seat belts.

For masking with Kapton tape see my Tips and Tricks section at https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/masking-with-kapton-tape/

I then started on the engines. The kit came with the engines having both cylinder sections and the front assembly. One thing I noticed was on the first row of cylinders they did not mold in the push rods. I grabbed some fine styrene rods and made the push rod tubes. These engines were then detail painted and assembled. I have a decal sheet that has a variety of engine logos and ID placards. I used the Curtiss-Wright logos and ID placard decals for the front of the engines. The nacelles, cowls, and engines were then mounted to the wings. With these mounted and the nose it looks like the 45 grams of weight I hid under the cockpit worked out well from keeping the model from being tail heavy. I am now working on the landing gear and adding the various details like antennas, landing gear doors, and the rest of the clear lenses for the aircraft lights. Then I can mask off the rest of the windows and start painting the base coats for the upper and lower portions of the aircraft.

You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-pbj-1d-b-25-mitchell/

 

[Edbert]

Fantastic work David, love these updates.

 

[DavidsScaleModels]

The seventh week of the PBJ has been spent on the underside of the aircraft. I built up the landing gear and added some photo etch details to them. Built up the wheels and then installed the landing gear. The tires have flat spots on them to replicate the weight of the aircraft so I had to install them so it sat correctly in the flat side. I used 45 grams of weight in under the cockpit so the model sits correctly on the gear. I then added the photo etch antennas and replaced all the landing gear doors with photo etch versions.

I then went to install the forward and aft boarding ladders and the kit version looks really ugly. I spent two evenings scratch building replacements out of sheet styrene and photo etch details. These matched the reference photos in the book a lot better than the kit versions.

I just need to finish up some details on the bomb bay doors and then I can start painting the underside with the base coat of FS36270 neutral grey. There are some antennas and other details the will need to go on the topside and then I can paint the base coat of FS 35164 Intermediate blue. Hoping to get the aircraft painted and decaled by the end of the week and finish it up next weekend.

You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-pbj-1d-b-25-mitchell/

 

[BarleyBop]

... like looking down on the factory floor!