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B-25j Mitchell |
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Not Yet Built or Rated |
The B-25 Mitchell bomber was one of the most versatile, widely used medium bombers in World War II. Used by the British in Europe, and the Allied forces in the Pacific, Mitchells were seemingly everywhere. The most famous use of B-25s was most likely the Doolittle raid on Tokyo, where the Mitchells were modified with extra fuel tanks and stripped of defensive armament, loaded onto the carrier USS Hornet, and flown on a one way trip to bomb Tokyo. Some of the crews made it to the safety of China, while others were interred in the Soviet Union (not yet at war with Japan) and others were captured and executed by the Japanese. Not much physical damage was done, but several fighter units were pulled back for home defence instead of being used on the front.
Later variants of Mitchells, such as the ones shown here, were used for strafing and anti-shipping raids. The ten machine guns, or mix of machine guns and cannons carried, could sink a merchant ship or destroyer in no time.
The kit itself on first inspection isn't too bad. There's no extra flash, and all parts are nicely detailed. Sprues are individually bagged, and like most ProModeller kits, the instructions are well done, with good explanations of what to do in each step and pictures of the real aircraft are scattered throughout.