1:32 B-25J Mitchells

A Pacific pair from one production series

Serial numbers 44-30748 and 44-30801 are separated by barely a hundred examples. Both aircraft therefore came off the line in the same period, received the same equipment and differed only in what the crews painted on the nose. The first kept a name referring to heavenly beauty, the second a name from the world of ancient priestesses. On the fuselage they were distinguished by the simple numbers 6H and 6K, by which the ground crews recognized them from the taxiway.

Painted figures on noses were tolerated in American aviation as long as they did not go beyond a certain limit, and the units policed them themselves. That is exactly why daring and entirely innocent motifs meet on machines of one squadron, sometimes on neighboring stands. The artwork was accompanied by rows of small symbols the crews credited themselves with after every mission completed. These were not only bombs; silhouettes of ships, palms or marks for flights outside the combat zone appear among them.

The fuselage number as a reference point

Start with the fuselage numbers, because all the other elements are then aligned to their height. Lay them on a damp, not a wet surface, so that the motif still slides for a while and can be adjusted with a wooden stick cut to a wedge. Once the water has run off, every further shift tears the film.

The nose artwork has a complex outline and its carrier film reaches some way beyond the printed area. Trim it as close as possible, otherwise it will be perceptible even under matte varnish once dry. The plastic subject is not part of the package.