Known as the Black Widow, the P-61 was developed as a night fighter and the first specifically designed to carry radar. Despite arguments to the contrary by the RAF, who lauded their Mosquito, the P-61 performed well. It was shown to match the speed of the Mosquito (when properly tuned up) and it could out climb and even out turn the Mosquito. The P-61 most often appears in glossy black (as befits a
black Widow) but I had other ideas which is the reason for this photo. I like Invasion Stripes! And I have a 1/48 Mosquito sporting invasion stripes and on display, that I rehabbed and detailed in an earlier post.
The purchase of the kit was at our local Michael's for less than $16
I ran across this image in my many P-61 searches which confirmed for me that the Revell is a retool of this Monogram kit. Not only the molds but the barrel and crew shown here are on the Sprue😁
Ok, let's get started. Here is a fit/finish issue right off. I had to file and sand in order for the nacelle halves to match up.
On the other hand, the interior details for such an old kit I found fairly remarkable. Here are bulkheads painted, plus radar and the M2s (for the dorsal turret) assembled and painted.
This early radar conjures up images from some of my favorite, campy, 1950s SiFi flicks - like this one!
A Hugh Marlow classic, "Earth vs The Flying Saucers" - catchy title😂
Here is more nice detail. I was able to follow the instructions most of the time as they contained complete painting "suggestions". My Zinc Chromate is a bit more green than some and my own mix of green and yellow. The decal set is also quite detailed as can be seen here.
The cockpit floor with painted instrument panel and control yoke, plus crew seats each with a sight elevation assembly..
This is the "stern" compartment
Both nacelle halves with panels and 20MM cannon. Note at the very top of the photo the bottom of the cockpit floor has been detailed and will fit over the cannon with their ammo loaders.
The cockpit floor is now installed in the starboard nacelle half.
With the nacelle closed the cockpit detail looks pretty good. The only DIY added is the seat belts (made from wine bottle foil) over the molded seat belt impressions - the foil is even easier than attempting to paint them!
I added this video, as an explanation of how I interpreted the kit instructions, which were not clear on the attachment of the wheels. Being halves on the sprue they needed filing and scraping to minimize a noticeable seam. They also required some type of unexplained retainer to keep the wheel on the axle. I could have gone with the old heated knife, but I don't favor that technique. Instead I used wire bent as a retainer clip
I did this for all the wheels allowing rotation! Now I can begin major assembly.
The wing halves were straight forward with some minor cleanup needed. Same for the aileron halves, which were glued to tabs in the wings in the down position. I had the dark aircraft gray spray can and tried cotton balls to protect the completed interior - it worked well. Same for the booms!
One of the reasons for my color choice, besides invasion stripes, is that the old molds feature raised panel lines as many of the era did. The (light) gray coat allows for careful scraping to expose the molded black color so panel lines appear!
Another reason is that the tiny decals can be used, seen and even read!
Let the striping begin! My tweezers worked as calipers for stripe width and the placing of masking tape. I masked for the white (three coats needed) and then hand painted in the black. As I have mentioned before, invasion stripes were mostly hand painted in the field; therefore, precision can be sacrificed. Note also that the Star and Bars have been applied to the starboard wing.
Time to work on the R-2800 double Wasp motors. Both the cylinders ("Gun Metal") and reduction gear housing/distributors were a mix I had to make.
The starboard motor is completed including the prop. I did not have to mask the tips for yellow as there were panel lines to guide me - easy and something I had not previously experienced in a kit.
Mounting the booms under the wing went well enough after enclosing the port side R2800s. some filling of seams is required, but they are easily filled with Testors Window Glue-more on that later.
Besides showing both motors you will notice the dry fit placement of the front and rear canopy's with access hatches open. The framing was mostly masked and done early on.
Hand painting the Olive is done with a soft brush and I work in sections. The key is proper paint consistency and not trying to spread paint too thin. It takes practice but I find the final product satisfactory in most situations, especially after a final dullcoat spray (once all decals are applied).
Speaking of decals......
With Olive finished I can complete the invasion striping on bottom half of the booms using the same technique as done on the wings.
Follow up with boom decals.....
.....and top wing decal sections, The red lines are six separate decals. The mult-stepped along the rear of the wing was the trickiest to get "straight" with 4-90 degree angles. The little "No Step" and "100 Octane..." at the fuel ports are also there, but not very visible in this photo Note the radome is painted and the radar is awaiting installation. Now for a few more details.....
On this version there is a nose wheel fender. No pin/hole arrangement is molded in. The end of the fender tab is to be simply glued to the gear leg - easier said than done!
I had to tape the fender to the wheel to even apply glue, but it got done.
The stern of the crew nacelle is enclosed with a plexiglass bubble that early on had a disturbing habit of imploding during high speeds. Apparently the solution was to add some internal bracing, although I did receive a suggestion that it is a "Cup Holder" LOL.
So back to my stash for some left over PE for my DIY addition.
Some final touch up and zinc Chromate and she is ready for a dullcoat.
I sprayed on a coat of Testors clear dull coat and all is well for finally attaching the glass. Fit and finish of same is mediocre at best. Let me emphasize here my bias towards Testors Window Glue. If I have not stated such previously I want to say, for me, it is essential. Not just for the sealing of narrow seams, but for filling the gaps between glass and frame. It can create small windows up to a 1/4 inch. It looks opaque when applied but skins over into a clear gloss. After it dries I simply touch up with the flat frame color. These photos don't quite capture the gaps to be closed, but they were there, all over, that required sealing.
The radar is installed and the canopy glass in place with all access open. This is one time the tolerances are good, as the dome can be pushed snuggly over the radar so that the display can be adjusted the way you wish - with or without the dome.
___SEE___!😃
I have sealed all gaps in the canopy attachment and done touch up where needed so I call
the P-61 itself completed
The crew needs to be painted and a Diorama set up, so the job is not yet done!
It is November and I am back to the bench working on some details for the eventual diorama.
This staging photo shows the painted ground crew. I tinkered together a platform for the radar technician with the unused dorsal turret opening cover, rubber grommets for wheels, bits of sprue, 22 gauge wire and o.5mm styrene rod. The tool boxes are 1/48 scale obtained on etsy and painted and weathered. Here is a close up and you can make out the snippets of left over PE in the tool boxes to represent tools.
My paint mix shows the gunner with a sunburn on his back and shoulders.
"Ah Nuts! I dropped my spanner down there!!"
Port side prop spins freely - no wobble!
This arrived and will be used in the diorama as a platform for the Jib Crane I have coming. I figured I need something to raise and lower the Radome and pull an engine! The Truck is a separate post just above this one. It will be my first truck and first Tamiya kit.
I find this photo particularly interesting. In the backlight you can see the radar through the translucence of the Radome. This P-61 is as I have built mine - not midnight black! With invasion stripes the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron worked out of several forward bases in France the summer of 1944. I have not been able to exactly place tail number 25536, although it did exist. I am taking the liberty of placing it in 422 squadron. The diorama will include my Mk VI Mosquito of the 604th Night Fighters, also in France in July of 1944, along with the 2.5 ton Truck 37 (above - Normandy, July 1944). The diorama will be my imagined scenario pitting the Mosquito against the P-61 as described at the beginning of this post, with the crew tuning up the P-61 and installing the quad 50 Cal dorsal turret.
It is Thanksgiving week and I am working on putting everything together:
The P-61..............
The modified 2.5 ton 6x6....
The Mosquito....
.....and a base.
Lets discuss my base work. This is several one foot square chip boards mounted on a foam board. The based has been sculpted with a box cutter and razor. The chip board surface is scored and sprayed with gray along the front to represent a runway edge. The whole surface is sprayed with a permanent glue. I purchased different greens and gravel from the train section of my local Hobby Lobby......
....... and sprinkled them over the glue surface. After 24 hours I spray the glue over the surface and fill in any patches the the glue may have blown off. Now I wait to see what other touch ups may be required before mounting all of the diorama elements.
A test to see how the aircraft will fit. I have on order an ICM Spitfire Mk. IX with pilot and crew on which I plan to use invasion stripes. This way I can expand or interchange aircraft on the base.
Stay tuned!
Well, it is February 2022 and I finally got the P-61 on the base.
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