P-61 Black Widow is done

[Gigatron]

Well gang, this is a day I never thought I'd see - the beast is finally fnished. After months of "anything that can go wrong, will", she's finally together.

Here are the basics:

Revell 1/48

LoneStar Models resin cockpit and Radar operators section modified with Eduard PE details

Eduard's exterior PE details

True Details resin wheels

QuickBoost resin top turret guns

AM Cowl with corrected open flaps

twin Aires resin P&W R2800 Double Wasp power plants

Aeromaster's Decals

Paint is PollyScale Tarnished Black with a mix of PS Satin and PS Flat finishes

Anyway, on to the pics

As soon as I figure out how to take decent pics of the interior, I'll post them up (though, maybe I should figure out how to take decent pictures of the exterior, too [D)])

All comments and criticisms welcome.

Enjoy,
Fred

 

[WarEagle]

Awesome! One of my all-time fav aircraft. Great work!!

 

[Tambo Fett]

Very well done. The P-61 is very cool. The nose art is the best! I wish we could paint on aircraft like that today.

 

[RShanko]

Very nice work!

Thanks for showing us.

 

[Gigatron]

Thanks guys, glad you like her .

I started planning this build in august, collecting parts in september, started the build in october and finished her last night. 5 months, start to finish and there wasn't a single thing that went smoothly. This is the last time I build a 30 year old kit.

But, she was definitely worth the time and effort. Tonight I'm going to try and take new pics with a different camera, see if that doesn't help any.

-Fred

 

[DL 44 Blaster]

That is positvely insane!!! Phoenomenal attention to detail!! I just don't know what else to say, but WOW! :thumbsup

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

That is AWESOME !!

I remember buying and building several of those when I was a kid, it's one of my favorite aircraft.

You really did an outstanding job, looks right out of WWII.

Any plans for a diorama base?

 

[Lord Abaddon]

Beautiful! Love the P-61, always was a great model to do and you definitely did it proud!

 

[trooper_jim]

Great detail, I like the nose art. Aircraft had such flair back then. Did you base it on a photo, or is it a original paint scheme?

 

[Aluke123]

That thing is sweet man. I've got the same kit, and mine looks TERRIBLE compared to yours :cry

 

[Darkside]

awesome work

 

[craig g]

Beautiful build, you really did her proud.
I always think of the P-61 whenever I see the ARC fighters in Revenge of the Sith.

 

[Gigatron]

Thank you all for the kind words .

She really is a beautiful bird, I just wish either Tamiya or Hasegawa would really do her proud and redo it their way.

Revell did a good job 30 years ago, but with todays technologies, one of the big two could really knock it out of the park. Crisp crew compartment details, recessed panel lines and parts that actually fit together would be great.

Anyway, I took a whole bunch of new pictures last night. Hopefully, some of them caught all the detail that's actually in there. I just have to process and upload them, so be on the look out for new pics in the coming days.

-Fred

 

[Gigatron]

Hey gang,

As promised, here are some new pics. Some are repeat angles (but I just took them), some are in-progress shots (only way to show detail) and some are all new, so enjoy.

Enjoy,

Fred

 

[Lord Abaddon]

Love the gritty look Fred and wires, tubing, etc. I always paint up the interior details on my planes, tanks, etc. and when I try to show friends the details with a tiny flashlight through the windows they go "Why did you bother since you don't see it????" I just look at them like they are dumb or something and go "Hey, people climb mountains because they are there, model builders paint details they can't see because they are there!"

 

[Lear60man]

Gig,

My life hero, Gramps, and I built that when I was like 7. He was an A and E back in WWII. If I remember correctly the kit had decals that was black widow.

 

[mjhenks]

Sweat! Really like the engine detail shots.

 

[Gigatron]

Thanks again, guys .

LA, I wish I could even remember half the hours I spent painting things that can't be seen on this bird. Hydro lines in the wheel bays, control knobs on the lower side of the instrument panels and the scratchbuilt powerlines coming out of the control yolk (fun stuff you can do with .015 solder).

mj, the engine alone took me three days to build, paint, wire and weather. There are over 60 parts to it. The pushrods are all made from .022 solder. Took an hour to drill out the holes alone :cry.



My next build is a p-51D mustang - :thumbsup thumbsup for inline engines with closed cowlings :lol

-Fred

 

[Smiling Demon]

Very nice!

I love your attention to detail. That engine compartment looks great.:thumbsup
Beautiful!!!

 

[Gigatron]

Thank you very much, Kenny .

I started my next kit this morning, a 1/48 P-51D mustang.

Stay tuned over the next few months or so for that one.

-Fred