David G.

Hello Everybody! Here's the next update on the Northrop P-61 Black Widow. With the plane assembled in "test fit" mode, it's time to assess the weight and balance issue. To balance the plane on its wheels takes a little more than 2 oz of lead shot. This is in addition to the weight I've already placed in the space forward of the cockpit. The alternative provided in the kit is the clear plastic stick seen on the lower left. It goes toward the rear section of the fuselage and holds the plane's tail off the ground. Taking the 2 ounces of lead shot needed to balance the plane and adding as much of it as I can to the nose cone, there is some left that won't fit. Even with this, the plane barely balances. Also, the nose is unsettlingly heavy. The plane will be part of a diorama so I don't plan on handling it much. but I have concerns over what effect that much weight may have on the front gear over the long term. Given all that, the plastic stick is starting to look like the better of the two options. It's barely visible from a normal viewing angle. Even straight-on, it's not too bad. Every model ever built is a compromise with reality, it's something we just have to accept sometimes. To me, the plastic stick is really no different than the strings that are often used to suspend model airplanes or a clear plastic rod used to hold up a space ship or hovercar. It's something I can live with. So I guess that the weight problem is solved and everything is in balance... On with the build! David G.

Yeah, it does look like an evil robot! Thank you David. Yeah, I always like to give each kit I build my best effort, I think that that is a trait we share. David G.

Ah, that makes sense! I should have figured that out on my own. ? Thanks again for the kind comment. David G.

Hello Everybody! It's getting close to what I call the "Buttons & Bows" stage of the build. It's the stage where I'm wrapping up the little details right before final assembly. Yes. Yes I did! I've also been working on the bumpers. I sprayed the front bumper (the one on top) with some Rustoleum chrome paint. My prep wasn't as good as I would have hoped and there were some flaws I wanted to correct so I smoothed ant polished it a little more. I also wanted to do a blackwash of the grille area in the center. Since both the chrome paint and the wash are enamel based, they blended together and made a bit of a mess. It's not bad and it should look better once I put on the second coat of chrome. This series of events inspired me to pre-shade the rear bumper prior to applying the chrome paint. I'll have to see how that works out. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. David G.

Thank you Carl. The air cleaner. Yeah, this one is pretty much a paint can. A paint can with tubes! Thank you Bil. Is "power barn" a nickname for an engine? Or maybe the Cab itself? The Cab does kind of look like a barn on wheels... in an elegant sort of way, of course. Thanks, David G.

Nice weathering on the exhaust. David G.

I'm still watching the show, amazing work! David G.

It's great seeing this one back on the bench. That's some crazy assembly work on the windows! ? A beautiful shade of blue too. David G.

Everything looks so "in scale" ? Seeing this work reminds me of the model railroaders who scratch-build brass locomotives. David G.

Hello Everybody! It's been a little while so here's the next update on the London Black Cab. Filling the sink marks. A little paint and a little more work to do. Meanwhile... under the hood, a little detail painting is under way. As always, thanks for tsking the time to look and please feel free to post any comments you may have. David G.

Thank you very much Joe, I appreciate your comments. David G.

Hello Everybody! I finally feel that I'm on a roll with this build. I find myself looking forward to working on this one and feeling a sense of accomplishment after each build session. I love when that happens. I got the booms as smoothed out as I feel they need to be, so it's time for some paint. I plan to use the gray primer as the belly color with Tamiya AS-29 Gray Green on top. Silly putty is best material I've found for this kind masking. Except that now I have no way of setting this down until the paint is dry! Luckily, Tamiya lacquer dries in minutes. Masking the open cowling and exposed engine of left boom is a little more involved. But the color mask is still the same. The end results are satisfactory. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. David G.

Dang! That is one sweet looking interior! ? Great use of colors and excellent detail. David G.

The building looks good in that location, Paul. For the hand tools, I've seen some people find a good image of tools on a pegboard and just print it to scale using a regular printer. In 1/64 scale one doesn't really need much more than that. I grabbed this one from Amazon, it just took a few seconds to find. Cheers! David G.

I continue to be amazed by the details you've added to this kit, Daniel. It's more of a complete overhaul! The original designers of this kit would be stunned to see what you've done with it! David G.

Fabulous work on this one Topher! I like the way you used the colors to pull it all together visually. David G.

It's nice seeing this one back on the bench Bob. The paint and trim look great! David G.

Yeah, it was two different companies. I'm glad to have you following along Joe. I finally feel that I'm getting a handle on this build. I find myself feeling that I actually "want" to work on it instead of feeling like I "have to". David G.

Hello Everybody! Progress, however slight is progress! I ordered 2 pounds of lead shot. I know that I only need a couple of ounces but it was either this or 25 pounds! Besides, I'm sure to find other uses for it. Starting to fill the nose section with lead shot. I plan to use PVA and build up in layers, eventually filling the entire cavity. I also started adding some panel line darkener to the wings. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. David G.

Hmmm... Have you seen this one yet, Len? Thank you most kindly Noel! David G.

That's funny! Thanks for the chuckle Tim. That is a cool story Peter. At 24 oz that is one heavy N-scale loco! ? It must have felt like a brick when in hand. I actually did look into depleted uranium and it's currently about $35 per gram. Knowing that I need around 2 oz to balance the plane, that would be about $2000.00 worth of depleted U! And I don't even know how to work with the stuff! ? If I did buy several ounces of the stuff, I'm sure it would be delivered by an agent of whichever federal regulatory agency is most applicable. I'll stick to lead shot, thanks -D-

Hello Everybody! I must be getting close to completing this one. Because I'm starting to think about what I plan to build when this one's finally finished. Hmmm... We'll see. It's time for a putty party! The view from the top is pretty good. The bottom lines up pretty well, except where the moldings and bumper meet. It could use a little more work there. After a little sanding, filing and fussing, it's finally fitting! Now that I have the fit, it's on to getting the finish done. Next step, chroming the bumper! As always, thanks for your time and please feel free to share your thoughts in comment form. David G.

I'm considering that too Peter, all options are on the table. I plan adding weight in those locations if I'm unable get enough in the nose area. It should be pretty easy using the open gear bay doors. It's too bad I can't get some depleted uranium, it's almost twice the density of lead! Thanks for your suggestions Peter, I'll certainly be considering that as an option. David G.

That's a beautiful color, it really looks great on that car! David G.

That's a nice pair of Cudas! David G.