Northrop's P-61 Black Widow by Revell: WIP

[redneckrigger]

Started one of these back in the 70's. Still have it's semi finished hulk around here somewhere. It's still on my "to build" list as it is an iconic plane, at least in my mind.

 

[David G.]

10 hours ago, Madhatter said:

Nice work David! I keep confusing this with the P38 Lighting for some stupid reason. This one is much bigger than the 38. What scheme are you going for?

Thank you Si.

I'm building this one in basic olive drab, or my version of it at least. Painting it black almost seemed cliche'.  I haven't decided on nose art, or even if I will use any. If I do make some nose art, it will probably be something that could have been done by the crew at the airfield. I'll brush paint something or make up a decal for symmetry's sake.

 

11 minutes ago, redneckrigger said:

Started one of these back in the 70's. Still have it's semi finished hulk around here somewhere. It's still on my "to build" list as it is an iconic plane, at least in my mind.

 

I built one of these back then too. I think I finished mine- mostly anyway.

I do recall being unable to find any zinc chromate paint for the interior so I used a shade of gold. I also remember this being the first model I built with weathering. At least it was my first attempt at it. The directions suggested (and still do) dabbing silver paint on the lead edges of the wings and props to simulate paint chipping. I did this and a few other things.

Thanks for your comment Tom.

David G.

Edited August 25 by David G.
typo

[slusher]

So all the Black Widows wasn’t black?

[David G.]

They were painted black when first issued but some were repainted while in service.

This is the kind of look I'm going for on this build.

Thanks for the comment Carl, it's always great to hear from you.

David G.

Edited August 30 by David G.
typo

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Work on the Northrop P-61 Black Widow continues so here's the next update.

Getting ready to spray some gray for the underbelly!

 

 

Even though this is primer it should be fine after I spray the dull-coat on it.

 

 

Also, the radar unit and radome are complete!

 

That's all for this update. 

As always, thank you for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment if you wish.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Here's the next update on the Black Widow.

I'm trying to get an estimate of how much weight I'll need to put in the nose to allow the plane to balance on its wheels without having to place the clear styrene support at the rear of the fuselage. My initial guess was 2oz. According to this, I wasn't too far off.

 

 

When supported farther back, closer to the ideal center of mass, the weight needed is less. I'm not yet sure what this means. ? If anything. 

 

 

Whatever it means, if I intend to put 2oz in the nose, it should go in the space behind the radar unit. The wheel weight shown weighs in at 1.7oz including the steel clip. It would seem that I have my work cut out for me if I intend to balance this plane using weight.

 

As always, thanks for taking some time out of your day to follow along. Please feel free to post any comments and thoughts you may wish to share.

David G.

[ksnow]

I am not sure as to accuracy or not, but my dad built this model, And for balance, he scratch built a ladder that went into a hatch in the rear of the fuselage.

Very nice build so far.

Edited September 3 by ksnow

[Jonathan]

Really enjoying this build - nice work so far!

[David G.]

On 9/3/2024 at 5:59 AM, ksnow said:

I am not sure as to accuracy or not, but my dad built this model, And for balance, he scratch built a ladder that went into a hatch in the rear of the fuselage.

Very nice build so far.

Thank you Kyle.

That's a good idea regarding the ladder, I may decide to do something along those lines. I'll look into possible ground support items, ammo loading racks, scaffold stands, things like that. 

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

18 hours ago, Jonathan said:

Really enjoying this build - nice work so far!

Thank you Jonathan, I'm glad to know that you like it.

David G.

[stavanzer]

You want lead shot, not Tire weights. Easier to cram in small spaces. Get 'em in, flood with super glu.

I think there is a 55 Gallon Drum in the kit that can be used as a Prop. As big as they were, even in IRL, they were easy to over balance. The rear crew never went in first. Needed the pilots weight to keep the nose down.

[David G.]

15 hours ago, stavanzer said:

You want lead shot, not Tire weights. Easier to cram in small spaces. Get 'em in, flood with super glu.

I think there is a 55 Gallon Drum in the kit that can be used as a Prop. As big as they were, even in IRL, they were easy to over balance. The rear crew never went in first. Needed the pilots weight to keep the nose down.

Yeah, I was planning to cast a slug to place in the front section behind the radar unit but shot would be easier to work with. If I could get enough weight in the space.

The drum is still included in the kit as is a clear styrene shaft to use as a prop to hold the tail up.

Interesting information about the balance issue. I know that in aircraft, correct weight distribution is crucial but I had no idea it was so critical in this one. I'm guessing that there are more similarly balanced aircraft out there than I can imagine.

Thanks for the information Alan. This is exactly why I like to occasionally step outside my comfort zone to build something other than model cars. I always learn something new.

David G.

[ksnow]

Lead shot will be denser than the wheel weight. Wheel weights are an alloy that is less dense than lead.

[David G.]

On 9/5/2024 at 5:50 AM, ksnow said:

Lead shot will be denser than the wheel weight. Wheel weights are an alloy that is less dense than lead.

I just ordered some lead shot yesterday, I should have it next week. Thanks for the suggestion Kyle.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Here is the next update for the P-61 Black Widow.

The fuselage is fused! I finally have the halves glued together permanently.

 

 

There are however, some more adjustments to be made. Because... of course there are!

 

 

The belly seam isn't too bad. Just a little sanding and a repaint.

 

 

The top however, is going to need a little more attention.

 

It's hard for me to imagine myself building this kit at the age of fourteen. I do remember some things about the build.

I remember using Pactra gold leaf enamel paint because there was no zinc chromate to be found... anywhere. This was also the kit that introduced me to the concept of weathering and wear. The directions suggested (and still do) dabbing silver paint on the lead edges of the wings and props to simulate paint chipping. I did this and a few other things.

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post any comments you may have.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

The work on Revell's Northrop P-61 continues.

The seam in the top of the fuselage is a bad joint in a bad location. I just can't let that stand.

Let the sanding begin!

 

 

After sanding, there's filling...

 

 

Then more sanding, more primer and more filling...

 

 

After another round of sanding and primer, I felt confident putting some color on it.

 

 

I have to say, I'm pleased with the outcome.

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post any comments you may have.

David G. 

[James2]

Coming along nicely....

[David G.]

21 hours ago, James2 said:

Coming along nicely....

Thank you kindly.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

Here's the next update on this year's "push the comfort zone build".

With the fuselage assembled I wanted to start painting the canopies.

 

 

I've read comments on line regarding the horrible fit of the canopies so I decided that a test fit was in order. It looks like I got lucky.

 

 

The fit of the canopies is about as good as I could hope for.

 

 

All I need to do now is get a satisfactory paint job on the canopy frames.

 

That's all for this post, see you in the next one!

David G.

 

[BK9300]

I always marvel at the detail that can be highlighted/added to such a small scale project - your P-61 is looking great!  Apart from adding weight to the nose of your model, is there any room for you to add weight behind the engines in the cowlings

[David G.]

17 hours ago, BK9300 said:

I always marvel at the detail that can be highlighted/added to such a small scale project - your P-61 is looking great!  Apart from adding weight to the nose of your model, is there any room for you to add weight behind the engines in the cowlings

Thank you Brian, detail painting is one of my favorite parts of building.

I have given some thought about adding weight to the front of the booms. There is space just ahead of the wheels that could accommodate some weight. The questions are how much and how do I add it.  The weight adjustments will need to be made after the plane is mostly assembled which makes that rather tricky. 

I am still thinking about it and I have some ideas, I'll know more as the build progresses.

Thanks again Brian, I appreciate your comment and question.

David G.

[rv1963]

Looks really good David, nice details, you have put a lot of good work into a very old kit.

[David G.]

55 minutes ago, rv1963 said:

Looks really good David, nice details, you have put a lot of good work into a very old kit.

Thank you most kindly Robert.

-D-

[ybsluos]

Awesome David! I’m working on the same kit right now. This will inspire me to keep going on mine. Maybe I’ll pick away at it tonight.

[David G.]

4 hours ago, ybsluos said:

Awesome David! I’m working on the same kit right now. This will inspire me to keep going on mine. Maybe I’ll pick away at it tonight.

Thank you Mark. 

Do you have yours posted anywhere? I'd love to see your progress!

...and I could use some inspiration too. 

David G.

[mustang1989]

Whoa HO HO!!!! Looky what we've got here!!! I'll be dialed into this one Dave! 

First off, you are tha frickin' MAN for taking this old kit on and then making it look as good as it does so far bud. I've seen many a builder throw this kit into the trash can by now so my hat goes off to you for sticking with this one bud. 

Secondly, (and this is conjunction with my first point) this is some master class foot work you're doing to this thing. You're correcting pretty much ALL of the issues with this troublesome kit and doing a great job of it at that. 

I'm in on this.