I did not know Airfix kitted this. My Father in Law crew chiefed and occasionally flew missions in these things.

Can't be worse than the Monogram POC.

I have two Dragons in the stash.

Look forward to seeing it complete. I wouldn't weather it too much, his squadron's look very clean and shiny. About the only wear and tear, besides the 20mm that hit his and destroyed the instrument panel, was where the tape that sealed the gaps between the control surfaces for shipping  was removed and took the black paint with it.

Ye, its not an often seen kit, I don't think its been released in years. I am pretty sure I built this in my early modelling days.

Is the mono kit that bad. Funnily enough that's the 48th kit I have. I had not realised Dragon did this until I saw the AM for it.

Funny you should mention the shine, I was going to ask about that. I have some AM decals, certainly not trusting these old Airfix ones. In the decal instructions it says Gloss black. But I was sure if it should be gloss or semi gloss. From what you say, it sounds like the former. I was not going to go to heavy on weathering anyway.

Was your father in law in Europe or the Pacific.

Europe, 414th NFS. He trained in the States in the P-70, which was a version of the A-20.

First over, they got Reverse Lend Lease Beaufighters, which he adored. Tunisia, Sardinia, Corsica and then Pisa Italy. At that time November of 1944 they were issued the P-61. Their primary use by that time was as fighter bombers blowing up trains in the Alps.

His old saying: "how do you tell a water-tube boiler from a fire-tube boiler?

"Shoot holes in it and see."

Their aircraft was glossy. You can see the sun reflected brightly in the finish.

Thanks, glossy it is then. I am doing this one in a PTO scheme and the Mono kit I will build as a European based 61A.

I did notice when looking through some sources mention of a bomb control panel. I had not realised this could carry bombs. I am guessing these were externally mounted.

To Bish,

Yes, the Widow could carry extra fuel or additional bombs.  Your guess is correct in that it was all external.  My first comeback build was a Monogram Widow.  I purchased a ton of PE for it and had a great time building the P-61.  I'll definately will be following this thread.  

Toshi

P-61 is a funny aircraft. They were so late in the war that they didn't score a lot of victories. Total all theaters, all aircraft 127. Just weren't targets left in the sky. But they did massive fighter bomber missions. They could carry four bombs, or two and two tanks.

Thanks Toshi. My kit does have the tanks, but as I could see no sign of a bomb bay, I took a guess that weapons could also be carried externally.

I have some AM for the Mono kit, both PE and resin. Not sure when I will build that though. Hopefully i will have another update at the weekend. the pit is finished, but I have spent most of this evening cleaning up pour stubs from the forward canopy.

Thanks GM. I knew they were introduce late, but was not sure how late. I believe it was originally designed to meet a British requirement for a night fighter to deal with German bombers over the UK.

Hello Bish!

I wonder what you are going to do here - it sure is a pity to see a good kit sitting on the shelf forever. And as you said every kit needs a little TLC - this one just needs a little bit more! So far it's lookin' good! Good luck with it and have a nice day

Paweł

Right, the bottom of the aircraft is totally a weapons bay for the four cannon. Inside is a combo of radio gear, the turret and the ammo towers. No way to move front to back.

Pawel, thanks. Ye, I am starting to notice that. Fortunately, I now have no need to rush as I am not up against any tight GB deadlines. So I can take my time with it and hopefully do the aircraft some justice.

GM, yes, of course, I forgot about those cannon in the belly. With those 4 underneath and the turret on top, I can't image there would be any room left over in there.

I'm very excited in seeing the final product of your build, with the extensive PE and resin aftermarket parts, this will definately be a winner.  

Toshi

Cool Bish, good luck with all that aftermarket. After trying to fit parts designed for a Tamiya kit into a Dragon one you've got your work cut out for you.

Thanks Toshi. Not to sure about it being a winner, I will just be happy with a nice build.

Thanks Gamera. So far, the resin bit at least seem to be more on the small side, which I think is easier o deal with than if it was on the large side. But with all the resin done, I can now see how the PE goes on.

All your add-on bits make this tired old kit (though it was one of my favourites as a kid) look stunning. I'll be watching to see what it looks like when finished.

It's a good thing you're replacing the u/c as I recall the legs to be a bit flimsy.

If I recall correctly, there are four bombs provided in the kit and you have the option of mounting those or the fuel tanks under the wings.

Thanks Phil. Yes, I thought it might be a good idea to replace the u/c. I have not used one of these before, they are rather nice.

You are right indeed, I have just checked and you do get the option of bombs and drop tanks, I had not looked at that part of the instructions.

I have always liked the Widow but I haven't added one to my stash as everyone gripes about the Revell kit being so bad. Does anyone make a 1/48 Widow that is decent?

Looking forward to seeing this completed. Nice work as always.

Thanks Brandon.

Both Great Wall Hobby and Hobby Boss make 48th Black Widows. I don't know what they are like, but I think there kits are generally pretty good. I found a couple of reviews of the GWH kit and it seem favourable.

www.cybermodeler.com/.../build_gwh_4810.shtml

modelingmadness.com/.../p61a.htm

The P-61 was built locally... can you imagine being one of these kids seeing them fly out of the factory on test or delivery flights?

Whats next here Bish?

Now that would have been some site.

Well the pit is done and the canopy is on, just about. The wings are all together, just got to clean them up and get them fitted. I plan to have a update tonight.

Its that time again. While I have been doing a lot on the build, progress is not that much. I managed to get both front and rear compartments finished. You can see how short the front section is.

 I then got the canopy's on and wings fitted. The front canopy was a real struggle and has taken most of my time.  It simply did not want to fit and the normal canopy glue did not hold it in place. So I had to use CA glue on one side, hold that in, then repeat on the other, and hope it didn't fog. Despite buffing and dipping in future, the clear pars are not very clear. I also got the front masked. Again, its clear that the Dragon kit is smaller, I had to fill some gaps with Tamiya tape.

 And that's it for now. Before i add any more, I am going to concentrate on cleaning up the various seams and joins. 

Thanks for looking, all comments appreciated.

Sure looks like a widder!

Thanks GM.

Very nicely done, I like how you overcome the kits inconsistencies and using your skill set, knowledge, and experience your technique erases any issues.  I'm excited,to see the finished Widow!  What a fantastic job!

Toshi

Bish,

Thanks for posting the info on those 2 kits. That Great Wall kick is SICK. But $109, yikes!!! Gonna have to add that to the wish list down the road a tad.

With regard to this kit, you are just blowing my mind with your ability to build these smaller kits. My hats off to you Sir for your abilities, dexterity and good eyesight.

Thanks guys.

Toshi, I think you have more confidence in my abilities than I do. I think with thise build I will be happy if its good enough.

Brandon, no problem. Ye, it is a bit pricey isn't it. Its a little cheaper over here, works out about 90bucks,pof course that won't help you much. I don't often look at 48th kist, so I am not sure what the usual price range is.

As I always say, 72nd is all I really know, have been building in this scale for 30 years. Fortunately my hands are still able. But the eyes need a little help. The first thing I noticed after my 5 year absence was the strain on my eyes, so I had to buy a magnifying headband and I have not looked back since.

Thanks Joe. I think many of these old Airfix kits were first builds for many of us. My very first kit was the old F-86.

Just a short up date from me this week. Progress has been a bit slow, but we are going away tomorrow for a week's holiday in the Netherlands, and I wanted to get the primer on so I could see how much more clean up was needed. It needed a bit more filling and sanding along the tops of each boom, top of the fuselage and around the canopy's. One od thing though, when I was spraying, both of the tail fins came apart. I know they had been glue and had been handled plenty before this point, but they ease apart at the seam. But it was an easy fix. So here it is after priming and touching up where needed.

I was able to get a coat on black added to the top, but have left it in the spray booth and will do the underside when we get back.

Thanks for looking, and see you all soon.