It's pretty impressive when finished. Mickie is an A, I think the kit comes with both noses.

Do you have 1/48 decals?

Hi GMorrison, 

I agree. I've seen what some guys did with this kit and it was very inspiring. Great stuff.

Yes, it comes with both noses, and with paint schemes and decals for the black "Moonlight Serranade" and for the green "Midnight Mickey".

Cheers, 

Nikola

I have built 4 of these over the years and it is a beastly kit. I took 2 kits on each build to make one finished model, but now with all the after market goodies available 1 kit can get it done. Looking forward to watching your build, good luck!

Thanks Trey! I sure am going to need luck with this one :)

Cheers, 

Nikola

Good Luck Nikola.  The latest incarnations of this kit are brutal fit-wise because the molds are shot. Try and get your hands on a white box/black lettering early Monogram release and you'll have more success, particularly the clear parts.  They are all over ebay.  

Oh awesome! Looking forward to seeing how you overcome the issues with the kit. 

Best o' luck!!! 

Hi Lawdog, 

Thanks, I am going to need it! :)

Also, thanks for the tip on the Mono kit. Will check that out as well.

I'll see how this one goes. Might even have to "Frankenstein" it. :) 

Cheers, 

Nikola

Thanks Gamera!

Will try my best! :) 

Best, 

Nikola

This will be interesting. I have one waiting in the wings for the time I feel like dealing with it so I look forward to seeing how this goes.

Hi guys,

Just wanted to share with you my rough "virtual test" for the complementary pre-shading method for the Widow. The colors are approximate. Here it goes:

Step 1 - Dark yellow primer:

Step 2 - Complementary pre-shading:

Step 3 - Base color:

Bellow - Regular pre-shading for comparison:

Comments, opinions and criticism are more than welcome!

Thanks for looking guys!

Cheers,

Nikola

Did it once....not bad....except for the clear bits.
It was the only 1/48 scale in town at the time.
ROCK ON!!!! Give it a go!!!!!

Hi Lee, 

Thanks for the encouragement! :) If the clear parts turn out to be a real problem, I will just go with a "one of a kind hard top convertible variant" with tops left at the hangar for maintanance 

Cheers, 

Nikola

Hi guys,

Just an update on the Widow:

Dark yellow primer and complementary pre-shading finished for the interior parts of the plane. I used red pre-shading for interior green base (cockpit etc) and purple for zinc chromate and aluminium (wheel wells, underside, etc...)

The project is going slowly because I had to spend A LOT of time cleaning flash and seam lines from every single piece. The molds are really old.

I can't imagine what's in store for me when time comes to fit the pieces together, as the wings already caused some slight issues, but we'll see.

The kit is notorious for a reason, but hey, it's a skill honing challenge.

Also it's a great subject so I keep on going! 

Anyhow, bellow are the project update photos. Again I apologize for the image quality. 

Thanks for looking guys!

Cheers,

Nikola

Hi guys,

Update on the Widow for those interested 

Interior base colors (Interior Green and Zinc Chromate) airbrushed over dark yellow primer and purple and red complementary pre-shading scheme.

Certain corrections still to be done, paintwork and flash wise.  We'll see how it turns out when blacks, highlights, washes and wear are applied.

Again, apologies for the image and lighting quality.

Thanks for looking! 

Cheers,

Nikola

Nice work there! She's coming along great! 

I'm taking notes for whenever I get around to building my P-61. 

Thanks Gamera!

She is a real b%#ch when it comes to flash and seam lines, and fit also from what I've seen dry fitting some parts. So much time wasted. Certainly bad choice for someone with two small kids and very little free time, haha. But since I love this aircraft, I will try and endure everything she throws at me!!! :)

Do you have the same Revell kit?

Cheers,

Nikola

I just got this kit for Christmas - clearly not encouraged by the comments!  I'll be watching.

keavdog

I just got this kit for Christmas - clearly not encouraged by the comments!  I'll be watching.

Well keavdog, the comments may not be encouraging if you are looking for a 'shake and bake kit'; but if you want to build a fine P-61, this kit will provide the means to do that, provided that you are willing to put in the time and effort to make it happen. It will certainly hone your modeling skills.

Hi Keavdog,

Don't be discouraged at all, it is definitely a great subject to build in my opinion. I am probably whining too much since I have very little free time. :) And I just got back to modelling few months ago after a 20y break so I am no expert either. 

One can say that although it is a challenging kit, it is a skill honing experience and fun to build.

As I mentioned in the opening post, from what I've heard it made some modellers give up but I think that one just needs more patience, that's all. :)

We'll see how it develops further. Will keep updating. 

Cheers,

Nikola

Stole the words from my mouth. :) I agree completely Shipwreck.

Best, 

Nikola

Nikola, I have the same kit, got about 75% done and then got angry with the canopies and set her aside and kinda forgot about her. 

I got the Great Wall P-61 last Christmas and I figure the same painting techniques you're using should work on her too. 

So if I pull out the Revell kit or start over with the Great Wall kit I could learn a lot by watching you either way.

Hi guys,

Almost out of the interior! Yey! 

I am building the kit OOB, so unfortunately no fancy seat belts, harnesses, interior decals, etc., and no time for all that to be honest. Looking to finish the kit as soon as I can.

Again, sorry for my awkward phone camera and image quality. I just don't have time for better photos until the model is finished. 

Thanks for looking!

Cheers,

Nikola

Office is looking spot on ! I'm not %100 sure but the fire extinguisher might not have been red on these, might have been a solid brass color from what I remember when I researched my build. Looking forward to the next update!

Oh that looks good! Nice work on the cockpit.

Thanks Trey! Glad you like it. :)

Also thanks for the tip about the color. I will have that in mind for my next P61 which will definitely be a better kit next time. To be honest, I was lazy with the actual research and followed the instructions and some examples from the internet.

Also, the dials and gauges could use some work but the details on this old kit are not very sharp so I will probably leave them as they are now. 

Cheers, 

Nikola

Thank you very much Gamera. Appreciated!

As I said in my above reply to Trey, the dials and gauges could be much better but since the details on this old kit are not that sharp, I will not mess with them. I will save my eyes for a better kit. :) 

Best, 

Nikola

Hi guys,

I thought I could share a couple of more cockpit shots before I close her up. Just very slightly better photos this time 

Again, thanks for looking!

Cheers,

Nikola

That looks great! Yes its an old kit with not so crisp moldings but You are really making it pop! Keep up the great work!

Thank you very much Trey! I am glad you like it so far. 

Cheers,

Nikola