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Found 22 results

  1. So hopefully this will be a fairly short KUTA build. I originally started it back in the "Journey's End" GB - build thread can be found here. Since it's last outing the window masks went on and it got a coat of Alclad II Black Primer (or maybe it was Vallejo, it's a long time since I did it). At that point she was left to gather dust for some time. So after rescue it's been given a coat of Alclad II Gloss Black Base, but unfortunately this didn't come out as expected... As can hopefully be seen - there's a lot of texturing, now I'm not entirely sure what went on there - failure to clean the surface and it being dust and crud? The primer being textured (and the gloss just highlighting it)? Bad airbrushing technique/paint - I've, as always, been having issues with my airbrush and I wonder if it's being 'splatty' rather than a fine mist? Or an issue with the paint being a bit thick (maybe I could have thinned with self levelling thinner)? It's probably a combination of issues though. Once it dried - I tried in spots to remove the texture by giving it a going over with some fine sanding sponge (2000 grit) but it didn't seem to work well (just dulled the paint). I'll dull coat it once finished, so I'm hopeful that will hide a multitude of sins! Anyhow on with the decals - which seemed to conform well (both the aftermarket nose art and numbers and kit ones), though the aftermarket ones had red stripes to go around the engine cowlings but they weren't long enough to go all the way around (I'm not sure if there should be a break somewhere, there was scant info), so I've painted those on - need a little tidy up. I used the kit supplied USAF identification and walkway(?) markings - though these did rip a few times but I managed to get them pretty much lined back together. I have to say though they appear somewhat out of scale - I can't imagine they'd be painted about a foot wide on the actual aircraft! Once the decals were conformed with decal solvent, I've given them a quick going over with some heavily thinned Vallejo gloss varnish with a brush (to hopefully stop them silvering with the flat clear coat which will be next).
  2. So for the GB I'll be attempting this kit: Seems I have a love for odd looking, twin boom / twin bodied aircraft, so this will be in fine company with my recently built and similarly black F-82 Twin Mustang. I've got a few after market bits - a set of Print Scale decals, plus some Eduard canopy masks and their small interior PE kit. In terms of Journey's End, according to Wikipedia: So I might do that decal option from the pack or maybe "Cooper's Snooper" (P-61B-2 42-39454 flown by 1 Lt George C Cooper, 548th NFS, Iwo Jima, Spring 1945) since I like the look of the nose art. I've got 3 other GB builds to do first, so you might have to wait a while for the sprue shots and build start!
  3. Hey All, I'm one of the victims of the ATT DNS denials in the US, so I'm trying to get caught up from a work-trip hotel room. I've been trying a new technique on each kit. The technique I tried on this kit was painting/finishing major subassemblies prior to final assembly. The wings/booms, center fuselage and center tailplane were all built, painted and weathered separately. The final assembly with very little weathering/finishing after. I found it easier to paint and weather some of the compound curves. But gluing the final sub assemblies was a bit nerve racking. Thanks for looking!
  4. P-61B Update sets & Masks 1:72 Eduard for Hobby Boss Kit The new tool P-61B is welcome for those who build WWII American Aircraft, Eduard are now along with some sets for it. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Interior Set (73638) This set has one pre-painted fret, and one brass one. You get cockpit details, seat belts (for both stations), instrument panels, and the other panels. There are parts for the turrets and many internal features. New sides are provided for the inside of the gunners station. A new entry hatch is provided, as many internal parts. Zoom! Set (SS638) This set contains a reduced subset of the update set, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above, with the seat belts. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Exterior Set (72674) This set contains as the name would suggest parts for the aircraft exterior. There are new interior parts for the main gear wells, mud guards for the wheels, engine vent panels. engine wiring harnesses, main gear brake lines & links, a new fuselage aerial, wing radiator inlets, and flap guides Masks (CX519) Supplied on yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the glazing. In addition you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Review samples courtesy of
  5. Hobby Boss kit, OOB with Eaglaecals. Nice little kit. Some slight fit issues, but they were resolved easily. A one day build, and the last for my current workbench, as I’m moving in a few days. Next build from the new one!
  6. Hello One and All! Now, I will have to admit that I have been in the modelling 'wilderness' for some time; Starting something, getting bored with that something, something else winking at me and starting that... Difficult cycle to break plus work has been totally full on for over a year... Then, a few weeks ago, something clicked and this was the Hobbyboss 1/32 P-61 Black Widow. If you have to go to the the IMF for a loan to buy this kit, might as well increase the National Debt so, I am throwing everything at this one; Eduard Big Ed Set 2 Off HPH Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp Engines Avionix Cockpit & Radar Sets B-25 Brassin Wheels for the HK Kit Grey Matter Figures Antena Set Profimodeller Barrels & Antena Sets HGW Seatbelts Montex Mask Eduard Brassin 500kg Bombs MK.1 Design 5 inch HVAR Rockets (2 Sets) Bespoke Photo Etch,designed by my good self 3D Printed Oxygen Bottles, drawn up by me.... (Crash Course) Now the subject; I knew very little about the P-61, even after I bought it. Those of you who have researched or read about the kit knows that the model is an A Model. That narrows it down a bit.... After buying the Combat Aircraft 8 P-61 BLack Widow Units of World War 2 (another IMF Loan) I decided on; P-61A-11 42-5610 MiDNiTE Madness 548th Night Fighter Squadron Le Shima Setup for Night Intruder Interdiction I would appreciate it if anyone has an issue with this... I have also invested in the Zotz Decals for this which is on a slowboat from China, been waiting 4 weeks now! So, to the kit! It is a thing of beauty indeed. It is also an excuse for me to increase the size of my display cabinet! The first thing that becomes apparent is how sparse the cockpit is. I tried testfitting the Avionix Set but I have an issue with that too; it's astonishingly and a thing of beauty also detailed but too busy for me. I like to wire up myself and I would spend weeks free painting so I have scratch built the cockpit sides and floor myself using the kit parts and using the Avionix as a donor for bits when required; Sacrilege! Here is the portside ready for painting; Here is the starboard; Here is the floor; Scratchbuilt mast; Here is the Bulkhead (Had to make the aperture) So now onto the finer details which is my next step; The Oxygen Regulator; Hope you like it so far... Cheers Steve
  7. And so 2018 begins with a kit that has been in storage for nearly two decades... a rare 1/72 Italeri YF-23 I bought this kit when living in the US during my high school years or shortly thereafter, so circa 1996-99. The kit is dated 1994 so it was relatively new back then. This was my second foray into modelling and first "serious" attempt, this time with an airbrush (a Paasche single-action). However, I didn't actually start this kit until many years later, around the mid-naughties, but I only got around to painting the cockpit. Since then, the kit had been stored in a box somewhere in my family's house until I rescued it a few months back and brought it back with me to London. On the plus side, despite some cleaning up needed (the plastic is a bit dirty), all pieces are accounted for except one of the sides of the ACES seat which I will scratch-build with plasticard. This is quite an achievement given how easy parts can fall off and get lost in Italeri's flimsy open-ended boxes. Also given how rare this kit and how much it goes for these days on eBay, it's a privilege to have one near-intact, and even with no yellowing of the decals! Thankfully, I have another one of these in the stash (still sealed!) so I can afford to do some experimenting with this one. Namely, black-basing. This will be my first attempt at this technique which over the holidays I started getting more and more enthusiastic about. The Black Widow is an excellent starting point for this: it's all dark grey camo will be perfect for black basing. It's a big plane too and despite being only a prototype, looked grimy enough in pics: http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/510961f66bb3f7682a000012-1200/yf-23.jpg Anyway, it is an honor to start work on this gem of a kit and make it my first completed build of 2018
  8. I realised that I've been lazy in sharing my builds on Britmodeller, so thought I'd add my next one to the forums. Then I stumble in here and discover this group build, which fits perfectly a kit I have in mind to finish. The kit is a Monogram 1:48 Black Widow. The kit itself was purchased in the 80s and I started work on it some 20 years back, only to give up on it and consign the box to my stash. I've pulled it out quite a few times but never really got the urge until now to have a go at it. What greeted me in the box was a somewhat assembled fuselage, an interior coated with lashings of zinc chromate and the usual horrible glossy monogram decals. First task will be to dis-assemble most of the parts and start over with the interior paint job, and proceed from there. If I can finally finish this one I'll be a happy man. Wish me luck!
  9. Northrop P-61C Black Widow Hobbyboss 1:48 The Northrop P-61 Black Widow, named for the American spider, was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of opposing aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. The P-61 had a crew of three: pilot, gunner, and radar operator. It was armed with four 20 mm Hispano M2 forward-firing cannons mounted in the lower fuselage, and four .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns mounted in a remote-controlled dorsal gun turret. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II. The first test flight was made on 26 May 1942, with the first production aircraft rolling off the assembly line in October 1943. The last aircraft was retired from government service in 1954. Although not produced in the large numbers of its contemporaries, the Black Widow was effectively operated as a night-fighter by United States Army Air Forces squadrons in the European Theatre, the Pacific Theatre, the China Burma India Theatre and the Mediterranean Theatre during World War II. It replaced earlier British-designed night-fighter aircraft that had been updated to incorporate radar when it became available. After the war, the P-61—redesignated the F-61—served in the United States Air Force as a long-range, all weather, day/night interceptor for Air Defence Command until 1948, and Fifth Air Force until 1950. The subject of this kit is the P-61C, which was a high-performance variant designed to rectify some of the combat deficiencies encountered with the A and B variants. Work on the P-61C proceeded quite slowly at Northrop because of the higher priority of the Northrop XB-35 flying wing strategic bomber project. In fact, much of the work on the P-61C was farmed out to Goodyear, which had been a subcontractor for production of Black Widow components. It was not until early 1945 that the first production P-61C-1-NO rolled off the production lines. As promised, the performance was substantially improved in spite of a 2,000 lb (907 kg) increase in empty weight. Maximum speed was 430 mph (690 km/h) at 30,000 ft (9,000 m), service ceiling was 41,000 ft (12,500 m), and an altitude of 30,000 ft (9,000 m) could be attained in 14.6 minutes. The P-61C was equipped with perforated fighter airbrakes located both below and above the wing surfaces. These were to provide a means of preventing the pilot from overshooting his target during an intercept. For added fuel capacity, the P-61C was equipped with four underwing pylons (two inboard of the nacelles, two outboard) which could carry four 310 gal (1,173 l) drop tanks. The first P-61C aircraft was accepted by the USAAF in July 1945. However, the war in the Pacific ended before any P-61Cs could see combat. The 41st and last P-61C-1-NO was accepted on 28 January 1946. At least 13 more were completed by Northrop, but were scrapped before they could be delivered to the USAAF. Service life of the P-61C was quite brief, since its performance was being outclassed by newer jet aircraft. Most were used for test and research purposes. By the end of March 1949 most P-61Cs had been scrapped. Two entered the civilian market and two others The Model This kit is the third release in the series of P-61 Black Widows from Hobbyboss and comes in a sturdy top opening box with some very nice artwork on the lid of the aircraft in flight over some rather threatening clouds. Inside there are nice sprues of medium grey styrene, two separate engine cowlings, two sprues of clear styrene, six metal parts and the decal sheet. On inspection of the sprues it becomes quite clear that there is a pretty major problem with the kit, and that is the fact that although the box artwork and photographs on the internet show the aircraft, (the only option on the decal sheet), with a dorsal turret, it is completely missing from the kit. There isn’t even provision for one on the fuselage parts. Although this omission doesn’t make the kit unbuildable, purists will no doubt be hunting round for a spare turret to fit. It is a great shame though, that the company’s research or lack of, has let them down again. If I can find a decent photograph of the aircraft, (which is still extant in the National Museum of the United States Air Force), in seconds, why couldn’t Hobbyboss? That said, it still looks like it is a nice kit, not particularly difficult, in fact it looks quite a bit simpler than the old Monogram release. I’ve seen the A version built at my club and it looked fantastic, so there’s no reason that this shouldn’t build up the same, albeit incorrect. The build begins with the front cockpit and the fitting of the pilot and co-pilot seats, joysticks, two piece gun sight/controller, heater unit, rudder pedals and instrument panels, each with decal instruments, to the single piece floor. The nose wheel bay is then fitted out with the three piece nose wheel leg and wheel, which has the distinctive mudguard moulded to it. On top of the wheel bay the first of the metal parts is attached, before the bay is glued to the underside of the cockpit floor. Another, much large metal part is glued forward of the pilots instrument panel. Inside the two fuselage halves, the cockpit side walls are attached, as are the four 20mm cannon muzzles. The rear cockpit is then assembled, from floor, rear bulkhead, with moulded radio sets, joystick, two piece gun sight/controller and seat. The front and rear cockpits are then enclosed within the two fuselage halves. The radar set is made up from the support base, radar dish and two metal parts. The radar is then glued to the front of the fuselage and encased in the clear nose section, which, unfortunately doesn't look quite the right shape, being too short. The single piece front windscreen and canopy is then glued into place, followed by the four glazed areas of the rear cockpit. The clear parts are exceptionally clear, as can be seen in the photographs. The nose wheel bay doors are then added before work moves on to the two booms. Each boom comes in two halves and fitted with the main wheel bays, which are fitted with a separate mid bulkhead, main oleo, retraction jack, scissor link and main wheel. The wheel bays are sandwiched between the boom halves, which are then put to one side to set fully. Each wing is made up of a single piece upper section and two lower sections with two radiators glued between them. If you are going to add the external tanks or bombs then the holes will need to be opened up before the wind sections are glued together. The wings are then attached to their respective booms, and fitted with the ailerons and landing light covers. Each engine is made up from a metal firewall part, just the front bank of cylinders, and gearbox cover, into which the propeller shaft is fitted. The propeller is then attached and the engines fitted to the booms, along with the large inter-cooler intakes and main wheel bay doors. The completed boom assemblies are then attached to the fuselage assembly with the horizontal tail plane fitted in between. The external tanks are each made up from two halves, and include the pylons, whilst the bombs are made from separate bodies and tails, then fitted to the pylons. The bombs and tanks are then fitted to their respective positions. Along with the pitot probe and side mounted aerials. Decals The single aircraft option provided on the decal sheet is for P-61C, Ser. No. 43-8353, Moonlight Serenade in an overall black scheme, with green spinners, cooling gills and upper nose section. The decals are well printed, in register and nicely opaque. They are quite glossy and should settle down well on a gloss varnish as there is minimal carrier film on all but the serial numbers, but it is pretty thin. Conclusion Well, being one of my favourite aircraft, I'm quite disappointed, it’s shame that Hobbyboss have managed to produce another clunker. I guess if you can get some other decals for a P-61C, one which didn’t have a dorsal turret, (were there any during the war?), or build it as a post war test aircraft. It also seems to be over simplified, although that is not necessarily a bad thing in an age where kits seem to be getting more and more complicated. It’ll certainly be good for a beginner, as the parts should all fit well and it will look great when built, and quite large. I do like the idea of the metal parts incorporated in the build to save on finding places to fill with lead. Review sample courtesy of
  10. Hi, In addition to set of Northrops, which I posted recently along with BT-1 I've just cleaned a bit from dust my very old model, which was not posted yet - Northrop P61B Black Widow from Airfix. I did this machine sometime in 1981 or 1982. So a while ago... These days I painted transparent parts with varnish, which came to yellow with years, I am sorry to say. Markings are from 418th FS, USAAF, operating on South Pacific, 1944. The individual markings are home made, in particular there is a hand painted "nose art", which I still like - and perhaps this is the reason to show it... Comments welcome Regards Jerzy-Wojtek
  11. HobbyBoss is to release in 2016-2017 1/72nd Northrop P-61 Black Widow kits. - ref. 87261 - Northrop P-61A Black Widow - ref. 87262 - Northrop P-61B Black Widow - ref. 87263 - Northrop P-61C Black Widow Source: http://scalemodels.ru/modules/news/img_9588_1449141963_13.jpg.html V.P.
  12. P-61A Black Widow 1:48 Hobby Boss The Northrop P-61 or Black Widow was the first operational American aircraft designed from the outset to be a Night Fighter using Radar as the primary means of interception. The aircraft would feature a crew of three; Pilot, gunner and Radar Operator. Early on in WWII the US in the person of their Air Officer in London Lt General Emmons were briefed on Radar by the British. At the same time the British were evaluating US Aircraft in their need for a high altitude, long loiter, and ability to carry a radar unit. At the time radar units were bulky and heavy. Jack Northrop realised that to fulfil these requirements he would need a large multi-engine aircraft. The Northrop proposal was to feature an aircraft with a long fuselage gondola between two engines and tailbooms. The size and weight (45' long with a wingspan of 66', and 22000Lb) were bigger than any fighter to date, and made t hard for some to accept the aircraft. The P-61 as it became was to feature 4 x 20mm cannons under the fuselage with a remote control turret on top carrying 4 x 0.5 cal heavy machine guns. A model SCR-720A radar was fitted in the nose which had a range of 5 miles. The remote turret could rotate 360 degrees and fired by any of the crew members. The turret suffered from buffet problems but the main cause of its non fitment to many aircraft was short supply. The same mechanism being given priority in B-29 production. The P-61 would see use in all theatres of WWII. American night fighter crew traded in there Mosquitos, Beaufighters, and P-70s to move to the new fighter. In addition to its night fighter duties P-61s were employed against V-1s in Southern England, and during the battle of the bulge certain units switched to ground attack where the four 20mm cannon proved their worth against ground targets. Despite it clearly being outclassed by the best aircraft coming online at the end of WWII the P-61 stayed in the US Inventory as the USAF experienced problems in developing a jet powered night fighter. Post war the P-61 would see use in developing ejection seats, and collecting radar data on thunderstorms. The aircraft we retired in 1947 as they were reaching the end of their operation lives, with no jet replacement in sight the USAF were forced to use surplus P-51s and make F-82s. The USAF would not get its first Jet Night Fighter the F-89 until 1951. The Kit The kit arrives in a fairly large box, there are nine sprues of grey plastic, a main clear sprue, a clear radar nose, two separate engine cowlings and a bag of metal parts (these are weights to stop a tail sitter!). The parts are very well moulded with fine engraved details and small sprue gates. Construction starts shockingly enough with the cockpit! in this case the front cockpit. Seats, consoles, and controls are installed for both the Pilot and Gunner, along with a bulkhead to the rear of the gunners position. The next area to be constructed is the front wheel bay which features as par of the cockpit floor. The front gear leg is positioned in along with the retraction strut and the two part front wheel, also the gear door retraction mechanism is installed. The first of two metal weights are installed now on the top of this part. The front cockpit is then installed on top of this weight. The second weight is then added in front of the pilots instrument panel. Construction then moves inside the main fuselage pod. This is of convention left/right construction. Side panels are installed in each side, along with two 20mm cannon barrels. The rear radar operators compartment is then made up. Following this the front and rear cockpits are placed inside the main fuselage and it can be closed up. Once closed up the radar unit is added to the nose. Another two metal parts are provided for this area, so even if the modeller is not going to use the translucent nose part they will need to be installed. The main canopies are added along with front gear doors at this point (though I suspect they will be left until later). Construction then moves to the main booms. Before building up the booms the main wheel wells must be added. A bulkhead is placed in each and then the main landing gear is attached (thought I suspect this will be left until later). Each boom consists of a left and right part. These are sandwiched around the main wheel wells. Once the booms are done the main wigs are the next item to be assembled. The wings are a one part upper each side with two parts to the underside to go either side of the booms. Inlets are positioned either side of the engine area when the uppers and lowers are joined. Once the wings are assembled they can be joined to their respective booms. Outer wing spoilers are then added to the wings. The next stage is to add the engine nacelles to the wings. Metal rears for then engines are included to get that all important weight forward of the main landing gear. To these the engine faces are added. A one part engine cowling is then fitted so no seam to remove here! following this the propeller can be added, though I suspect again these will be left until the end, as will be the main gear doors which the instructions would have you add next. Once both wing/boom combinations are assembled they can be added to the main fuselage, not forgetting the tail plane at the same time which goes between both booms. To finish of your model underwing bombs/drop tanks/rockets can be added as needed. Clear Parts There is a lot of glazing on the P-61 and Hobby Boss do not let us down here. A main sprue contains all the glazing apart from the front radome, which is contained on its own sprue. The parts are some of the best clear parts I have seen for a while. They are very clear and free from distortion while the frame lines are well defined which should make masking easier. The parts are very well protected in the box, given their own section and a foam sheet covering inside their individual bags. Decals The decals are glossy, in register and appear colour dense. I have used HobbyBoss decals in the past with no problems at all. The red walkway line will need care to apply as there is no excess carrier film The plus us there is not chance of any silvering! The blue in the national insignia looks a bit to light for me. Decals are provided for two aircraft; P-61A-1-NO 421st Night Fighter Sqn "Skippy/Nocturnal Nemesis" 25502. P-61A-5-NO 422nd Night Fighter Sqn "Jukin Judy" . Internet pictures show that Skippy/Nocturnal Nemesis was fitted with the top turret. The turret is supplied on the sprues but this is not shown on the instructions anywhere! Conclusion A thoroughly modern tooling of the P-61. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  13. Hi Perhaps somone know it... - Is there any aftermarket canopy for P61 Black Widow in 1/72 scale? I was googling and found only in 1/48... No hope at all? Regards Jerzy-Wojtek
  14. Hello everyone, Here is my latest model, the Northrop P-61A Black Widow “Lady Gen”, 422nd Night Fighter Squadron, 1944. I really love this aircraft, and I was lucky to find an old Dragon 1/72 kit in eBay at a reasonable price. Built mainly OOB, I only changed the decals (Eagle Editions, printed by Cartograph). Painted using Model Master and Humbrol enamels. Weathering using silver pencil, Flory Models washes, and Tamiya Weathering Master kits. About the kit itself, overall I am very satisfied; especially considering this kit was manufactured in 1994. Great quality of the plastic, no flashing, and well defined panel lines. Some fit issues in the engine/wings area. The P-61A is tail sitter, so I had to add an incredible amount of weight to the nose, engines and even to the cockpit. Now I am a bit concerned with the ability of the landing gears to resist the weight! I am happy with the result, and even more with the learning in the process – it was the first time that I tried several techniques, such as salt technique weathering (which resulted a bit too subtle), paint chipping using silver pencil, and some photography techniques. I have learned a lot with everyone’s posts here in Britmodeller, so thank you so much! Please see below some pictures. I included a size comparison with an F-14A Tomcat, which was very interesting to me. Feedback and comments are very welcomed. I hope you like it, and thank you for looking! Best, Ricardo Model pictures Size comparison
  15. Hi folks, You all know the beautiful Monogram kit built by Mr Shepherd Paine back in the days. Off course that one sets the standard and is a true beauty, inspiring me to make my own P-61A Black Widow fitted into a small Pasific Vignette. The idea is an engine overhaul after bad weather sand blasting the plane leaving a lot of chipped paint. I used the GWH kit L4802, a kit that has been debated with accuracy issues. Nevertheless it was a great kit with an over all very good fit. I really enjoyed buildning her even I if do find the trend with fitting the landing gears before closing the fuselage(es) very annoying. I added Eduards interior, wheels and engine. The fixed turret and the controls are from Lone Star. Painted with Gunze and Ammo paints using various Ammo products for weathering and chipping (hairspray technique, my very first try). There are some scratch built items such as the crane, the prop gear and the table. The prop blades are from True Details and decals from Zots. The truck is a Tamiya 2,5 ton 6x6 with Aber PE and an Vector engine fitted to the flat bed. The jeep is Hasegawa with leftovers from the Aber PE. The figures are mostly Aires from their new range. Various ground equipment from Brengun and Tamiya is spread around. Thanks for looking /Fred
  16. Hi all, Don't really dip into Sci Fi that much but a colleague sent me a link to this 6th scale model Hot Toys Black Widow Mind blowing realism, it's almost frightening! Bit of a noobie question, is this the regular standard of figurines in this scale or is this an exception? At around £115 ex. post, is this a good price? Only asking as I've been watching the Avengers (the Marvel version!) recently and would like to do a bit of collecting. Thanks in advance!
  17. Hi everyone, I'm Tim and a newcomer to this excellent forum! Received my latest addition to the stash this week and wanted to share my progress building this large anhd beautiful modern(ish) aircraft. Not my usual cup of tea (I'm mostly into Cold War British and Russian jets) but I think you'll agree, this is one good looking aircraft even in boring low-vis colours. The kit will be built OOB, except for a replacement ejector seat (Aces II correct me if I'm wrong) by Aires or Pavla. Am also hunting for the excellent Caracal decals sheet, so if anybody can help, please please PM me! I'll be trying some new airbrushing techniques - mainly pre-shading panels as the panel lines on this kit aren't as numerous as other kits, so any pointers and constructive criticism will be most welcome. Will be starting this evening and pics will follow! http://s160.photobucket.com/user/espritenthusiast/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140304_172049_zps8710b34a.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0 Tim
  18. HobbyBoss is to release 1/48th Northrop P-61B and P-61C Black Widow kits - ref. 81731 & 81732 Source: http://tieba.baidu.com/p/2804569608 Also a P-61A kit with ref. 81730 (see herebelow http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234953217-148-northrop-p-61abc-black-widow-by-hobbyboss-p-61a-release-august-september-2014/?p=1629421) What's the interest after the Great Wall Hobby recent 1/48th Black Widow kits? OK there's no GWH P-61C. Door open to a F-15 Reporter... V.P.
  19. Northrop P-61 Black Widow Squadron Publications In Action The Northrop P-61 Black Widow, named for the American spider, was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of opposing aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II. The first test flight was made on 26 May 1942, with the first production aircraft rolling off the assembly line in October 1943. The last aircraft was retired from government service in 1954. Although not produced in the large numbers of its contemporaries, the Black Widow was effectively operated as a night-fighter by United States Army Air Forces squadrons in the European Theatre, the Pacific Theatre, the China Burma India Theater and the Mediterranean Theatre during World War II. It replaced earlier British designed night-fighter aircraft that had been updated to incorporate radar when it became available. After the war, the P-61 served in the United States Air Force as a long-range, all weather, day/night interceptor for Air Defence Command until 1948, and Fifth Air Force until 1950. On the night of 14 August 1945, a P-61B of the 548th Night Fight Squadron named "Lady in the Dark" was unofficially credited with the last Allied air victory before VJ Day. The P-61 was also modified to create the F-15 Reporter photo-reconnaissance aircraft for the United States Air Force. This book is published in Squadron Publications standard landscape format this book is filled with excellent photographs and information that will invaluable to the modeller. After a short introduction explaining the development of nightfighter aircraft along with a couple of shots of the P-70 Havocs and Beaufighters used by the USAAF the book concentrates on the P-61. Starting with the development of the type in the form of the XP-61 the photo narrative takes the reader through the modifications, equipment, weaponry and crew stations in a series of really useful photographs. Each photograph is nicely annotated giving the aircraft type, number and location. Along with the superb black and white photos there are a fair few in full colour which really show well how the aircraft soon became very weathered and tired looking, there3 are several colour profiles and line drawings showing the differences between the main marks. The book then moves on to the in service photos of the aircraft, both in Europe and the Pacific. Starting with the P-61A, and then showing how the aircraft were given an 8” extension to the nose to house the improved radar that brought about the redesignation to P-61B. Near the end of the war the P-61C began production and introduced the turbo-supercharged engines, but none of the 41 aircraft made it to the front line. The last section of the book deals with the XP-61E long range fighter project and XF-15 photo reconnaissance aircraft. Conclusion This is a superb book on a very charismatic aircraft. It will be a boon to any modeller building one of the super new kits that have been released in the last few years. The details shown in the photographs will also delight the super-detailers so they that can go to town on their models. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  20. Northrop P-61A/B Etch Eduard 1:32 The P-61 Black Widow is a great looking aircraft and it was with great excitement that HobbyBoss announced the release of one in 1:32 scale. Now a few months since the release Eduard have started to release etched sets designed to enhance the already nice detail of the kit. This is the first such set to reach BM Towers. Engine Set (32341) Contained in Eduards usual packaging this two sheet set, comprises of two medium sized frets of relief etched brass one slightly larger than the other. This larger sheet contains the short wiring looms for the front bank of cylinders and the cowl flaps for the rear of the engine cowling. Now while the fitting of the looms is pretty straight forward, particularly in light of the size the engines are in this scale, the cowl flaps do not look like an easy build. Once the inner cowl flaps faces have been folded into shape the whole ring will need to be gentle bent into shape, until it forms a circle and the ends can be glued or soldered together. The lower ring forms the mating surface which is glued inside the rear of the kits engine cowling. There are another set of flaps which are then glued on the inside of the flap ring. The smaller sheet contains the longer wiring looms which are threaded through holes drilled in the kits engine mounting ring to the rear bank of cylinders. The looms are connected to the wiring harness ring attached to the rear of the crankcase cover. There are also a set of tabs that attach between the engine mounting ring and each cylinder head. Conclusion This is quite a complex set and will need some careful work, particularly with getting the cowl flap rings bent properly to shape and you may need some specialist tools to achieve the effect. The detailed wiring harnesses will really look the part when painted up and fitted as this scale really lends itself to this sort detailing. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  21. R-2800-31 Engine for GWH P-61A 1:48 Eduard Brassin (648066) This extensive set is designed to replace the engine and cowling of one of the new GWH P-61As, and includes enough resin and Photo-Etch (PE) parts to complete one engine and cowling. If you wanted to portray both engines under maintenance, you'll need two sets. The set arrives in a compact box, with a CGI rendering of the completed engine on the front. Inside, nestling between multiple layers of protective foam are four bags of resin parts, and one of PE parts, plus an A5 instruction sheet comprising two sheets printed on both sides. Due to the nature and complexity of any aero engine, there are a large number of parts, 41 of resin and a further 16 parts on the PE fret. The instructions show the radial engine being built up from two banks of pistons that attach to a central cylindrical hub, to which the individual pistons fix. Each forward cylinder must have a 0.5mm hole drilled in it, and the rear bank have a small PE part that bridges the two sides, with a small piece of flash that should be removed from the back before installing. The reduction gear housing is installed next, and here you have a choice of two parts - a more traditional bell-shaped housing, or a more cylindrical one with a recessed front. A few additional wires lead from the reduction casing to the front cylinder bank, and then the exhaust stubs are added to the web of manifold pipes behind the engine. A set of highly detailed cowling flaps are included in the set, which have lots of detail on the inner faces that will be seen because they are depicted in the open position. These are simply a drop-fit on the kit engine nacelle, as is the engine itself, which has a small cylindrical attachment point glued to the rear in an earlier step. The front of the cowling is a separate part that mates with the front of the engine, and must be correctly installed as per the scrap diagram with one panel line pointing vertically down, and the other two at the ten-to-two position. The modeller must then procure some 0.3mm wire in short 3.6mm sections to use as the cowl flap actuator struts, and a triplet of PE strips portray the cowling panel attachment points, and run between the front and rear of the cowling. The three cowling panels are all separate and very thin castings, which can optionally be installed, although why you'd want to bury all that detail, I do not know. The cowlings can be placed on your base, or rested on the wing, to give a candid appearance to the model. Conclusion An excellent set that will come alive with careful painting and fairly bristles with detail. It's not for the feint hearted due to the delicate parts and the need for careful alignment of the parts, but as it requires absolutely no cutting of the kit, it can be approached with no trepidation, and no fear of ruining the kit. The choice of reduction housing shows some attention to detail, as does a choice of magneto fitment on the top of the housing. The delicate splines on the prop shaft give the modeller the option of leaving the prop off entirely, for a deep maintenance scenario. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  22. Forget the venerable Monogram/Revell. Great Wall has announced the landing of its new 1/48th kit, a Northrop P-61A Black Widow. http://hyperscale.com/2011/reviews/kits/gr...previewbg_1.htm V.P.
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