billn53 Posted December 31, 2017 Author Share Posted December 31, 2017 (edited) Fewer than 14 hours left in 2017 and I'd dearly like to get this build done before the ball drops. Got the decals on this morning (at least, as many as I have patience for...). I have to say I like the EagleCal sheet. The decals are thin but not so thin that they fight back at you. Here are a few pics: I screwed up slightly on the wing walks, can you spot my mistake? There's plenty more left on the EagleCal sheet. Note all of the stenciling provided on the bottom of the sheet. I just didn't have enough mojo to tackle that today :-(( Here is a comparison with the HobbyBoss decals. The star and bars for the wing (#19) must be in 1/32 scale!!! More later! Edited December 31, 2017 by billn53 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted January 1, 2018 Author Share Posted January 1, 2018 (edited) Six hours to spare and I'm calling this my last completed build of 2017. (Actually, there are a few minor items to sort out, but time for that later). But before I show you my finished result, let's wind the clock back a few hours... Where were we? Oh yes, the decals. To tone down the 'newly painted' decals to better match this beat up bird's appearance, I gave them a shot of neutral gray wash. The result was good, but not perfect. For example, the white in the stars & bars decals doesn't quite match the white in my painted invasion stripes. But, as they say, "good enough for government work". After giving everything a coat of lusterless flat, it was time to remove the cockpit masking. I wasn't sure how this would turn out, especially the areas masked with Parafilm. But it turned out my worries were unfounded. I was disappointed to find that, despite all my effort to ensure the interior was clean before closing it up, something somehow found its way inside to muck up my canopy. If anyone ever asks, I'm going to tell them the radar operator left a sticky note that says, "A loaf of bread and a gallon of milk." haha!! The canopies are surprisingly clear, especially the forward one. That makes all my work in the interior worth while. Before moving on the the finished result, there is one area where this 'easy assembly' build is anything but. What I'm referring to is are the aerials on either side of the cockpit. HobbyBoss provides a small fret of PE, which one is expected to butt-join to a plastic mounting body: I gave it a shot, but no joy. In the end I improvised. You can tell me if I was successful. Drumroll, please! by billn1953, on Flickr For a ten day build I'm very satisfied with the result. I will be posting a RFI after I finish a few odds & ends. Thanks to everyone who followed this thread, and especially for all the helpful and interesting comments. Happy New Year! Edited January 1, 2018 by billn53 16 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 That gets a double WOW from me, it looks pretty much just what l'd want a P-61 to look like. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thud4444 Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Wow.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Russell Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 That's really nice. I hope mine is that good. Wing-walk markings over the stripes? That's a dedicated ground crew! It will be interesting to see what their P-61B looks like. I imagine they will just add the turret and nose without correcting the fuselage curve issue - which doesn't look all that bad. Great work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Yep, you were very successful! Great job! Happy New Year! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil5208 Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 impressive results, will put one of these on this years wish list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Bill, Happy New Year to you and well done on your P-61, it certainly looks the part. Wez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted January 4, 2018 Author Share Posted January 4, 2018 As promised, I have posted a RFI. It can be found here: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235031669-hobby-boss-172-p-61a-black-widow/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Russell Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Check out the fuselage sprue picture in this link. http://www.72news.eu/2018/01/hobby-boss-northrop-p-61b-black-widow.html It looks like Hobbyboss corrected the top shape - I'm pleased to have been proved wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted May 28, 2019 Share Posted May 28, 2019 Bill--wow--this is a great P-61! Sorry I was late to this thread--over a year late--but I am majorly impressed--I hope this P-61 graces your shelf waiting for the B-58! Best & sorry for finding this thread late, Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted May 29, 2019 Author Share Posted May 29, 2019 Hi Erwin. Thanks for the kind words. The P-61 build was an enjoyable one, and finished in only ten days (usually my builds take months). I built it completely out-of-the-box and won a Silver in the OOB category at our local IPMS annual contest last August. I’m hoping to have my Hustler ready for this year’s show, obviously not OOB 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now