Jump to content

Recommended Posts

The Christmas break was quite productive for me.  Here are the last 2 of my finishes:

 

Hobbyboss Bf109G-2

 

What can you say?  Well, it's cheap, simple and makes a quick finish.  Limited detail and probably not the most accurate, but a nice easy desert paint scheme.

 

20200321_093627

 

20200321_093636

 

Hobbyboss P-61

 

 

I would not describe this as an easy build.  There's sufficient interior detail imho if you keep the lid on tho' the IP decal is a bit garish.  Wheel wells are nice and the breakdown of parts is sensible, but the upper fuselage around the cockpit didn't match up well with the bottom and caused me fit issues; ditto with the boom / rear wing joints; ditto again with the glass work.  Some careful filling was required here.  Lost the will to weather it, lost one of the nose gear doors and haven't been brave enough to fit the aerials each side of the nose.  My next one will be better!

 

20200321_093611

 

20200321_093537

 

20200321_093528

 

20200321_093553

 

Regards

 

Martin

 

  • Like 29
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great builds. I'm doing a run of Hobbyboss Me109s at the moment...they are probably not the most accurate but I can't tell and they do look like 109s when they're built. Love yours and the P61...was considering one of these too so thanks for the tips on the fit issues. Great job so round 👍

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very neat. I like the AEAF stripes.

 

I've done that Black Widow too and found similar problems with the fit. 

 

Trying to fit the separate etched aerials drove me insane so in the end I replaced them with stretched sprue. 

 

Hopefully Airfix will retool theirs one day.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, IanC said:

Very neat. I like the AEAF stripes.

 

I've done that Black Widow too and found similar problems with the fit. 

 

Trying to fit the separate etched aerials drove me insane so in the end I replaced them with stretched sprue. 

 

Hopefully Airfix will retool theirs one day.

 

Thanks, Ian.  

 

Yes, it's a shame, as the P-61 is a good looking, if large, beast, and it deserves better.  

 

NB there's enough space for nose weight, if you fill the radome, the small space in front of the IP, the backside of the engine bulkheads, and the space in front of the main gear bays with liquid gravity.

 

Regards

 

Martin

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, binbrook87 said:

Great builds. I'm doing a run of Hobbyboss Me109s at the moment...they are probably not the most accurate but I can't tell and they do look like 109s when they're built. Love yours and the P61...was considering one of these too so thanks for the tips on the fit issues. Great job so round 👍

Cheers!

 

Re the 109, I've got a high altitude G-10 in the cabinet and a couple more in the stash.

 

Re the P-61, remember to fill the holes outboard underwing if you're not going to fit the bazooka.  Also, not sure the P-61 had 4 under wing pylons, so check references (I didn't bother).  And it's been noted elsewhere, but the lips of the air inlets in the wing leading edge are far too thick and blunt.  A bit of sanding sorts this out.

 

Finally, the trailing edge join halfway down the flap chord drove me mad trying to eradicate the step that resulted, and the grills at the lower front of the booms didn't survive.  Replaced them with squares of masking tape.

 

Regards

 

Martin

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Vinnie said:

Nice couple of builds, Martin. I particularly like the Black Widow👍

Thanks, Vinnie.  Not one of my better builds, but it fills a hole in my collection and will look ok in the cabinet.  But the experience I've gained will mean that my next one will be better.😉

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking at your P-61, one would never guess it gave you big problems. A very nice build. I'd certainly be proud to display in my collection ... and my finished products are best viewed a short distance away.  😐

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, SAT69 said:

Looking at your P-61, one would never guess it gave you big problems. A very nice build. I'd certainly be proud to display in my collection ... and my finished products are best viewed a short distance away.  😐

Thanks for your nice comment!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/26/2020 at 8:57 PM, mike romeo said:

NB there's enough space for nose weight, if you fill the radome, the small space in front of the IP, the backside of the engine bulkheads, and the space in front of the main gear bays with liquid gravity.

Thanks Martin, that's what I was afraid of but at least it saved having to ask you. :D In spite of the hassles it gave you, it has come up really well & I still want one. :) 

Steve.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, stevehnz said:

Thanks Martin, that's what I was afraid of but at least it saved having to ask you. :D In spite of the hassles it gave you, it has come up really well & I still want one. :) 

Steve.

No problems, Steve and thanks. 

 

IIRC I had to add some kind of half-bulkhead in front of the main gear bays for containing the liquid gravity.  You may have to do the same if that's what you use.

 

Regards

 

Martin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, stevehnz said:

 I still want one. :) 

If you're talking Hobbyboss, make sure you buy the P-61B.  It has the sideways bulge in the top decking between the cockpits appropriate to all Black Widows: the P-61A kit missed it.  I think there's also a P-61C kit: can't comment on that one.

 

Haven't built my P-61B yet but I'm quite pleased with the kit.  Prop blades look a bit weedy though.

 

@mike romeoNice job, especially on the canopy frames.

Edited by Seahawk
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I fancy a go at the -B.  Does it have a longer nose than the -A?

 

I think the spinners too look a bit weedy.

 

Regards

 

Martin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, mike romeo said:

I fancy a go at the -B.  Does it have a longer nose than the -A?

The real thing did.  I don't know about the Hobbyboss kits because I don't have the P-61A and won't be getting one because of the fuselage spine error.  But I think the parts breakdown suggested Hobbyboss had covered the difference.  Can't recall whether Hobbyboss also catered for the differences in undercarriage doors but, if not, those are easy to fix yourself.  (Alas, I am marooned 200 miles away from all my models - while you lot indulge in veritable orgies of model-building.)

 

If building one with a dorsal barbette, NB that the guns moved together in one block: they did not elevate in individual slots as Hobbyboss show.  If you don't fancy fixing that yourself, Quickboost do correction parts, one with and one without flash hiders.  Here's one of them:

 

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/QB72082?result-token=lMPMu

 

(The gun barrels with flash hiders are also useful for Lincoln or, I suppose, Lancaster twin 0.50" tail turrets.)

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Seahawk said:

make sure you buy the P-61B.  It has the sideways bulge in the top decking between the cockpits appropriate to all Black Widows: the P-61A kit missed it.

Hopefully then I can build an -A from the -B kit, I want to do an -A from the Battle of the Bulge era. More research required I guess.

Steve.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...