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.
The P-61…my earliest modeling memory. That looks fantastic Bish. I look forward to the finish. Joe
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.
Have a great trip. Looking forward to more updates when you return.
BK
Thanks BK. Not sure what happened to the pics in that last post, but hopefully its sorted now.
I am hoping to visit the museum and cemetery at Arnhem while there, so that’s the bit I am looking forward to. And no doubt I will have lots of catching up to do.
Sorry for not posting on here for a bit guys. After I got back from my break it took me a few days before getting back into things. And then I decided just to push on through and finish it. But first, a couple of progress stages.
First up was the painting. Nothing to exciting, a black underside topped off with a black top.
Then it was time to add the decals and engines. There were red decal stripes for the cowlings, but I decided to mask and paint so they matched the spinners. I used Insignia red. I am not sure if its a WW2 shade, but it matched the period colour pics I could find better than plain red.
I used a set of print scale decals for Cooper’s Snooper of the 548th NFS on Iwo Jima. I have a few sets of Print Scale decals but had not use any yet. I had read a few negative comments lately so was a but wary. But they went down really well. They did feel rather fragile, but despite a few touchy moments, I had no issues with them.
Then finally add the wheels and props and do some weathering. I was talking to GM earlier in the thread. He had a relative who served with P-61’s in Europe. And he was saying how clean and shiny they were. But as mine is a PTO bird, I did wonder if that might have a different effect on the aircraft. But checking some photo’s, they seemed mostly to be very lightly weathering, just a little chipping here and there. So I went for a light touch with minimal chipping but I did tone down the shine by spraying a mix of Alclad clear gloss and semi gloss. Exhaust staining was done with Xtracolour exhaust, the first time I have used this, my usual paint for this is Tamiya smoke.
I made the base myself. Its the first time I have cut and routed a round base, and its a bit rough around the edge in some places, I need to learn how to rout against the grain. But its nice to be able to do this sort of thing myself.
And there you have it. Not the best aircraft I have built. But given the age and the mix and match AM, I am pretty pleased with it. And nice to do something different. Next up will be something more familiar, a Bf 109, even if it is a larger scale.
Thanks for all the comments guys, much appreciated as always
Very nicely done, I like it very much! ill be following your 109 build as well, looking forward to it.
Toshi
Thanks Toshi. Just like the P-61, the 109 is in a Gb but I will also be doing a WiP thread.
Congratulations Bish - that’s a very nice lookin’ Black Widow! Good luck with your next builds and have a nice day!
Paweł
Thanks Pawel, and you.
Nice finish Bish!! Man I’ve seen your other builds and this one stacks up well against your past work. Nice work on the base as well. I have yet to make any display bases for any of my builds. I’ve thought about it…but aint done nuthin’!
Thanks Joe. I guess the base is just a habit from diorama’s, and I find it makes things a lot easier for display and moving the model. Plus, I don’t have to worry about adding weight to tail sitters. I will be doing a similar base to this for my 109, so this was a good chance to practice.
Bish,
Just a question on the P-61; What is the significance of the red stripes atop the wings ? I realize that the real a/c had them but why are they painted there ?