P-61B Black Widow
![Album image #1 Album image #1](/albums/img/6/6/1/1688661-139937-71-720.jpg)
Nice box art
![Album image #2 Album image #2](/albums/img/6/6/2/1688662-139937-37-720.jpg)
And a lot of plastic
![Album image #3 Album image #3](/albums/img/6/6/3/1688663-139937-89-720.jpg)
![Album image #4 Album image #4](/albums/img/6/6/4/1688664-139937-91-720.jpg)
![Album image #5 Album image #5](/albums/img/6/6/5/1688665-139937-95-720.jpg)
![Album image #6 Album image #6](/albums/img/6/6/6/1688666-139937-67-720.jpg)
![Album image #7 Album image #7](/albums/img/6/6/7/1688667-139937-56-720.jpg)
The expectation was a quick and clean build
![Album image #8 Album image #8](/albums/img/6/7/1/1688671-139937-35-720.jpg)
Starting the cockpit, the simplifications become apparent, looking at the entry hatch. That was covered later on with spare PE
![Album image #9 Album image #9](/albums/img/6/7/0/1688670-139937-39-720.jpg)
Although the provided instrument board looks ok to me
![Album image #10 Album image #10](/albums/img/6/6/8/1688668-139937-91-720.jpg)
The rear requires some more improvisation- added the lamp
![Album image #11 Album image #11](/albums/img/6/6/9/1688669-139937-39-720.jpg)
Didn’t go for aftermarket engines - they are barely visible when done. The radome is full of lead pellets to balance the model
![Album image #12 Album image #12](/albums/img/6/7/2/1688672-139937-39-720.jpg)
The kit offers the opportunity to open the weapon bay doors for the cannons. Unfortunately this is so far off the reality that I decided to close the bay (there are excellent photos of the real deal on the web)
![Album image #13 Album image #13](/albums/img/6/7/4/1688674-139937-64-720.jpg)
My pics from Dayton show how important in the visual appearance the wing leading edge intakes are. Unfortunately they are blinded in the kit
![Album image #14 Album image #14](/albums/img/6/7/3/1688673-139937-71-720.jpg)
So I had to improvise some interior structure in the wings
![Album image #15 Album image #15](/albums/img/6/7/6/1688676-139937-92-720.jpg)
I used Ede’s masks, but they don’t fit, had to amend them with masking tape
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First fitting - the alignment is not trivial, and the pokayoke not fitting tightly.
![Album image #17 Album image #17](/albums/img/6/7/5/1688675-139937-91-720.jpg)
Another surprise - later versions of the Widow had the opportunity to close the landing gear doors with wheels down - this took a slight modification of one of the flaps vs the earlier versions - nicely visible on this pic
![Album image #18 Album image #18](/albums/img/6/8/2/1688682-139937-84-720.jpg)
Unfortunately the kit doesn’t provide for that adjustment, so more plastic surgery is required
![Album image #19 Album image #19](/albums/img/6/8/0/1688680-139937-97-720.jpg)
The gloss is merciless - more surface optimization
![Album image #20 Album image #20](/albums/img/6/8/1/1688681-139937-77-720.jpg)
closing the canopy
![Album image #21 Album image #21](/albums/img/6/8/3/1688683-139937-55-720.jpg)
The shine is there, but is it enough? More polishing and respraying. The challenge is that for a smooth, uniform gloss coat, you can’t interrupt the coating randomly, but the kit is too big for a full coat, so the interfaces for spraying sections need to be prepared and masked
![Album image #22 Album image #22](/albums/img/6/8/4/1688684-139937-43-720.jpg)
Fitting all together and first weathering. The turret in the kit has thick walls and looks nothing like the originals. I thinned out the upper lip where the gun fairing is sitting against the turret. Looks much better, but requires extremely careful machining with the ballpoint milling cutter
![Album image #23 Album image #23](/albums/img/6/8/5/1688685-139937-58-720.jpg)
The decals are ok, except the stencils. Didn’t find a way to settle them clear. The chipping is actually sponged Alclads. Not perfect, but much less hassle then actual chipping fluid on the experimental (for me) weathered gloss
![Album image #24 Album image #24](/albums/img/6/8/6/1688686-139937-65-720.jpg)
Studying the available historical documentation, looks like the Widows were not all that shiny, after a while. To create this patchy result I used the paneliner fluid from AK. The results were looking ok, but the stuff didn’t want to cure. A support request to AK provided no answer :-/
We’ll see if it cures at last…
We’ll see if it cures at last…
![Album image #25 Album image #25](/albums/img/6/8/7/1688687-139937-29-720.jpg)
Taking shape, just some details like the antennas
![Album image #26 Album image #26](/albums/img/6/8/8/1688688-139937-64-720.jpg)
I left just the only the crew hatches open. It preserves the nice silhouette of the airplane looking from other angles.
![Album image #27 Album image #27](/albums/img/6/8/9/1688689-139937-39-720.jpg)
This is quite a big model, but also quite a nice looking one
![Album image #28 Album image #28](/albums/img/6/9/0/1688690-139937-85-720.jpg)
![Album image #29 Album image #29](/albums/img/6/9/1/1688691-139937-47-720.jpg)
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31 19 March, 22:56