1/48 Great Wall Hobby – Northrop P-61A Black Widow
Here is my 1/48 scale Great Wall Hobby P-61A Black Widow. The kit is finished with the markings of “Lady Gen” 42-5544 flown by Capt. Eugene Lee from 422nd Night Fighter Squadron in 1945. The 422nd Squadron was the first to operate the P-61 in the European Theater of Operations.
The kit that I used is the first issue of the Great Wall including some errors like cowlings, front section of engines, propellers and length of nose gear leg etc.
Construction started from cockpit as usual. Cockpit components painted to interior green . Instrument panel modified by Airscale WW2 USAAF Instrument dial decals.
To fix inaccuracies of the kit I used Quickboost cowlings with True Details set which includes front section for the R-2800s with the magnetos, separate spinners and propeller blades.
Painting was done with Gunze Sangyo acrylics. Upper surfaces painted to Olive Drab, and lower surfaces to Neutral grey. Decals are from Eagle Cals EC#148 P-61A Black Widow set.
I replaced the wheels by Eduard brassin #648057. Additionaly nose gear leg –which is too short in these issue- replaced by the correct one from another later issue GW P-61kit. ( Now I have to get another correct one to built the second kit, in the future . Maybe Scale Aircraft Conversions metal landing gear will be helpful )
You can see the building process from the following link:
http://imodeler.com/groups/work-in-progress-aircraft/forum/topic/148-p-61a-black-widow-lady-gen-greatwall-hobby/
Happy modeling
Tolga ULGUR
PS: Reference picture from Squadron signal publications / “Combat Chronicles of the Black Widow”- Warren E.Thompson
Superb model, brilliant photos, great work all round, again!:)
Wow! Tolga, you've done it again! Superb my friend, just superb!
Yet another great build there Tolga.
Your skills are endless, with some great pics as well.
At first glance I thought it was a B-25! Nice build, different paint scheme, very refreshing compared to the "black" finish all builders seem to gravitate towards. The lack of the top turret is also an unusual build feature, great job.
Mike, I think that you will find that the turret on top was removed because it caused to much wind bufference.
While preparing to build this model I chose a specific one based on decals I got from PYN Ups (of Cutting Edge fame). I therefore learned that though the turret was abandoned on late 61A models, it was brought back on late 61B models but was installed in a fixed forward position and the firing was done by the pilot. The specific model I was building was a 61B, therefore I “stole” the turret from my Monogram kit that I never built. There were a few other changes from the A model that I added such as two additional drop tanks and split main wheel doors. The main headache I brought on myself was the decision to not only replace the wheels, cowls and props but to attempt to install all four Eduard Big ED photo etch detail sets. They are incredible but a challenge to incorporate, especially the undercarriage set. I started the build in 2013 and ended up shelving the project after completing separate portions that totaled about 60% of the build. I just recently picked it up again and struggled quite a bit to finish the main landing gear area and had a tough time attaching them to the wings. I will try and post some photos soon. The cockpit and radar station were very detailed as well.
Ho-hum another Tolga Ulgur gem, another step towards me quitting the hobby.
definitely a master piece
I can but echo the above sentiments, sir...speechless - nothing more to say.
Great job! Surely one of the most interesting aircraft of WWII, fascinating machine, some "out of the box" thinkers at Northrop, at that time.
Tonga,
This is stunning. An absolutely beautiful job on this model. You have made it look almost real. I really like the OD scheme.
I saw a P-61 at an air show at Mills Field (now SFO) in the early 50's. Believe me, it is big.
Excellent model, immaculate as always!
Thanks for the comments. They encourage me to built a "B" version which will be overall black Black Widow finished with the markings of "Cooper's Snooper" in the future.
Not a square millimeter has been overlooked. Your standards are tough to match.
Superb work, my oldie Revell is not near as good but then I specialize in 1/35 armor and dioramas, my collection of 1/48th WW2/Korean War aircraft is a bit under-done. I'll post some and see what you think. 1/48th is a bit hard on my eyes.
Tolga, many thanks for renewing old memories. I grew up in Southern California during WW2, and we had all kinds of warplanes flying over every day. The P-51 and P-38 became favorites, but when we moved to Northern California in 1947, I brought a "plaster of paris" model of the P-61, which had become my favorite! Beautiful job.
Like the others have already said, Tolga, another masterpiece, and beautifully photographed as well.
What I like about this model ...its a character study or a portrait of a aircraft that does a good job of creating the illusion of a P-61. Especially with the forced perspective of the camera. Its all in the details. Well done Tolga.