MAAM P-61B

[JRutman]

I agree,it's lookin really good in there.

J

[pzcreations]

thanks Jerry! I appreciate that.

[pzcreations]

heres a little more work done..with the added missing bulk head to the rear of the guns. more plumbing will be added later in the build.

[Nic C.D.]

Looking good! These photos bring back memories... I recently finished a P-61 and it sure was fun! If I can be of any help, just let me know. Construction was pretty easy, I only inserted a bras bar into the wings through the fuselage... 

 

Anyway, have fun! Great to see another Black Widow in the production line!

 

Nic

[pzcreations]

thanks Nic, this one didnt go together real easy,but not too bad..I think the Avionix interior sets need a little extra trimming around their edges..I trimmed them right where they should be according to their casting,and even in test fit they fit good,but once I started glueing the fuselage together, I realized they needed another 1mm or or so more trimmed. so it made the fit of the halves not quite exact..causing me to need some filler here and there.

anyway..heres the fuselage mated and the relish nose cone installed. I think Wolvie likes it...

 

heres a comparison to the GWH kit I started many moons ago

[LSP_Kevin]

Nice work Tim. I'm really curious about that Wolverine figure though - looks fantastic! What's the info?

 

Kev

[Guest Peterpools]

Tim

Sure is looking good. Just love the build.

Keep 'em coming

:popcorn:

[pzcreations]

thanks guys.. Kevin, thats from Narin.. something else Im building for a client ..its HUGE!

http://www.narinstudio.com/stor.html

[Showtime 100]

Wow Tim; Very clean work you've done !

 

 

P-61 color scheme question:

 

Is the black scheme's finish on the P-61 glossy, semi-glossy, or somewhere in between?

 

I plan on doing an OD as well as a black P-61 and was wondering if I should break out my ''57 Chevy Bel Air' paint polishing kit for the black scheme .

[shark64]

Looks great. Ive been looking at your build and I would not mind giving the P61 a try.

Oliver

Edited October 26, 2013 by shark64

[Derek B]

Wow Tim; Very clean work you've done !

 

 

P-61 color scheme question:

 

Is the black scheme's finish on the P-61 glossy, semi-glossy, or somewhere in between?

 

I plan on doing an OD as well as a black P-61 and was wondering if I should break out my ''57 Chevy Bel Air' paint polishing kit for the black scheme .

 

Hi S100,

 

As delivered factory fresh, the black paint on the P-61 was very much a high gloss finish (developed to be so by the MIT as it reflected search light beams in a way that made the aircraft all but invisible to them). However, it was not particularly well applied by Northrop and would wear and chip badly very soon in service use. Examination of many period Black Widow theatre photographs show every variation of paint finish from high gloss to matt finish on the same aircraft depending upon what part of the airframe you are looking at.

 

As for OD/NG aircraft, that started as a fairly smoothly applied dull/matt-satin finish that quickly became a full matt finish in service use.

 

HTH

 

Derek

[Showtime 100]

Hi S100,

 

As delivered factory fresh, the black paint on the P-61 was very much a high gloss finish (developed to be so by the MIT as it reflected search light beams in a way that made the aircraft all but invisible to them). However, it was not particularly well applied by Northrop and would wear and chip badly very soon in service use. Examination of many period Black Widow theatre photographs show every variation of paint finish from high gloss to matt finish on the same aircraft depending upon what part of the airframe you are looking at.

 

As for OD/NG aircraft, that started as a fairly smoothly applied dull/matt-satin finish that quickly became a full matt finish in service use.

 

HTH

 

Derek

 

Thanks for the info.

 

 

I plan to do one of each; A black and an OD/NG P-61.

 

An OD/NG P-61 scheme would look similar to a B-17's OD scheme in regards to fading/aging.

 

A black P-61, however, opens up a great opportunity to do a very interesting scheme finish in that a modeler can show the various stages of a P-61 scheme aging/fade/touch up repair, etc. A black P-61's scheme finish could be the focal point of a build if one so chooses. That's how interesting I think the scheme's wear and fade is.

 

What do you think, Derek?

[Derek B]

Thanks for the info.

 

 

I plan to do one of each; A black and an OD/NG P-61.

 

An OD/NG P-61 scheme would look similar to a B-17's OD scheme in regards to fading/aging.

 

A black P-61, however, opens up a great opportunity to do a very interesting scheme finish in that a modeler can show the various stages of a P-61 scheme aging/fade/touch up repair, etc. A black P-61's scheme finish could be the focal point of a build if one so chooses. That's how interesting I think the scheme's wear and fade is.

 

What do you think, Derek?

 

Sounds good.The OD/NG fading would be similar to that of a B-17, although I think that in the case of the P-61A in the PTO, it was noticeably more severe with a much greater contrast in the faded areas.

 

This early production P-61A - which hadn't seen service use for very long - is already showing signs of wear and tear and fading of the paint work.

 

This is more typical of the type of weathering found in service use.

 

This is extreme wear and tear. The majority of Black Widows were field serviced and received very little TLC in the finishing department due to pressures of simply keeping the aircraft serviceable. Most PTO OD/DG P-61A aircraft were repainted gloss black in theatre (another interesting variation to consider for wear and tear?).

 

[Derek B]

The top surface of P-61 Black Widows tended to fade to matt in hot and sunny climes, whilst the lower and under sides remained glossy black. Heat exhaust and engine oil stains marked and bleached the aircraft paintwork noticeably behind the cooling flaps in the areas above the wing and down the nacelle sides. Oil stained most of the booms right back to the fin and rudder, often obscuring the markings to the point that they were barely visible.

 

Factory fresh P-61B.

 

Factory fresh P-61A.

 

Nice view of in-use P-61A that shows every variation of surface finish from matt to high gloss.

 

A used, but still tidy, P-61A. Note the staining down the booms from rain and weather.

 

Typical PTO wear.

PTO P-61B showing more extreme wear.

 

YP-61 Black Widow showing typical sun bleached upper areas.

 

HTH

 

Derek

Edited October 27, 2013 by Derek B

[pzcreations]

the black finish does offer a good opportunity to use those masking and painting skills to vary the black..and certainly make a visually appealing model too.

This ones going to be factory fresh though...

here it is beginning to take shape..