The P-61A Black Widow

[Pirata]

Hello, This is my first in-progress build and my first time in a group build. I think I can finish this by the due date. It is one of my favourite aircraft.

This is the Dragon P-61A Black Widow. It is my third attempt to build a Dragon kit. I find that their aircraft don't go together very well. My first kit, the Dornier Do-335 B-6 Night Fighter took 6 months to build and was full of "surprises" in the form of bad fit, missing wheel well bulkheads & and an assortment of dimples and gaps. My second Dragon kit, the MiG-17, I gave up on. So, we'll see how this goes.

I'll be doing an aircraft of the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, based on the island of Le Shima, in 1945. (At least, that's where my decal sheet says it was.) In late 1944, the 6th was on Saipan, protecting B-29s from night attack. I expect to be learning a lot about the Widow as this build progresses.

Planned markings: I'll either be doing "Moonhappy" or the "Nightie Mission". I haven't decided which. The Moonhappy decal is old and might disintegrate on me, (Tips to prevent this are welcomed.)

I have an Eduard PE set for this kit but I decided to first dry fit the cockpit with the canopy mounted to see if adding lots of cockpit detail would be practical. I know that "I would know it's there" but I don't find satisfaction in being the only person who knows about all the stuff I crammed into a model that can't be seen now. The hobby is solitary enough as it is...

The dry fit indicates that most of the detail won't be seen and the kit comes with a nicely detailed cockpit, so I'll probably just use the kit cockpit with tape seatbelts. Though, I might change my mind on the seat belts at a later date, before I close it up.

The rear cockpit shows a giant indentation where there should be a side wall and the dry fit indicated that this section will be visible, so it will get some details added, including a nice, PE sidewall from the Eduard set.

I am kind of a strange modeler in that I install my cockpits before I paint them. I do this because cockpits never fit right for me and I inevitably end up having to fill seems inside and messing up the paint. So, I install first and paint later.

These funny looking sticks (Circled in red.) are Dragon's rendition of .50 caliber machine guns. They look awful. They didn't even attempt to make them look like a gun. I circled the engine too. It doesn't look that great either but I'll wait to pass judgement until I'm done with the fuselage.

So, I'll probably be borrowing resin gun barrels from an Aires set that I am planning to use with my B-26 Marauder that I want to build for the upcoming Reich Raiders Group Build...

The Aires set comes with enough parts to make four, complete guns and plenty of spare barrels, so it shouldn't affect my B-26. My bigger concern is that I don't want to break the guns while I'm handling the model, so I plan to use Dragon's faux guns as backstops so when I slide the guns in, they don't fall into the model. the stick braces are circled in red. The green X up front is where extra nose weight is going to be inserted. You can see another weight behind the cockpit and the indentation in the rear of the fuselage that will be covered with a PE sidewall.

[RKic]

whoa boy! This is going to be exciting. Already is!

I had a crack at this kit as an impatient teen and didn't get far at all. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever successfully completed a Dragon aircraft model. They're all problem prone. A real shame, since their armor models are nothing short of spectacular.

A question about the guns. How much of the gun will really be visible once you close up the fuselage? Is it really worth spending the B-26 guns on this?

As for the unstable decal, you can try coating it with liquid decal film (look in your LHS) to give it a little bit more integrity. Problem with that is that you'll need to do a significant amount of complex trimming about that shape in order not to have lots of exes decal film once it comes time to use the decal.

anyhow, good luck. I'd love to see one of these models finished

[Pirata]

whoa boy! This is going to be exciting. Already is!

I had a crack at this kit as an impatient teen and didn't get far at all. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever successfully completed a Dragon aircraft model. They're all problem prone. A real shame, since their armor models are nothing short of spectacular.

A question about the guns. How much of the gun will really be visible once you close up the fuselage? Is it really worth spending the B-26 guns on this?

As for the unstable decal, you can try coating it with liquid decal film (look in your LHS) to give it a little bit more integrity. Problem with that is that you'll need to do a significant amount of complex trimming about that shape in order not to have lots of exes decal film once it comes time to use the decal.

anyhow, good luck. I'd love to see one of these models finished

Thanks for your interest in my project! I just found out that the underbelly guns are, in fact, 20 millimeter cannons, so I won't be using the .50s there. However, the kit shows, and comes with, the ferry tank mounted in the dorsal, where the gun turret would be. The box art even shows the bird taking the ferry tank into combat. Problem is, the ferry tank was never used in combat. So, I'll be pirating the dorsal turret from the P-61B kit. The turret also has little stick things sticking out of it, and they're really prominent, so I'll be using the Aires .50s up there. Fortunately, the Aires set makes four, complete .50s but includes 12 barrels: four of three different types. So, I've got plenty to go around. The B-26 is just going to get a different type of .50 than the Widow!

I'll look for the liquid decal film when I make my weekly trip to the LHS later in the week. Do you remember the name of it? What do you use?

Thanks,

Patrick

[Mark M.]

I've never heard of a ferry tank on top of the P-61 before. I *have* heard, however that some of the early models had major problems with the upper turret, and often these were removed, or locked in place, until the end-of-war models where the turret problems were fixed. The 4x M2 (Hispano) cannons were more than enough.

The "ferry tank" looks an awful lot like a turret without guns. The turret itself was teardrop-shaped, so I wonder if that's what the box depicts. Especially considering the aircraft already had a gigantic range of operations with 4 drop tanks under the wings.

[ChernayaAkula]

Cool to see a P-61! :wacko: Such a great design!

Quickboost make a part for the 0.5in barrels in the turret. CLICKY! They also make engines. CLICKY!

[achook-achook]

Glad you are building this. I also have the same kit and am looking forward to learn and pick up some tips on how you build it.

Cheers,

[Pirata]

I've never heard of a ferry tank on top of the P-61 before. I *have* heard, however that some of the early models had major problems with the upper turret, and often these were removed, or locked in place, until the end-of-war models where the turret problems were fixed. The 4x M2 (Hispano) cannons were more than enough.

The "ferry tank" looks an awful lot like a turret without guns. The turret itself was teardrop-shaped, so I wonder if that's what the box depicts. Especially considering the aircraft already had a gigantic range of operations with 4 drop tanks under the wings.

Hi Mark,

You're right. The P-61 had two major problems with the turrets. First, the turret caused a tail buffeting problem whenever it was rotated or elevated. Second, there was only one contractor available to supply the turrets for two different aircraft, the P-61 & the B-29 both used the same turret. The contractor couldn't produce them fast enough and the B-29 was regarded as a higher priority than the P-61. With the buffeting problem unsolved, the turrets were "deleted" as of production aircraft 37, though corporate bureaucracy being what it is, the "Nightie Mission", production aircraft number 42, was built with a turret that was locked pointing forward. Both the Nightie Mission & Moonhappy had turrets.

BTW: All of the "turretless" P-61s were built with the necessary wiring & the turret ring to enable installation of the turret at a later date. However, most of these had four, .50 caliber machine guns mounted in a fixed position atop the fuselage and a "turret" cover. This arrangement was designed & manufactured by Army Air Corps machine shops, in the field and it looked *almost* identical to a turret-mounted aircraft.

As for the ferry tank, when a detachment from the 6th Night Fighter Squadron was dispatched to Saipan, in the summer of 1944, the wing tanks were not available. The 6th took spare, auxiliary fuel, bomb-bay tanks that were designed for use by the B-24, and modified them to fit inside the fuselage cavity of the P-61. The ferry tanks are not teardrop shaped things sitting atop the fuselage. They are large, cylinders that fit deep inside the fuselage cavity of the Widow and protrude out the top of the aircraft. A faring was installed behind the tank to streamline the airflow. That's what makes it appear to look like a gunless turret. Attached is a photo of a detachment from the 6th NFS at Kwajalein Atoll, enroute to Saipan. You can see the ferry tank protruding from the top of the fuselage and the faring behind it. Once the detachment arrived on Saipan, the tanks were removed and the turrets were re-installed. The Air Corps wanted the Widows at full strength to protect the B-29s that were stationed on the island.

And here's a picture of the different sprues that come with the two Dragon P-61 kits. The top sprue is included with the P-61B & the bottom sprue is with the P-61A. You can see the difference in size between the turret & the top of the ferry tank.

Edited August 6, 2008 by Patman

[Pirata]

Installment Two: The cockpit continues...

The cockpit & Radar Operator/Gunner's station fit is okay, although there are the inevitable gaps that do form around one side of the cockpit. I dabbed them with super glue first, to form a backing, otherwise I'll be stuffing putty into the model like a Thanksgiving Turkey! :D Once that dries, I used Mr. Dissolved Putty in the gaps, applied with an X-acto knife. You can see the putty as a white line in this photo along the backwall of the cockpit. The x marks the spot where more nose weight was put in.

Aside from that, the "crew pod", as I've since learned that it is called, goes together rather well and requires very little sanding & puttying.

The Eduard PE set is another story. It adds some neat details. The cockpit details were not worth using, it's mostly instrument panels and switches and little things that won't be seen through the cockpit framework. I'll be saving it for an open-cockpit aircraft. The sidewall for the rear station is a bit of a disappointment. It doesn't go all the way down to the bottom of the crew hatch. I've found very few photos of the rear station and none this far down but it seems odd that there would be no cockpit framing/sidewall there, so I made my own out of thin strips of tape.

The cockpit & rear station was sprayed with Testors Model Master Interior Green, acrylic. It was given a wash of Cotman Water Colour's "Payne's Grey" to, all together now, "bring out the detail". Indvidual details were picked out with coloured, artists pencils. The shoulder harness was painted with a light grey. I've heard of some using buff, but once they get dirty, they never get cleaned, and they end up grey pretty fast. I used "concrete", a Polly Scale Model Railroad Colour, but any light grey/dirty buff colour will do. The lapbelts were painted Olive Drab.

The Eduard set includes a backwall for the entryway that is located at the bottom of the rear station and a handle/step to attach to it. The handle/step and the floor directly above received simulated scratches from a silver artist pencil. I figured this area would get scuffed up rather quickly. The crew access hatch was cut from the model to allow it to be displayed in the open position. Both hatches will be displayed open. I want my model to look like it's ready to go...

Front of the cockpit. The red thing is the aircraft's fire extinguisher.

Some pictures came out a little blurry. I'm trying to replace them as I go along...

The nose gear well was painted with MM zinc chromate yellow & recived a wash. The hydraulic lines were picked out with a silver, artist pencil.

More to come...

Edited August 6, 2008 by Patman

[Jack-Swiss]

Uhhh this is nice!!!

following and cant wait to see more!

Cheers

[Aggressor Supporter]

One of my all time favorite fighters! Nice work on it so far and keep it up.

[RKic]

nice!

I cant help but notice though...are you wearing weight-lifting gloves to build your model?

[Pirata]

nice!

I cant help but notice though...are you wearing weight-lifting gloves to build your model?

It's a VERY heavy model! All that nose weight!

[theplasticsurgeon]

Just noticed this thread.

Here's A Dragon P-61A that I built straight from the box.

There's ample detail already (for me), and I got it to fit OK.

I didn't check full accuracy for this 'plane - but gather there were buffet problems and shortages of the turret.

I'll try to find my book on the P-61, very interesting read.

[achook-achook]

Nice progress shots. I am taking notes of your build. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,

[Pirata]

Just noticed this thread.

Here's A Dragon P-61A that I built straight from the box.

There's ample detail already (for me), and I got it to fit OK.

I didn't check full accuracy for this 'plane - but gather there were buffet problems and shortages of the turret.

I'll try to find my book on the P-61, very interesting read.

Beautiful model, Tim! The kit has pretty good detail and I'm not really adding that much. In a simple comparison, it looks pretty accurate, but then again, with as unique of a shape as the P-61 is, you'd never mistake it for anything else! Because the interior isn't exposed, and the lack of external ordinance, this is mostly just an exercise in kit building and painting. I have the Squadron book & the Motorbooks International & they're both great references!

Nice progress shots. I am taking notes of your build. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,

Thanks for the nice comments! I've attached all of the large clear parts and encountered a sizable step around the right side of the rear station. I'm now trying to sand this without accidentally scratching the clear parts. The front clear parts fit rather well. I've done some preliminary work on the booms & the propellers which I took pictures of but will post later. This weekend is my brother's birthday and he's on vacation from his job in North Dakota, where he's been building windmills. So, it'll be a few days until my next update - once we're done partying.

Patrick

Edited August 10, 2008 by Patman

[Pirata]

Well, unfortunately, this model has been the victim of an unfortunate accident involving the movement of furniture. :huh: I've been waiting for a replacement kit to provide a source of spare parts but it's (obviously) not going to be here in time to finish the build. When I do resume work, I'll post an IP thread and link it to this one.

Sorry,

Patrick

[johnsan]

Sorry to hear this. I was looking forward to seeing this one.