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P-61A-10 Wheel Well color question


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Happy new year to everyone!

 

Many wishes to all for good health. First post here, glad to have become a member and I hope I can contribute to the community. (1/48 scale, USAAF, USN and USMC subjects with a strong preference to the Pacific Theater of operations).

 

I am building an all black P-61A-10 on the PTO (1/48). While I have read all the relevant on-line information concerning interior colors (including parts / quotes from the painting orders) and consulted my P-61 books, I cannot seem to find proof for the color of the wheel wells and I would very much appreciate your input on this.

 

So far I got the following scenarios to go for based on my interpretation of the photographs that I have seen and the related discussions. YZC on both nose and main wheel wells, YZC on nose wheel and unpainted on the main wheel wells, Unpainted on all three wheel wells. Wheel well covers again a toss between YZC and unpainted (leaning towards unpainted doors to match unpainted gunbay doors). Having the nose wheel well in a darker color close (or the same) to the cockpit color to go with YZC or unpainted main wheel wells (with unpainted wheel well doors) is my final (and maybe my preferred) scenario.

 

For what its worth, I have read and come to the following conclusions so far with respect to the wheel well color of the P-61 in its very early stages or the very late ones but as i said a bit inconclusive for something like a P-61A-10 or A-11.

 

For early P-61A/XP-61/YP-61 to my  eyes it appears to have YZC primer on the main wheel wells, possibly same color for the nose wheel well (inconclusive) and YZC gunbay (with unpainted gunbay doors) based on some period photos I have seen.

 

For P-61B based on the salvaged MAAM aircraft, it appears (again to my eyes) that it has everything unpainted with the exception of front and rear cockpits (cockpit color appears to me as close to OD / DDG or darkish interior green as a result of mixing more black to YZC than the specified ratio by the orders). The NASM P-61 gives me the impression of the same darkish green color for the cockpit. The P-61B in the museum in China seems to have black paint on the wheel well (nose) and I would assume unpainted or black for the main wheel wells.

 

With respect to other interior colors for the sake of the discussion, I have decided on going for a slightly darker interior green color for the front cockpit and even darker (close to OD) for the R/O's station while I ll stick to YZC for the gunbay with unpainted gunbay doors. Engine compartments, interiors of cowlings and firewalls will be left unpainted.

 

To conclude, apologies for the lengthy and possibly tiring first post and I would like to thank you in advance for your time.

 

Happy new year again.

Edited by YanK
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Breadneck, thank you for mentioning it and yes, I have been reading this for the last few years (it is an incredible source of information and help!) as well as the majority (if not all) of the related posts in most forums. Having several books on the P-61 myself alongside with electronic resources i have yet to come by a WW2 photograph of the wheel wells. As i have said the closest thing was a photograph of the XP-61 wheel well (or YP) which appears as YZC and the photographs of recovering the P-61B of MAAM (in which they appear to be unpainted).

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No worries, thanks for chiming in though! (Going a bit O/T if interested, since you mentioned turrets, the A/B widows had other differences. There where A's with turrets (very first few), A's with fixed guns in the turret position, A's without turrets, and the same for B's where only late B's had turrets if i am not mistaken, i don't remember the blocks now by hard.).

 

As for my original question for the A-10 block i am leaning towards going YZC in the wheel wells both main and nose with YZC covers.

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