Monogram P61 Black Widow 1/48 scale

yak face

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Heres the old Monogram P61 Black Widow , an oldie but goodie ( amazingly the tooling dates back to 1974!!).I picked this up for £5 at Cosford a few years ago minus box . The decals were shot but I wanted to do a particular airframe anyway so i got aftermarket ones. The kit is fantastically detailed with all sorts of open panels etc (which i didnt bother with as I like to see a fairly clean airframe ) but has a couple of minor inaccuracies , namely the tyres and engine cowl flaps. The kit was based on the prototype xp61 which had smooth tyres , all the production aircraft had treaded ones , and the p61B had automatic cowl flaps which means the kit ones with one engine closed and the other open is wrong. to sort this I used aftermarket wheels and cut the cowl flaps off and refixed them open on the closed engine. the other additions were eduard belts , resin guns and a few scratchbuilt details (landing lights ,exhausts, aerials etc.)

I used the raised panel lines to my advantage by undercoating the whole thing in silver then giving it a coat of hairspray before spraying the black . this made chipping easier and also meant i could carefully rub off the black on the panel lines to reveal the silver ,the flaking of paint along panel joints being a characteristic of most p 61's. Anyways heres the model , a P61B 'Little Audrey' based at RAF Scorton ,North Yorkshire june 1944. The unit training here before being sent to France later in the year.
as always comments ,criticisms ,observations welcome , cheers tonyDSCN2379 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2381 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2377 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2384 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2385 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2387 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2388 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2393 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2394 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2395 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2396 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2398 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2399 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2403 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2408 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2410 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2411 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2423 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2424 [Desktop Resolution].JPG DSCN2433 [Desktop Resolution].JPG
 
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yak face

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Very nice. You've nailed the weathering on the black airframe.
Cheers Rick , I didnt want to go too mad as although these aircraft did weather quite badly after a while , at this time in this airframes life it would still have been fairly new , cheers tony
 

Gern

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I was going to say this is a little gem; but it's too big for that and 'big gem' doesn't sound right! It'll have to be a cracker!
 

john i am

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Another cracker to the collection Tony loving the scheme and Audrey looks at home on the nose.
 
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BigZimmo

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"Oldie but goldie...."!!! I'm a great fan of Monogram-Kits and your Black Widow is really a cracker, Tony!!!
All thumbs up!!!!

Cheers
Stefan:smiling3:
 

spanner570

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Terrific aircraft, me old mucker!

Top drawer build......
 
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dubster72

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That's really top drawer stuff there Tony! Black is such a hard colour to get looking right, but you've nailed it.
The weathering is just right & you've really shown off the detail.

It takes me back to building the same kit as a kid, when Monogram meant state of the art! As I recall, my booms weren't quite right...had to check the autocorrect there! :eek:
 

yak face

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Thanks everyone :smiling3: i forgot to mention the base is Eduard PSP Marston matting , bargain at about £6 !
 

colin m

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Very nice Tony. It ticks all the boxes for me. Great use of 'problematic' panel lines. But imagine flying the aircraft when all four guns fire, just above your head !
 

BarryW

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I remember that kit from decades ago, a nice kit and yours has turned out beautifully Tony. I like how you used the raised panel lines.
 

Robert1968

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Very nice Tony really looking great
I made this kit a few years back exact avd well it was a lovely kit ( not up to this standard of brilliance though.
100% Awesome

Regards

Robert
 
T

Trekkie_John

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She's a beauty Tony, always like the looks of the Black Widow.

Have fun, John
 

yak face

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Thanks everyone , glad you like it , cheers tony:cool:
 

grumpa

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Though not a "plane guy" the BW was always one of my favorites, great work Tony;)............jim:smiling3:
 
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