SPA Modeler

Good start Keyda! That PE set will dress up the cockpit nicely! Are you going to make this P-61 an A or a B? I am also curious about the wheel well green. Is that the same color as you’re using in the cockpit?

This seems to be a decently detailed kit OOB. The added PE is helping out tons though and your efforts are to be commended so far.

I have to ask and mean it in a helpful and not an insulting way.......Have you done a "dry run" test fit of all the core parts with this kit (fuselage halves, wings etc.) to see how all of those parts are going to fit together? I've heard a lot about the construction aspects of this kit being problematic in regard to fit. In the past I had spent a lot of time in the detailing stages only to discover severe fit issues that compromised all of the detail that I had already put into the build.

Looks really good. The one thing I've heard about assembly is the clear parts. For some reason they are way to wide for the fuselage

jkim wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 11:59 am

All this discussion led me to digging into the stash last night and pulling out my P-61 kit. It is the one pictured here, with box and instructions dated 1974. It had been probably 20 years since I had last looked at it; test-fitting the booms and fuselage nacelle revealed a very nice fit. Even the ancient decals looked okay, but experience tells me they would most likely need some long soaks in very warm water in order to use them. Those vintage instructions are interesting to see as well, and feature some building tips too. I had also forgotten just how big that plane was! Man, it would consume a lot of real estate in my display cabinet but I'm tempted to take a shot at it after I finish that Bulldog tank.

Thanks a lot Keyda. Just what I needed, another long-term Monogram build! You might have just inspired me enough to give it a try though!

Stikpusher wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 9:33 pm Good start Keyda! That PE set will dress up the cockpit nicely! Are you going to make this P-61 an A or a B? I am also curious about the wheel well green. Is that the same color as you’re using in the cockpit?

I bought the decals to do Jukin Judy, so it will be the A. I haven't dug to far into the differences between the two, and if there is anything I need to change with the kit. I'm using Zinc Chromate Green all over. That is what the instructions are calling for, and I had assumed pretty standard for pretty much anything built back then. Unless I should use Yellow. I quick google search showed the green, but I'm sure most of those are restored birds.

mustang1989 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 08, 2022 5:43 am This seems to be a decently detailed kit OOB. The added PE is helping out tons though and your efforts are to be commended so far.

I have to ask and mean it in a helpful and not an insulting way.......Have you done a "dry run" test fit of all the core parts with this kit (fuselage halves, wings etc.) to see how all of those parts are going to fit together? I've heard a lot about the construction aspects of this kit being problematic in regard to fit. In the past I had spent a lot of time in the detailing stages only to discover severe fit issues that compromised all of the detail that I had already put into the build.

I was surprised at the amount of detail in the kit itself as well. I did do a test fit of the fuselage halves with the interior floor in place. It was a bit fiddly to get it exactly where it needed to go, but so far so good. I will test fit the wings and booms later on today and make sure I don't run into too much trouble.

tempestjohnny wrote: ↑Thu Dec 08, 2022 6:08 am Looks really good. The one thing I've heard about assembly is the clear parts. For some reason they are way to wide for the fuselage

I remembered hearing something about the clear parts. Maybe I'll tape things together and test fit the glass. See how bad it is.

Gary Brantley wrote: ↑Thu Dec 08, 2022 7:25 am

jkim wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 11:59 am

All this discussion led me to digging into the stash last night and pulling out my P-61 kit. It is the one pictured here, with box and instructions dated 1974. It had been probably 20 years since I had last looked at it; test-fitting the booms and fuselage nacelle revealed a very nice fit. Even the ancient decals looked okay, but experience tells me they would most likely need some long soaks in very warm water in order to use them. Those vintage instructions are interesting to see as well, and feature some building tips too. I had also forgotten just how big that plane was! Man, it would consume a lot of real estate in my display cabinet but I'm tempted to take a shot at it after I finish that Bulldog tank.

Thanks a lot Keyda. Just what I needed, another long-term Monogram build! You might have just inspired me enough to give it a try though!

Not the first time I've been told that, lol. I picked up decals off eBay for a good price. Right around twenty bucks with the shipping. Should be here this weekend.

So I spent some time taping pieces together and checking fit. It's not horrible, but it isn't good either. If I had to compare it to a recent kit I've done, it's probably not much worse than Revell's B-25.

There are definitely some rather large gaps, and parts that don't quite fit nicely. But I've dealt with similar before. It's just going to require a lot of patience.



I think the thing that is going to be most difficult for me to deal with is the fit of the canopy, which isn't a surprise. I've heard about it. It's not that the canopy is too wide, it's not quite wide enough, and doesn't line up with the shape of the fuselage in the back.



I think my only solution for that is to sand down the fuselage to match the shape of the canopy.

Another problem up front is the one corner has a sizeable gap. So I think I'll have to add some sheet styrene to fill it.



The other side fits much nicer.



All in all I don't think there is anything I can't deal with. It's just going to be dealing with ALL of it. At this point I'm going to continue with it. I've gotten pretty good at putty, sand, prime, repeat. I think I will do what I have been lately, and put sub assemblies together, and work on the them individually. Then once I'm happy with them, attach everything and work on what seams are left. But I've still got a lot of interior work before I get to any of that.

I have this kit in my stash, I've never heard any of the stories about it.

Got your tub-o-putty And belt sander ready? PSPR!

Vacuform canopy availability??

Email this guy 109ace@sbcglobal.net

He was the one that offered the P-61 Black Widow Full Upgrade/Correction Set 2 years ago and should be able to put one together for you.

Here's what it looks like.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/109ace- ... t--1326876