1/48 Great Wall Hobby Northrop P-61A Black Widow

Gallery Article by Tolga Ulgur on Jan 22 2014

 

 

Here is my 1/48 scale Great Wall Hobby P-61A Black Widow. The kit is finished with the markings of “Lady Gen” 42-5544 flown by Capt. Eugene Lee from 422nd Night Fighter Squadron in 1945. The 422nd Squadron was the first to operate the P-61 in the European Theater of Operations. The 422d NFS began flying operational missions over England in 1944 July. These aircraft arrived without the dorsal turrets, so the squadron's gunners were reassigned to another NFS that was to continue flying the P-70. The first P-61 engagement in the European Theater occurred on July 15 when a P-61 was directed to intercept a V-1 "Buzz Bomb.

 

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The kit that I used is the first issue of the Great Wall including some errors like cowlings, front section of engines, propellers and length of nose gear leg etc.

Construction started from cockpit as usual. Cockpit components painted to interior green. Instrument panel modified by Airscale WW2 USAAF Instrument dial decals.

To fix inaccuracies of the kit I used Quickboost cowlings with True Details set which includes front section for the R-2800s with the magnetos, separate spinners and propeller blades.

Painting was done with Gunze Sangyo acrylics. Upper surfaces painted to Olive Drab, and lower surfaces to Neutral grey.

Decals are from Eagle Cals EC#148 P-61A Black Widow set.

I replaced the wheels with Eduard brassin #648057. Additionally nose gear leg –which is too short in these issue- replaced by the correct one from another later issue GW P-61kit. ( Now I have to get another correct one to built the second kit in the future. Possibly Scale Aircraft Conversions metal landing gear will be helpful )

Reference pictures from Squadron signal publications / “Combat Chronicles of the Black Widow”- Warren E.Thompson

Happy modeling

Tolga Ulgur

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Photos and text © by Tolga Ulgur