Well, the TBD-1 Devastator is on hold while I wait for a last min AM part from the Squadron shop. And being home from work today, I decided to start my GWH 1/48 scale P-61A for the "Just for Fun P-61 GB".

Just about every one will be starting with the tradional cockpit then fuselage, so I thought I'd start my build by NOT working on the cockpit and the fuselage. With that in mind, I started with the engine/engine booms. My over all intentions is to add details where I can, and try to push my building skills to the next level. I've gathered more research information then I've ever done previously, read & studied several reviews and builds, as well as helping to create the unofficial GB concept with Justin.

Each of the engine booms on the lower front, has a PE grill plate that is just glued to solid plastic. Even when painted, there isn't a real sense of depth. So I decided to cut it out, & use some sheet HO 1x3's as tabs to create the illusion that there is actually something behind the grill. All I'm actually going to do is paint the entire area flat black.





Next was the start of the main landing gear housing assembly. Opposite where the gear actually goes, is a a section that has no detail, and several ejection pin sink holes. So I used some sheet plastic to form a new base, and some double HO 1x3s to create braces.



The rear of the boom is just an open affair. There should be former at the rear of the wheel, so I fashioned one out of sheet, and added some additional bracing to busy it up some.



Here's a picture from the wheel looking up and to the rear.



Doesn't seem like much work for a full afternoon. But that's all I got done.

Joel

JA
Nice start on the Black Widow. Glad you decided to go to the next level with detailing and enhancing the kit.
Keep 'em coming
Bro

Really a nice 'somewhere different' start, Joel.
I should have thought that for a kit this expensive, they would give something in the rear wheel wells other than emptyness. It is comforting to know that you'll show the way.

Bro, thanks. Needed to take the next step to try to keep you in my sights.

Joel

Ben,
I was kind of surprised myself. Originally, my main goal was to continue working on weathering as I feel it's my weakest area of finish. If you look at all my builds to date, there isn't a single paint chip, rust, etc. anywhere.

Joel

Nice start Joel, I'll be starting on the engines on my 1/32 P-61 build when I return from the big show in Telford this week end. Mine will probably be a long drawn out process though as I have lots of other models that I would like to finish by the time of the show next year

By the way your masks were posted yesterday

Mal, I'm not going to rush this build, as I want to reach the next level in my detailing. And with no official ending date, there is no rush. I'm really looking forward to following your 1/32 Hobby Boss build. Should be spectacular.

And thanks for the masks. I hope that you included your bill so I can take care of that detail.

Joel

Continuing with my plan to start construction with the engine/engine booms, I started to detail the main wheel wells. I've only worked on one engine boom at this point, but the detail work should go much faster on the 2nd one.

Here's the top of the main wheel well with ribbing and the rear bulkhead added.



Here is the Wheel well with the landing gear sub assembly installed. I've also added some wiring and boxes to make it more visually interesting.



The interior of the boom looking down from where the wing mates to the boom.



And lastly, two pictures of the completed well ready for priming, then a coat of Yellow Zinc Chromate.





Right behind the cut out for the screening, there is a closed exhaust. I thought about cutting it open and making a new exhaust cover, but the wheel well bulkhead is right behind it. Next option is to trim it back, so that a sense of depth is achieved, then using sheet plastics build a new one right on top of the molded one. Think I'll go with that concept.

Joel

JA
Detailing looks great and once the paint and some weathering, will look awesome
Keep 'em coming
Bro

Thanks Bro.

Decided to put a base coat of Yellow Zinc Chromate on. Looks a million times better. Will post a few pictures once a oily dirt wash is on.

Joel

Decided to paint and weather the completed wheel well. Now on to the other one.

Joel

After a discussion in the P-61 unofficial GB on exactly what the area directly behind the intake screen is, some photographic proof showed that it wasn't the exhaust that virtually every kit manufacture has depicted, but rather a cover plate or access hatch. So I filed/sanded the exhausts off, then made a cover plate from .040 sheet.



I also glued on the grill cover for the oil radiator over the cut out. The overall effectiveness of it covering an opening rather then being glued to a plastic back was well worth the effort.

Joel

Just another small update. Time to deal with the spoilerons. Each wing has 3 spoilerons which can be positioned in either the open or closed position. As was already posted, they were always left in the down/closed position when the plane was parked.

GWH has the side brackets molded on each side of the spoilerons, making it easy to display in the open position if one still decides to do so. I just bent them back and forth a few times and they broke right off. A little filing on all four sides and they are ready to go.



The recess in the wings for them are either a tad to shallow, or the PE parts are to thin to bring them flush with the surface of the wing.



Also, I've had issues trying to position large, flat PE parts using CA as they seem to stick instantly. Gary Wickham has a easy fix for this: glue the PE spoilerons to thin plastic sheet, trim, then glue the sheet to the wings. You have plenty of time to position them correctly.





Joel

Looking good Joel! I just received the 1/32 Hobby Boss version of this beastie, so I'll be watching and learning more about this bird from your build!

Good tip about attaching large pieces of PE as well, thanks!

Doug

Doug, thanks for the positive comments. There are some excellent HB builds out there, including here on Aeroscale, and at LSP, where I'm quite sure you'll learn a lot more specifically to the 1/32 Hobby Boss P-61A,

Joel

Been working on the R2800 double engines, engine nacelles, and cowl flaps. My plan was to semi detail one engine, open up one of the engine Nacelle panels to show off the detailed engine, and to add some additional interest to the engine boom assembly.

I started out by cutting out the top panel and framing it with .020 sheet with holes drilled for the fasteners.



The cowl flaps weren't just a simple set of open flaps, but had backing plates between each of the them, covering the opening. I used small pcs of sheet plastic cut and glued in place.


I then airbrushed the back of the cowl flaps and then inside of the Nacelles Yellow Zinc Chromate.





Now I test fitted the 2800 engine minus the exhaust headers.



So far I've only completed one engine, and one engine boom. But the other engine boom won't have any panels opened, so the work should go much faster.

Joel

You're turning it into the Monogram kit!

Jess, I had no idea, as I've never seen the Monogram kit. Maybe I should do a few google searches, and see what that kit is all about. Guess it's too late to leave it as the GWH kit.
Joel

IIRC, the Mono kit has one or more panels on one of the nacelles that can be left off to show the engine detail. That said, I think you've added a LOT more detail than the old kit.

Mark,
Thanks for the info and positive comment. I really had no idea what the Monogram kit looked like.

Joel

Looks good Joel, nice to see more progress on this one!

Doug

Nice work Joel, I'll be following along for when one day or should that be year I get to build mine, I think by the time I get to build it, it will be as old as the Monogram kit is to us now! I also have one of those.

Thank fully this is an open end date group build as I have a mountain of builds (braille armour) on the bench to get through before I get back to aircraft. I've found I have three of the Dragon 1/72 P-61's so one or even two will be my entry mid - late 2014 I hope.

Nice progress, I like the idea of showing one of the engines.



Jelger

Doug,
thanks for the positive comments. Progress has been slow but steady. The end results to date just don't visually reflect the amount of bench time I've been putting in. But it's work that has been needed to reach where I am in the build.

Jelger, Thanks. Right from the beginning of my planning stages, one of the areas of added detail I wanted to incorporate was the removal of a engine panel and two, to better display one of those nicely detailed Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engines.

Luciano,
thanks so much for your positive comments. Take your time and finish all those 1/72-76 armor builds. Our unofficial P-61 GB will run as long as some one is interested in building one. Looking forward to seeing your build sometime during 2014.

Joel

That cowling the cowling flaps and the engine are really looking the part Joel, keep up this very good work