Revell P-61 Black Widow

The plastic in this Revell kit is clearly of inferior quality to Tamiya, with several pieces already broken off and lying loose in the box and there is excess flashing on many parts. 

Not a lot of detail here, and the raised parts are not very high making it difficult to paint tiny details. I'll have to go back and clean this paint job up some more. 

I had to shave a lot of edges off these parts. I haven't given up hope though that this kit will still turn out well once finished. 

The flight deck has a definite twist to it. Next time I plan on buying a Revell kit, somebody stop me. 

It feels like every part that is brush-painted needs at least two coats. This plastic isn't very thirsty, and it doesn't adhere well.  

I fought and repainted this instrument panel a couple of times before resigning myself to the slight level of detail I was able to enhance. The instruments just aren't raised very well. 

Used flash this time to get a better picture than some of my recent have been. Not sure I like how dark they look, but they are definitely sharper. 

I like the range of motion on this turret. And semi-gloss black looks even better in spray than it does brushed on.  

Given that it's a Revell kit, the two halves went together better than expected. Still left some ugly seam lines to clean up though.  

Tiny details and even tinier decals on the radar assembly that will just be covered up as soon as the nose goes on. <sigh> 

Last time you're ever going to see this. Say good-bye. 

And just like that, it's hidden from view. At least I will know it's there. 

Wings were a bit finicky to put together at first, but I think that mounting the flaps up made for an easier assembly.  

The wingspan on this beast is pretty significant. Despite its flaws, this kit is starting to grow on me. 

Drop tanks are a little flimsy, but the decals are nice and sharp.  

Should have taken a closer look at the drop tanks before cutting out the holes as indicated by the instructions. Holes are much too big. A little putty should fix that though. 

I like how the instructions assume that I know all the parts of an airplane engine when they give painting directions. Found some reference images that made it easier, though the detail simply wasn't very sharp to start with. 

The cowl doesn't sit very well. I'll have to make some adjustments to get it to sit properly. 

The landing gear struts are light enough that this was the best way to let the cement dry so the tires wouldn't touch the supports. Still need to do a bit of sanding on those tires to fix a bad fit between halves. 

These actually fit together fairly well compared with other parts of the kit. I'm not sure if I'm growing to like it. 

Well, there are a fair number of gaps that may need some putty. I don't know if I care enough about it to fill them in. I know that's a bad attitude but the poor engineering is driving me nuts. 

It looks good from this angle though. You can't really see the seams. 

Getting close to the end, with the nose landing gear assembled. Actually happy at how the paint turned out on this section. But the joy would be short-lived. 

The landing gear has been mounted, with the aid of poor instructions. I wouldn't realize it at the time, but it's actually mounted incorrectly here. 

It was once I tried to mount the nose gear doors that I realized the gear was incorrect. Due to the poor fit of the fuselage, I had to pry the sides apart in order to fit this assembly recessed where it should be. 

The poor instructions also left certain steps a little later than recommended - such as painting parts that are no longer easy to access. I also had to mount the cannon door closed because the drop tanks get in the way. And those seams... ugh! 

I really gummed up the canopies with my masking and spraying. Tried to remove as best I could and did better by hand. 

Getting the side glass to fit took a lot of finagling and shaving of edges. Doubt I'll build another Revell any time soon. 

Now complete, it looks much better with the decals - especially if you don't see all those nasty seams on the underside. 

That's one thing I will say for Revell is that their decals were nice to work with. They soften nicely under the Micro Sol as well. 

Happily seeing this project in the rear view mirror. Now back to some quality Tamiya engineering for my next project.