P-61 Black Widow

I reviewed other Revell kits and I stated in one that you get what you pay for. At US$19.95, I can't complain about the price, but the kit needs improvement. 1. The instructions are vague and omitted the installation of a couple of parts. The decal instructions are poor to say the least. Revell, go buy a Trumpter model and see how they do it with color drawings and precise pointers. When fitting the decals, ignore the instructions and look online for photos or refer to the pictures on the side of the box. 2. The front forward (pilot) canopy top was not sized for correct fitment for a closed position. I used canopy glue, which dries clear to fill in the gaps if you want a wheels-up model as I created. Use a toothpick to dab the glue into the gaps. Also use the same method to fill other gaps where the canopy doesn't fit flush with the fuselage. 3. Fitment of parts was surprisingly quite good! As previously mentioned, I created a wheels-up model and the wheel bay doors fit well in the closed position. The optional external fuel tanks fit satisfactorily; to fit them, you need to cut a slot and hole in the underside of the wings where the molding is thin which is easy to locate. I chose not to glue the nose cone on because behind it is the radar gear, and it was a shame to cover it up. The nose fits snugly enough dry so that it doesn't fall off. 4. The decals are quick to separate from the sheet, so you need to be diligent when applying them. When applying the red and white stripe decals to the rudders, use a toothpick to push the decal into the seams. The quality of the decals is good; they aren't too delicate in that they don't tear easily. 5. Cockpit detail is quite good and if you are keen, spend some time to detail the gauges and interior. You could go the extra mile and make your own seat harnesses. Refer to online photos of cockpits and emulate the real thing. 6. Sprues had lots of flash so you need to be patient to clean the parts. For a kit under US$20, I am satisfied with the quality of the product. The instructions are the worst part of this kit, but if you are diligent and refer to online sources, you can build a very presentable representation. I bought from Hobbylinc the Polar Lights Universal Dome Base to mount the plane in flight, so this model works well as a wheels-up or grounded plane. Enjoy your modelling!

This sits in the middle of my collection for a reason, it was enormously enjoyable to build and looks fantastic. It has a plethora of detail over the entire model, everything was relatively easy to install, only frustrating things were the back windows, they took some work to get in place without covering them in glue. The decals for the red stripes made no logical sense unless you cut them to length, so I skipped them and painted the red stripes on instead. Like I said, I loved building this, it was fun from the first to the last, lots of detail to keep you interested through what turned out to be a lengthy build, I would definately recommend this set.

Despite being ancient (30+ years IIRC), Monogram's P-61 has long been the go to kit, and still holds up well when compared to new Chinese kits as a good bang for the buck value. It doesn't have the fantastic detail of the newer kits, but it doesn't cost $100 either... What you get for twenty bucks is a very well detailed, feature filled accurate representation of the historic first purpose built American night fighter.