Unmistakable in appearance and unequalled in firepower among American fighters in World War II, the Northrop P-61 Black Widow was America’s first purpose-designed night fighter. First contracted in January 1941 at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, delivery of production aircraft took place in the summer of 1943 to stateside training units, followed by initial deployment to the European Theater of Operations that December, with the Pacific Theater units equipped the following spring. By war’s end, the P-61 would amass 136 confirmed kills, including 9 V-1 “buzz bombs,” in European, Mediterranean, Pacific, and China-Burma-India theaters of operation.

Since the early 1970s, the classic Monogram P-61 has been the modeler’s only choice in 1/48th scale…until now. Nearly 40 years later, Great Wall Hobby has delivered a state-of-the-art rendition of this nocturnal predator. First out is the P-61A, representing early production examples without a top turret.

Aires has long been known for extremely nice resin detail parts. For several years now, under their own name brand and in the Quickboost line, Aires has produced replacements for kit parts that have an outstanding level of detail, exquisite molding, and excellent ease of use. Wheeliant is the most recent line added to the Aires brand, and it easily meets the standard set by the company’s previous products.

For anyone building a 1/32 Eurofighter Typhoon, Aires’ latest release is a must-have. Anyone who has worked with Aires resin parts knows they are at the top of the industry for resin aftermarket parts. I recently had the opportunity with IPMS to review their resin cockpit set for the EF2000A, and the set was such a vast improvement that I jumped at the chance to see their new wheel bay set. Now, I should note, the set is recommended for the Revell EF2000 kit; however, I am comparing it to the Trumpeter kit. Now, Trumpeter kits are usually known for high detail and quality, but the Aires resin parts are far superior. The set comes in standard grey/beige resin and includes the nose and main gear bays and new door actuators. The bays are molded as one-piece, drop-in replacements for the multi-piece kit bays. The detail is amazing and, in a comparison to photos of the real thing, it seems Aires got every detail captured in resin.

The Parts

Four Landing Probes (part # 5) are included in this kit but they are not to be found on the instruction sheet. One will notice a small slot on the underside of each of the landing pads. If one is going to display the LM in-flight, then the probes can be attached by using that slot. There are also two Egress Platforms, one to be used in the deployed position and I assume the other to be used for the in-flight position. The difference between the two parts is the angle between the locating pin on the undersurface of the Egress Platforms and the locating pin itself. Interestingly, if the model is to be displayed in the in-flight position, some surgery will be required on the landing gear.

Master Box has done it again. This time they produce a four figure set of US Soldiers at a Checkpoint in Iraq.

The figures come in four different poses with multi parts to make up four complete figures. I would like to point out that the box art is superb and is terrific for use as a color guide. The only thing missing is the concrete barrier as shown on the box cover. The rear of the box is the layout of the parts and two figure views of each figure showing where the various parts belong.

I found the detail of the figures and accessories to be terrific, especially the weapons. The heads are separate from the helmets, too, making the well detailed faces easier. I also found the parts almost free of flash and required almost no cleanup before assembly.

After assembly, I primed the figure with Duplicolor Light Grey Automotive primer. This is my favorite as it dries very fast and does not obliterate any detail with a light coat.