Lion Roar 1/48 WWII USAAF P61B Black Widow Aircraft Last Shoot Down 1945 Kit

The P-61 was an all-metal twin boom design and had a crew of three: pilot, gunner, and radar operator. It was a large aircraft that was unusual for a fighter. It had devastating firepower and was armed with four 20 mm Hispano forward-firing cannons in the belly, which could be serviced from the ground without platforms, and four 0.50 caliber machine guns, mounted in an upper rotating dorsal turret. The guns were mounted aft of the cockpit, which was a beneficial feature that protected the pilot’s night vision from the gun muzzle flash. It was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines in nacelles which tapered into twin tail booms connected by a central horizontal stabilizer. Twin booms were selected to provide a stable gun platform. It had a tricycle landing gear, featured full-span retractable flaps, and had an internal fuel capacity of 646 gal (2,445 l). Provisions were made for external racks to carry up to four 1,600 lb (725 kg) bombs or drop tanks.

It was a sleek-looking aircraft, but there was a mystique to it. One could imagine this mysterious nocturnal blackguard, lurking in the depths of night and claiming victims without even knowing what hit them. She was a venomous dark lady. Hence the name, Black Widow.

The Lion Roar/Great Wall kit represents the aircraft that made the "last kill" by a P-61 during WW2.