Quickboost 1/48
P-61 Black Widow Engines

Ah, one of my all time favorite aircraft is the P-61 Black Widow. If you are interested in building one in 1/48 scale your choices are slim. As of this writing there is only one choice widely available, the vendible Monogram offering. Most of us have built at least one of these in our modeling career. One of my fondest memories was of the great little pamphlet that came with every kit. Who can ever forget that excellent Shep Paine diorama of a Pacific Theater Black Widow getting the once over.

Seeing any aftermarket products for the P-61 seems to be getting more and rarer. A True Details photo-etch set here, a set of decals there. But not much really available at any given time. I was delighted to see Quickboost produce something very useful for the Black Widow.

I have some other Quickboost products and have been very happy with the quality so when I saw these little gems at the local hobby show, I snatched them up. They came wrapped in a sturdy cardboard box which keep the resin safe and secure. Something that other Quickboost products have suffered when packed in the cellophane bags. Easier to see the product but easier to crack and harder to store.

After opening the box and the small plastic bag they come in, once again I was not disappointed. They are just amazing in quality, detail and craftsmanship. The engines themselves are cast in one piece and the carburetors, magneto plugs and oil pumps are cast on their own separate block. Again the detail is just fantastic. They did a very nice job on the Pratt and Whitney R-2800-65 used in most A and B model Black Widows.

Just for comparison I assembled the engines from the kit just so you can see what differences there are. These are built for the Monogram kit to include an extra firewall for mounting the right engine to the kit part. The instructions are basic exploded views but there is really not too much to assemble so the straightforward instructions are just fine.

I simply can not say enough about the quality of Quickboost products. It is almost a shame to tuck these beauties below a cowling. I was pleased that Quickboost showed interest in making a product for a kit such as the Black Widow. This is a marvelous aftermarket add-on to a great model. Maybe old Shep was onto something.