Warbird Information Exchange

In October 1940 the USAAC felt a need for long-range fighters more than attack bombers, so some of the production run of A-20s were converted to P-70 and P-70A night-fighters. They were equipped with SCR-540 radar (a copy of British AI Mk IV), the glazed nose often painted black to reduce glare and hide the details of the radar set, and had four 20 mm forward-firing cannon in a ventral bomb bay tray. Further P-70 variants were produced from A-20C, G and J variants. The singular airframe P-70B-1 (converted from an A-20G) and subsequent P-70B-2s (converted from A-20Gs and Js) had American centimetric radar (SCR-720 or SCR-729) fitted. The P-70s and P-70As saw combat ONLY in the Pacific during World War II and only with the USAAF. The P-70B-1 and P-70B-2 aircraft never saw combat but served as night fighter aircrew trainers in the US in Florida and later in California. All P-70s were retired from service by 1945.

That is what I found after a fast search.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

I thought when P-61s mate, it'd look more like this

http://i.somethingawful.com/inserts/articlepics/photoshop/09-07-07-worldwarfun/ampinstein.jpg

Cheers,
Matt

the p-70 had very early crude technology radar. the p-61's was granted crude as well, but more advanced than the p-70's. the p-70 was a capable stop gap solution till the widow arrivived.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

here some pictures of Lady in the Dark

Jan

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6x European Star Cup Champion RC Scale:
4x with B-17 (built from own plan, span: 158").
2x with P-61 (built from own plan, span:122").
www.janhermkens.nl

Nice pic's Jan, is that a model? Any updates on MAM's p-61 project. Last photo's on their web site are from April! The widow has always fascinated me, even as a kid back in the 50's.

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tracers work both ways

That is a pretty kick ass model! Complete with landing lights?!

man!! it sure looks like the real deal!!!! great pics!!

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Yes it is a model, my model from own plan; (3000 hours work)
scale; 1/6.6th
span; 122 inch (3,10m)
weight; 41 pounds (18,5 kg)
engines; 2x Laser 2.40 V-twin (40cm3), four-stroke engines
retracts; electric and own construction

with this model; 2x European Star Cup Champion RC Scale, and winner of 10 international RC Scale Contests all over Europe.

regards,
Jan

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6x European Star Cup Champion RC Scale:
4x with B-17 (built from own plan, span: 158").
2x with P-61 (built from own plan, span:122").
www.janhermkens.nl

forgot some pictures
Jan

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6x European Star Cup Champion RC Scale:
4x with B-17 (built from own plan, span: 158").
2x with P-61 (built from own plan, span:122").
www.janhermkens.nl

OMG, that is BIG! Wow!!

Somebody call Monster Quest!

Do all the barns in the Netherlands have Black widows that big?

Gorgeous airplane. I'd love to see something like that sneak into a warbird airshow during the fly by program and just make one pass in the background when there was something else making noise in a slow fly by closer to the crowd. Then sit back and listen to all the witnesses describing what they think they saw...

OK!, I'm not a big RC Model guy, but the first thing I noticed was the four blade props on that dude. The amount of detail in that thing is fantastic!
At 3000 hrs, there is some long days put into that airplane. Now, if you can just get the guns to shoot and the pilot to wave.

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tracers work both ways

I'll PM you mailing address.
Be sure and pack it good!

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Don't touch my junk!!

This is my one bummber about "The Great Raid". In the book it was based on, they used a P-61 to fly over the camp. I wish they would have done a CGI P-61 for that scene in the movie.

Man, is that sucker to scale? I am assuming that going big like that is the only way you could get the right blade count and a decent rudder ration, but it looks like you came really close if not right on! Beautiful work--For the first couple of pictures I was telling myself that if I had to save for another five years I WAS BUYING SEAT TIME on her!

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"I knew the jig was up when I saw the P-51D-20-NA Mustang blue-nosed bastards from Bodney, and by the way the blue was more of a royal blue than an indigo and the inner landing gear interiors were NOT green, over Berlin."