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MPM's 1/72 Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet (2nd Airframe)

By Jim Schubert

Finished Model by Bill Osborne

History

I went a bit overboard in the History portion of my review of MPM's kit of the first XP-56, s/n 41-786, and fully covered the second, s/n 42-38353, as well.  So, please click on the link back to that review in the September 2001 issue of Internet Modeler.

The Kit

This kit for XP-56 s/n 42-38353, no. 72510, is nearly identical with the earlier kit for s/n 41-786, No. 72098, except MPM didn't cut the parts peculiar to the second airframe from the parts trees.  If you look at the first photo of the parts trees in the September 2001 review, you will see where these parts were excised.  The parts are for the wingtip venturiis and the dorsal fin.  MPM also, partially, changed the camouflage and markings drawings.  The top and bottom plan views were not, however, revised to include the very prominent wingtip venturiis.  The bottom plan is also still in error in showing no inboard landing gear doors.  The shape of the cavities to be covered by the missing doors is, however, shown correctly on the drawing.  The drawing can thus be used as a guide to rescribe the shape of the closed doors on the underside of the wings after filling the incorrectly scribed lines provided MPM.  The inner doors were only open whilst the landing gear was in transit - up or down.

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Only one color scheme, olive over gray, was applied to 42-38353.  The small decal sheet provides the four star and bar national insignias and the tail serial.

Nitpicks (Additional to those set out in the September 2001 review):  There should be a very small tailwheel in the tip of the ventral fin of 42-38353.  There should be a small Northrop logo on the nose of the plane; this is clearly shown in the boxtop photo and is missing from the decal sheet.  That same photo shows the nose wheel tire having a circumferential tread and the main wheel tires having a diamond pattern tread; all three kit tires are treadless.  Comparison of the kit's nose wheel strut with the boxtop photo shows the kit part to be much too simple for a detail right out there in front of the model for all to see.  The tire tread and nose L.G. strut remarks also apply to the initial kit.

Conclusion

Another winner from MPM.  But why did they bother with the hassle and expense of issuing two kits?  Even if they had issued only one with all the parts and decals for both airframes, any modeler wishing to build both would still have to buy two kits.  The money thus saved by MPM could have been reinvested in their business to continue giving us more and better kits of the unusual subjects that they do so well - the Abrams P-1 Explorer perhaps.

References

Same as set out in the September 2001 review plus:

Internet Modeler for December 2001:  follow up in the Sprue Bits section.

Wings magazine for December 1988:  Comprehensive article on the XP-56.

Wings magazine for August 1996:  Article by Paul Ludwig on all of the R-40C airplanes.