Consolidated PBY Catalina

Dave Flitton Nice start! How was the build?

Skywalker Another water bird. Looks fun!

Raphael Shelton Years later...almost done! LOL. I just need to add finishing touches.
I find that I really enjoy painting as much in place as I can. And since I mostly brush, that works pretty well.

Lessons from this one.
!. Add the props last. always. I've broken both of them, multiple times. Re-attached the blades by drilling out a hole in the spinner and the blade and using a tiny bit of paper clip as an internal support.
2. When using the airbrush, mask more than semes reasonable.
3. Make a note of which color you use, so that when you come back months later, you get it right the first time.
4. I need to work on my seams!

Cuajete Looking good. Following.

Cuajete Looking good. More pics?

Lost_Erik That's a heavily weathered nice build. Is there a story behind it?

JOHN THOMAS Very nice work

Dave Flitton Any more pictures?

Eduardo Leon Denegri @Lost_Erik I actually was practicing chipping with Vallejo Liquid Mask and Vallejo Metal Colors for future projects. I perhaps went too excited with the chipping but I wanted to see how good this Vallejo Liquid Mask.

Andy Ball Wow!! That's some rash the Cat has acquired!!, great work, Sir!

Tim Mansfield [img1]
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Terry Hill I'm going to be starting this kit soon, and would appreciate anyhints or tips you might have - particularly if you used the Eduard photo-etched detailing kit. I've never worked with PE before, and I'm a bit nervous.

Christian S. Hi!
I didn't use Eduard PE on this model. But if you use Cyanacrylat glue and a good knife you should be good.
The most difficile part is the landing gear. The Catalina is quite heavy and the gear a bit wobbly. The fit is excellent, almost no filler needed.
I hope my answer was helpful.

Terry Hill Yes, thank you so much.

Charles Stellini Lovely kit

JD I'm all about dioramas...step by step for me please!

Chris McLain It's going to be a while for this one, but I'm trying to get all the pieces together. I found an awesome color reference photo of a WWII Catalina being broken out of ice in Alaska. I'm new to ScaleMates, but I'll try and post it. Right now I'm working on a Russian tank and truck diorama.

Olivier Hello Chris. Would you care to show us your Russian diorama ?

JD Looking forward to your progress...it's never too late to start again...

Chris McLain Olivier, I just started an album. I'll add more as I go and as time allows. Secure the Front! (Russian Diorama) | Album by MacGillean (1:72)

Lee Fogel Never released to public; no instruction sheet was produced for it

Clifford Keesler Great job Choppa.

uncle chop chop Good job i had this kit but i got the shits up, looks like u can polish a turd well done

Roberto Rocat Not an easy task...you're doing a very good work

Choppa Nutta Cheers chaps !!

John E Yep, this is going to be a nice one.

Matthew A an expensive piggy bank

Greg Baker Oh, sign me up for this one!

Choppa Nutta Haha not really, cheap Airfix kit and 16 pence !!
Cheers for the encouragement chaps,
another kit I need to rescue from the dust of the unfinished kits

Knallgiraffe I hate Academy decals. Will have to wait to buy a mask for the rudder to paint that pattern.

Rv Nice project !
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V1R0T8 Thanks! Don't know when it will be completed but dreams keep you alive

Jens ja den Umbau hab ich schon sehr lange liegen, den habe ich mal auf einer Ausstellung in Köln gekauft, wofür wusste ich an dem Tag nicht mit den Motex Masken werde ich mir überlegen, ich habe einen Decalbogen, auch nur gekauft weil Catalina drauf stand , mal schauen wann es wird, nur ein Dio, das wird nix werden, dafür hab ich wirklich kein Talent, in keinem Maßstab

Clifford Keesler Beautiful Catalina.

Mathew Nate Excelent

Thomas Bischoff Thanks Mathew!

Tim Heimer Nice work Thomas! I like the way you did it up, it was worth the effort mate!

Thomas Ehrensperger Very nice Modell of my most famous aircraft!!!

seb H Really nice catalina Thomas

Thomas Bischoff Many thanks for your kind remarks!

Philip De Keyser Thanks mates

Cuajete Very nice work. Congratulations!

Guy Rump Great model and impressive diorama.

Björn Svedberg Looks great! I love all the scratch-building.

Glenn . Nice Cat!

Chris Parsons Nicely done!

Philip De Keyser Thanks Mates

Miro Herold That this what I call "Great Job Mate"!

arne vd burg thx for sharing Roland

Roland K Pleasure Arne I have been informed that the back of this kit is the wrong shape and there is a replacement after market piece out there. I personally think it looks ok, but I thought I would share that info if you are interested in getting the kit or thinking of building it.

arne vd burg Thnx for the information mate .

Choppa Nutta

Nicolas Valtinson I would love to do one of these

Choppa Nutta Ebay.co.uk Item - AIRFIX MODEL KIT CATALINA CONSOLIDATED PBY 5A No 05007 1 72 COMPLETE

Choppa Nutta

Choppa Nutta The academy version is much better, mine fits poorly but then it is a a 1964 tooling
Liking the look of progress so far Gordon, nice to see you scratch building the interior, especially as none comes with the kit

Ebay.co.uk Item - Academy 1 72 PBY 5A Catalina Black Cat kit No 12487

Gordon Sørensen Thanks Choppa. Not sure how much of the cockpit will be visible, but am sure a lot will be seen through the bubbles on the back of the fuselage.

Choppa Nutta yeah the back is a bit cavenous and without any detail in there it just looks odd, I've cheated on mine, I've just drawn in some detail with a black fine tip pen etc. inaccurate but effective

Clifford Keesler I would love to build one of those, but it would have to be 1/48. 1/72 is just to small I can't see it anymore. But I still have a ESCI 1/72 F-27 Spanish Navy that I keep holding onto.

Gordon Sørensen Some Mr. Surfacer 1000 and some putty for the fuselage seems.

Gordon Sørensen Some work done on the wing. Fairly large wingspan when all three pieces are joined.

Derek Reeve Oh wow, this is excellent.

Nigel Home Complete Kit

David Thor Watching this one with great interest!

Dave Morris Please visit the album for comments, updates & pictures for this project.

Hanno Kleinecke Cool, Yellowwing returns to the Yellowwings.....

Spanjaard are you going to post the progress of this one, i want to build a PBY one day, and would love to count with your incredible experience....

arne vd burg Very nice Catalina Jan
James you are a lucky basterd

Thomas Bischoff What a nice Cat! The Dutch colours and markings look good.

Jan Voorbij Here is some information about this a/c:

The Y-38 was the first of 78 Catalina's that were delivered to the Marine Luchtvaart Dienst (MLD). The first batch were of the flying boat version PBY-5, soon to be followed by the amphibian version PBY-5A. Catalinas were in Dutch service from 1941 to 1959. The Y-48 was mainly used for reconnaissance missions as "eyes of the fleet" and rescue work and patrolled together with Catalinas from the RAF and the US Navy, that were temporarely stationed in the Dutch East Indies to anticipate the Japanese advance. On Februari 9 1942, when evacuating Europeans from Ketapang, Borneo, it was atacked by Japanese Zeroes while still in the water and damaged. The passengers and crew jumped in the water where one of the pilots was killed by a caiman. The Y-38 managed to get airborne and tried to reach its base near Surabaya on Java. However, it had to make an emergency landing not far from its base, but sank after being rammed by a motorboat from an American destroyer.

Martien Lourens Hollands glorie. A beauty, Jan

Erik Leijdens The most elegant aircraft "we" have used in our army. Beautiful model Jan

Jan Voorbij Thank you guys. A very elegant aircraft indeed! That is why I didn't want to use the beaching gear and scratched my own stand so the clean lines would not be disturbed and that its true nature as a flying boat would be clear. BTW, did you know that after the fall of the Netherland East Indies "our"Cats were deployed from Australia, Ceylon and South Africa, doing recce, transport work and U-boat hunting?

arne vd burg No i did not Jan, Thx for sharing.

Soeren . Wonderful PBY!

Bruce Campbell I have a very personal project coming with this kit and I feel very lucky to have found this on the net.

Paulo Castro I can't wait to see it. Bring it on!

Vimal Indrasoma Another of my 'shattered dreams' which fell prey to our many moves - currently lying in pieces in a box awaiting possible re-use in a diorama, perhaps?

Choppa Nutta Photo 8 should be your Teaser
yeah the scotch pad is a neat effect, makes the black more interesting.
But man those decals are bright !! a few thin layers of dark gray wouldn't hurt and the nice thing is with the patchy texture you wouldn't need to be very even about it either, easy fix

Jens nice to see the Catalina so. I like very much, I hope I can get my PBY 5 also show that, without wheels, as an accessory to Eduard sheet

Ben STONE Great paint job, nice and matt worn look. I've done a 1/72 so a 1/48 must be huge.

Choppa Nutta 26 inch wing span

Ben STONE Over two feet :0

Steve - Great job on the build and the paint. It looks like the classic it was.

Ulf Petersen Beautiful Catalina, Matt! I like the bright exhaust traces on the wings. Not all engines were spitting soot.

Wim van der Luijt She looks amazing!

Gordon Sørensen Twin Engine Twin Prop Groupbuild on AirfixTributeForum

Gordon Sørensen Managed to get a start on this one! The centre wing section and one aileron were slightly warped but I think they are straight now. Made some bulkheads, one behind the cockpit, one forward of the side blisters, and one behind.

Gordon Sørensen Found a mission prop blade at the bottom of the Box so reattached that, Mounted the bulkheads, and added stringers to the fuselage. Boxing in the nose wheelwell and then have to figure out where to mount some weight so its not a tailsitter.

Kelly Wellington So, you're doing wheels down?

Gordon Sørensen Yes Kelly, and seriously thinking about the Scale Aircraft Conversion White metal set!

Logan Eden Good Morning, Gordon Thanks for posting, and the scratch build bulkheads look very fine. Catch Ya, Logan

Choppa Nutta What an amazing kit !!
makes the Airfix 1:72 kit look like a beer mat !
The photos from this review would make great reference

Francisco Guedes Choppa no doubt about that!! It`s a fantastic and amazing kit!

Kelly Wellington Well...It was originally intended to be completed wheels down. That died when I failed to weight before joining the fuselage halves. The closed nosewheel compartment hatches are goobered. The landing gear hatch covers are goobered, too. The cabin had to be extended with a plank shim to get the clear canopy to even fit, so there's a new 'bulkhead' behind the pilot/copilot seats. The attempt to include the waistgunners failed when their heads impeded installation of the clear blisters. And then there was the infamous strut fit issue which necessitated building one anew from scratch. One float folds up and becomes a wingtip, the other is glued into place. One blister door swings up and stays in position, the other falls back. Luckily, the machine gun mounted on that side also moves, where the flappy door side gun wouldn't stay in place and had to be glued.

I like the finish I got on the paint job and the decals were just fine.

Choppa Nutta nice one Kelly
I really must finish mine now

Chris Parsons Nicely done!

Phil Marchese The ol' girl comes off nicely under your hands. nice model; nice scheme. Congrats!

Kerry COX Phil, What a perfect comment about his work.

Kelly Wellington Thanks, mates. As a relative novice, I'm feeling a bit more confident with some skills, but others remain...in need of upgrading. One of these days, I'll actually fit myself with an airbrush.

Kerry COX Getting your first air brush is when modelling takes on a whole new meaning, and won't you have fun !!! . Just remember, keep your gun clean.

Kelly Wellington Before that, I need to learn how to attach prop blades to hubs in those kits (like Special Hobby, Pavla and MPM) where they come as discrete parts. I have only done it once and the result is not especially impressive.

Gerald Willing

Choppa Nutta

babak chalangi awesome work thomas

Bill Spargo I am impressed with the base Thomas, looking forward to seeing it finished. I like the shape you have cut, giving the ground illusion for a big model. oh, the weathering is fantastic. love the weathering next to the port engine.

Augie Just sweet... I hope mine looks as good when I do it.

Acki A wow-project!

Kelly Wellington So...I'm back from holiday and it's time to get back to sanding on this thing....

Ben STONE I finished this kit a few weeks ago....terrible! Crap loads of flash on the sprues, parts falling off and terrible fit. I wasn't aware of weight needed up forward until too late and by that time I didn't care. As Kelly said, you'll have to fill around the main canopy and the landing gear struts are very flimsy. I'm also led to believe that the rivets on top of the wing aren't meant to go all the way to the back of the wing although I'm not positive about that. It's put me off Airfix for a while. Good luck and enjoy it for what it is.

Kelly Wellington I'm still sanding. I'm getting closer, but I'm still sanding.

Kelly Wellington I'm still sanding. I broke open the Republic Seabee, just to provide something in which to see progress.

Augie Yeah old airfix molds... this one dates back to the 60's..

think its bad? try the spitfire Vb in 1:24.. same age mold and boy it shows.

NEW Airfix molds.. far far far better.

Kerry COX The undercarrage is a nice little surprise too.

Kelly Wellington I opted out of the undercarriage early on.

Gordon Sørensen I am going to start building this for the Twin-Engine-Twin-Prop Groupbuild on ATF. I have the fishing weights for the nose, but am thinking about getting the SAC white metal gear.

Augie how did you do the chipping?

Thomas Poelkemann the plane was, a basic colur like Aluminium, hairspray and the final colour coate (Acrylic). But something went wrong . I used an hard brush and an old toothbrush. to brush off the Acrylic from the Aluminium base coat.
i don´t know way but the base coat went off as well. That create some off the chipping. But for further painting i have to mask the greyblue with with masking tape of course. As I removed the masking tape I had the chipping effect again.
To fill it with colour I used Alclad Aluminium. I used a very thin Brush and the very thin Alclad went into the "holes" a I got my chipping effect. not as I want it but it looks god too me.

Augie Thomas, I wouldnt complain it looks bloody excellent.. gives me ideas for mine

Choppa Nutta there are quite a few different chipping techniques, I just had a go at the salt one but over did it, also had the same problem with masking tape removing paint for yet more chipping effect....
I like the way you've got it looking well used but not overly so, very natural looking indeed.

Clifford Keesler Excellent.

viggen81 Very nice

Gordon Sørensen Fantastic!

Es-haq Khosravi Nice job!

Clifford Keesler Looking very nice.