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Black Cat itch soothed


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I have finished this build which became a bit of a millstone

I just can't hack them out any more, like I used to

An article here about Catalina wheel well colours got me interested in the Consolidated PBY5-A in Pacific service. After watching a few movies on Youtube I decided to put my £8 purchase from Telford into production.

I first built one of these models back in 1965, dad helping me because he'd been in Coastal and flew in Cats and Sunderlands from Pembroke Dock. Brought some memories back for him no doubt.

I've built lots of interior stuff even I cant see but if you want crew bunks, flight engineer station, nav table and radio shack, yes, they're in there

Thanks to a few articles on building a very expensive large scale resin and plastic one, loads of pictures of what's inside are around

I used Aeroclub engines from "the bay", rear gondolas from a vac formed kit designed for a PBY from Academy and used gunbarrels made of brass. All from Hannants, thanks guys.

I made it, I don't like it a lot but hey

Now you get to suffer it too :)

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Edited by perdu
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Well this is the first Airfix Cat I have seen built. It actually looks rather good! That may one day give me the courage to look at the one in the stash... But not yet, from what you say.

Great weathering, and it looks like a Catalina. What more would you ask for?

Well done.

JR

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Nice job.

Glued down to save the huge noseweight?

I wish John, it HAS the huge nose weight but it still sat on its tail :(

This is pinned down through the nosewheel and glued down

JR the Airfix Cat is nice but wrong somewhere in its dimensions.

And the undecarriage is awful (So is my replacement codge up, but I like it) :)

But overall I enjoyed the messing about to get it betterer.

b

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Very nice job there. I also built this one way back in the mid 1960s - think it may have been newly tooled at the time- and I also liked it a lot and found it an impressive model, not being too worried about accuracy as a 15 year old. But perhaps it really is a golden oldie, certainly better than the rather older Revell kit which was sans u/c as I remember.

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Thanks guys

This is my first try at salt weathering over the regular US Navy blues scheme

I think it looks Ok, the exhaust staining is copied from dozens of Black cat photos, and was lightly dusted coats of several artists pastels mixed to give the characteristic grey browny blacky grey

Turning the rear wing section to fabric was entertaining too, nearly as many rivets on this as the good old Frog Shackleton ;)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ahaah. I found it. I like it - a lot (even if you don't Bill - which I must say shows appalling judgment :)) Wish you'd done a WIP.

dad helping me because he'd been in Coastal and flew in Cats and Sunderlands from Pembroke Dock. Brought some memories back for him no doubt.

Oooh - how interesting. Which did he prefer and why I wonder?

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Thank you guys

Steve I could do an "how I did it" but there was so much tatting about inside it would not be a useful show

certainly not a pretty sight

If you like though I can print some of me photos as it came about

I did enjoy salt weathering, great fun and a fine new technique

edit for forgetfulness

Steve, dad was Sunderland crew (tea boy and cook he said) and as his mainstream job was armourer from days in Gladiators in 39/40, through Fighter Command at Hawkinge in BoB and armourer air gunner in Bombers and Coastal in the late war I suspect his main role was bunging another depth charge outboard in Sunderlands

He liked the occasional foray in the Cats though, it must have been quite a war

Edited by perdu
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  • 2 weeks later...

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