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Catalina PBY-5A - Airfix 1/72


CedB

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Looking rather dapper Mr B. The paintwork looks great. I was worried for a second when I saw it brushed but I needn’t have as you always come up trumps. Makes me wish I’d have done mine a different scheme. 
lovely work. 👌

 

Jont 

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6 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

10 minutes, patience and deliberation indeed!

 

The Catalina looks lovely Ced, and nice structural work on the wing tip floats.

Sorry Cookie, missed a 'thanks' earlier - thanks matey! :) 

 

2 hours ago, Marklo said:

 

‘Tis funny how the forum goes there seems to be a rash of scimitars and moths at the moment.

Thanks Mark. If there's a rash of them I think you're safe. It's when one of the master modellers is transforming plastic that I need to push things down the stash… :) 

 

2 hours ago, hendie said:

oooohhh top job Ced.  Very neat work on the foldables.  

 

 

 

:whistle:

 

Thanks hendie :) 

 

2 hours ago, perdu said:

Looks good

 

Oh oh, why do we think Bill might have a bag of available spanners near the Ced Works?

 

No no dont worry, all I want to do is caution you about the floats

 

They need to hang at nearly 90º to the wings or undue forces might be applied during landing

 

I havent seen any pictures yet of floats leaning towards the underneath portion of the hang down envelope, they all tend towards the outer phase of the angle

2215278863.jpg

You can make it out quite well with this rather distinguished old bird, port out THAT way and starboard out THIS way by a few degrees

 

Those things under the wings look like something I have seen before...

 

I wonder where?

Thanks Bill :) 

Hard to photograph but how's this?

 

49965017936_de0f504282_z.jpg

 

The float supports are parallel and would hit the water 'straight' IMHO.

Having tried water skiing once I can attest to what happens if things hit the water at an angle; pain!

 

I've painted the outside/top of the floats for you and Ian too:

 

49965300422_91b96aa63d_z.jpg

 

The other one's just green. Boring.

 

1 minute ago, The Spadgent said:

Looking rather dapper Mr B. The paintwork looks great. I was worried for a second when I saw it brushed but I needn’t have as you always come up trumps. Makes me wish I’d have done mine a different scheme. 
lovely work. 👌

 

Jont 

Thanks Jont :) 

I think I'll be back to the airbrush soon.

I had the Humbrol for this one so thought I'd give it a try and use it up but two/three thin coats is easily beaten by a quick swoosh IMHO.

Followed by a longer clean up, it has to be said, but YMMV!

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Needs a bit more paint Ced - The whole side of the float. Imagine it folded up. Anything on the top side is part of the upper wing surface and should be painted as such.

 

Ian

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If Ced is happy so am I but as Ian points out the float should be half upper surface half lower, demarkation along the 'keel'.

 

And as Philp noticed the tailplanes should be camo too, bebeggared if I know why I didnt notice that!  :(

 

 

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3 hours ago, limeypilot said:

Needs a bit more paint Ced - The whole side of the float. Imagine it folded up. Anything on the top side is part of the upper wing surface and should be painted as such.

 

Ian

Maybe I'm not looking at the same airframe but if you Google "Catalina 11088" there's an image which shows that the floats were white.

 

Clive

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5 hours ago, philp said:

Looking good Ced.

 

Besides the side of the floats shouldn't the top of the stabalizers also be camo'd?

Thanks Phil :) How did I miss that? :doh: 

First coat applied:

 

49966512237_ba6afa21b1_z.jpg

 

The Hu32 covers really well but the 102 will need another coat, again.

 

3 hours ago, limeypilot said:

Needs a bit more paint Ced - The whole side of the float. Imagine it folded up. Anything on the top side is part of the upper wing surface and should be painted as such.

 

Ian

Thanks Ian :) It was the photo, honest - I had painted the whole side:

 

49966513032_a145cdec16_z.jpg

 

Needs touching up though.

 

18 minutes ago, perdu said:

If Ced is happy so am I but as Ian points out the float should be half upper surface half lower, demarkation along the 'keel'.

 

And as Philp noticed the tailplanes should be camo too, bebeggared if I know why I didnt notice that!  :(

 

Thanks Bill :) 

I didn't notice either! Problem of doing the model in two halves maybe? :shrug:

 

9 minutes ago, dad's lad said:

Maybe I'm not looking at the same airframe but if you Google "Catalina 11088" there's an image which shows that the floats were white.

 

Clive

Thanks Clive - I think some of the photos and the painting might be post-war as she seems to have had an all white repaint at some point :) 

 

 

Here we are this morning:

 

49966238231_0836fff4fc_z.jpg

 

Little bubble is protecting the loop aerial I fitted when I thought I'd finished the wings 🙄

 

To do list is now:

  • Touch up top of floats
  • Paint top of pitot
  • Fit wings and struts
  • Aerial wire
  • Fit guns
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1 minute ago, CedB said:

Little bubble is protecting the loop aerial I fitted when I thought I'd finished the wings 🙄

I do things like this too, great idea! I'm building the Airfix, Curtiss Hawk 81 A 2 and there are two machine guns on the wings that are remoulded onto the wing assemblies so with my big clumsy ol' bits i have a peg on the wing protecting both sets! Funny how we took things like that in our stride as youngsters but now in our older dotage we have to be so careful not to cause damage, i think its called experience!:hmmm:

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2 hours ago, perdu said:

Goodly good

 

Sorted

Thanks Bill :) 

 

2 hours ago, Markh-75 said:

I do things like this too, great idea! I'm building the Airfix, Curtiss Hawk 81 A 2 and there are two machine guns on the wings that are remoulded onto the wing assemblies so with my big clumsy ol' bits i have a peg on the wing protecting both sets! Funny how we took things like that in our stride as youngsters but now in our older dotage we have to be so careful not to cause damage, i think its called experience!:hmmm:

2 hours ago, Markh-75 said:

Love the side shape of the fuselage on the Catalina!

Thanks Mark - quite right, care comes with age in all sorts of ways! :D 

 

2 hours ago, dad's lad said:

I forgot to say though, which was quite rude of me, that this is a cracking build and a testament to your skills. I hope I can do as good a job when I get around to mine.

 

Clive

Thanks Clive - no worries, very kind :) 

 

 

Floats and pitot painted so wings on - easy!

Not.

The kit instructions show this:

 

49966901302_5cbae62e5d_z.jpg

 

So, 61 is the port front strut right?

It's too short.

Hang on, perhaps the wing to fuselage fit is a bit wobbly.

Sand, fit, sand, fit.

Still too short.

Could it be that the instructions are wrong?

Does that ever happen? :rolleyes:

Note that the 61/63 are shorter than 60/62.

The wing tilts downwards.

Have they got the numbers the wrong way round?

Maybe:

 

49966127983_4640eee036_z.jpg

 

I think that's going to be alright but I need to go away now until the swearing stops…

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Wot I dun was make the support pylon fit in the recess by carvosanding 'til it slipped on firmly

 

Filled the recess with tube glue, after taking the fuselage off the recess in the wing then bunged it all together so it sat flat on the pylon top

 

Frankly another excrescence of a fit on a kit on which nothing fits

 

Where you are already is a fabulous place, as you see the struts are fit if you like anywhere sizings.

 

Good work guru

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2 minutes ago, Biggles87 said:

Wings tilt downward? That would give you a negative angle of attack making takeoff a bit difficult wouldn’t it?  :dog:

 

 

It's bad enough as it is, a mile of open water minimum take off distance and the Cat has no flaps or aerodynamic aids on the wings either.

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1 hour ago, perdu said:

Wot I dun was make the support pylon fit in the recess by carvosanding 'til it slipped on firmly

 

Filled the recess with tube glue, after taking the fuselage off the recess in the wing then bunged it all together so it sat flat on the pylon top

 

Frankly another excrescence of a fit on a kit on which nothing fits

 

Where you are already is a fabulous place, as you see the struts are fit if you like anywhere sizings.

 

Good work guru

Wise move Bill :)  

At one point I thought 'Just glue the top on straight and chop the struts to fit'.

I think that, and moving the struts from side to side, was enough to get it to behave itself (see below)

 

32 minutes ago, Biggles87 said:

Wings tilt downward? That would give you a negative angle of attack making takeoff a bit difficult wouldn’t it?  :dog:

 

Quite right John, of course I meant 'slope towards the rear' (fnaar!) :) 

 

27 minutes ago, perdu said:

It's bad enough as it is, a mile of open water minimum take off distance and the Cat has no flaps or aerodynamic aids on the wings either.

A mile! Crikey, good job the Atlantic is pretty open eh? :D 

 

 

Eventually I got here:

 

49966582003_f8ac0f559d_z.jpg

 

Which gave me this:

 

49967394072_78bfa7fb48_z.jpg

 

With lots of TET in the top join and double-touched around the struts I'll leave it to dry.

 

I turned on the flash and took this one to rotate so we can see…

 

49967397682_9a82f76538_z.jpg

 

…that it looks OK? Ish?

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I'm having a wings dilemma meself with the private ear, the right wing is now good; the left wing is too low and when i try to lift it the fuselage sits at an angle! I'll have to tinker with it a while. I'll do wot i dun with the other, i'll ink round the root of the wings and see if there is any trace in the fuselage wing sock-it. I had a look at it and tried to make it work today but i put it aside again until i'm ready for it. It'll still get built but, eventually.

Anyway; I digress! :sorry: at least you have two wing braces for yours!:nodding:

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1 hour ago, CedB said:

Wise move Bill :)  

At one point I thought 'Just glue the top on straight and chop the struts to fit'.

I think that, and moving the struts from side to side, was enough to get it to behave itself (see below)

 

Quite right John, of course I meant 'slope towards the rear' (fnaar!) :) 

 

A mile! Crikey, good job the Atlantic is pretty open eh? :D 

 

 

Eventually I got here:

 

 

 

Which gave me this:

 

 

 

With lots of TET in the top join and double-touched around the struts I'll leave it to dry.

 

I turned on the flash and took this one to rotate so we can see…

 

49967397682_9a82f76538_z.jpg

 

…that it looks OK? Ish?

When i did the Helldiver i used a pair of BIG bulldog clips to keep the outer wings straight while the glue was setting.💡I like that little stand you have there! looks very handy, nice and sturdy! would be ideal for the private ear!

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looks pretty good. not sure I’d be up to wrangling a good model from such a rough kit.
 

I see the desk organisational thing from the website did you order and receive one that quickly?

 

 

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3 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

I remember having similar trouble with my black cat. The struts didn’t quite fit.

I’m really loving that paint work though. Amazing stuff.

 

Johnny

Thanks Jont :) 

 

3 hours ago, limeypilot said:

A mile - 6,000 odd feet. Not unusual for something that big, even now!

 

Ian

Thanks Ian - I suppose it's not that bad then given the water and no jets? :) 

 

2 hours ago, Markh-75 said:

I'm having a wings dilemma meself with the private ear, the right wing is now good; the left wing is too low and when i try to lift it the fuselage sits at an angle! I'll have to tinker with it a while. I'll do wot i dun with the other, i'll ink round the root of the wings and see if there is any trace in the fuselage wing sock-it. I had a look at it and tried to make it work today but i put it aside again until i'm ready for it. It'll still get built but, eventually.

Anyway; I digress! :sorry: at least you have two wing braces for yours!:nodding:

2 hours ago, Markh-75 said:

When i did the Helldiver i used a pair of BIG bulldog clips to keep the outer wings straight while the glue was setting.💡I like that little stand you have there! looks very handy, nice and sturdy! would be ideal for the private ear!

Thanks Mark :) I love the stand. I got mine here. The small monoplane and large biplane one you saw earlier. Great help.

 

2 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

Looks menacing upside down and right side up!

 

The finish on the white paint is immaculate Ced, did you say you used Stynylrez?

Thanks Cookie! :) Yep, it's Stynylrez white airbrushed roughly with a 0.4mm nozzle. I like the variation, but you can, of course, go for a nice smooth even coat; it's great stuff and it doesn't smell!

 

25 minutes ago, Marklo said:

looks pretty good. not sure I’d be up to wrangling a good model from such a rough kit.
 

I see the desk organisational thing from the website did you order and receive one that quickly?

 

 

Thanks Mark :) Worth the effort, sometimes, but I still prefer modern kits TBH.

The organiser is my old Hobbyzone one - the new tool stand has been despatch; watch out for it in the 'What have you purchased' thread.

 

Now then, aerial:

 

49967463077_5a82c3b699_z.jpg

 

Nice new Infini Lycra or EZLine? After the trouble this has given me it can have the EZ.

I bought those buckles for my WnW Camel build (whenever I get around to it) but thought if I did this:

 

49966838193_92f186505c_z.jpg

 

(Tiny things) then I could do this:

 

49966902013_19e17bfe23_z.jpg

 

I've also fitted the waist guns:

 

49966900698_dafd423fc1_z.jpg

 

…and turret:

 

49967412991_0dc977a95a_z.jpg

 

…and the one on the bottom. I've also painted the junction of the float supports:

 

49967797451_dfafc62acb_z.jpg

 

So I'm calling this done, unless you see any glaring problems?

 

49967684682_2801fd7f84_z.jpg

 

Can you see the aerial?

How about now:

 

49966905308_9690abd8f9_z.jpg

 

I've taken some RFI shots and couldn't get her to hang nicely.

I may have to use Bill's 'glue in the thread' suggestion :hmmm:

 

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26 minutes ago, Marklo said:

looks pretty good. not sure I’d be up to wrangling a good model from such a rough kit.
 

I see the desk organisational thing from the website did you order and receive one that quickly?

 

 

I didnt think so either; but my 6th kit build of the 12 i've made since November last year was a Matchbox and Airfix SBC-2 Helldiver combo; the fuselage for the Airfix one broke, poor moulding, so i cut away the underside and fitted the Airfix wing-set to the Matchbox fuselage! Yes it was an adventure but at the end it looked great! Personally (now i have some experience) i rather like the Academy kits. I find them good quality, good levels of detail and rarely a flash in the whole kit. They're a joy to build!:nodding:

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Thanks Mark  I love the stand. I got mine here. The small monoplane and large biplane one you saw earlier. Great help.

 

Ah! Cheers for the link! Those look great! I'd need it mainly for the larger kits, 2 and 4 engined kits, small kits tend to be easy to get lined up nicely as long as the correct attention is given. But more for the likes of the Private ear! I have a wing on now (the one that wouldn't sit correctly, now duz! its the other one wot hangs low now, and i have to make sure the fuselage is sitting straight up and down), its glued as i have a feeling its better to get one fixed in place and THEN do the other! We'll see tomorrow, or when i go to do the other! (sorry folx, i digress a tad). The jigs look brilliant!👍

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