Scargsy Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 This is my entry for the GB: Maybe an odd choice but the "PB" is Patrol Bomber, and the 'Black Cat' variants used in the Pacific, especially during the Guadalcanal Campaign were used to great effect in harassing Japanese naval and land targets at night. The A variant (as opposed to the PBY-5) is the amphibious version with landing gear. Looking on Scalemates the moulds date back to 1993 and have also been released by Revell and Wolfpack over the years. The Academy instructions don't seem the clearest so I maybe referring to the Revell ones online as I go along! Sprue shots, etc. once we get underway - I've peeked in the box and there's a large amount of black plastic (not sure how well I'll be able to directly spray black on black, might need an intermediate colour primer). Other than the base kit, I have some Eduard Masks (will be useful for the gunner pods), PE and Kits-world aftermarket decals (some interesting nose art and the stars and bars are in grey, rather than the kit supplied white ones). I may fish around in my parts and see if I can find some crew figures too. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTninja Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Despite being a nearly 30 year old mold, I've heard very good things about it. Picked up the Revell rebox last year, and it looks pretty good. Hope it doesn't cause you too much trouble, enjoy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 A black cat with nose art sounds ace 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toryu Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Thats a nice choice Scargsy! It reminds me of the Revell 1/72 Black Cat that I built as a child. I love airplanes that can swim...! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_W Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 You will need a great deal of nose weight, which will stress the main undercarriage quite a bit, mine now sits in a cradle. Don't follow the kit instructions for the nose wheel doors, they are wrong. The doors slide, not hinge - look at photos for a better description. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplasticsurgeon Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 On 1/17/2022 at 1:02 AM, Scargsy said: This is my entry for the GB: Maybe an odd choice but the "PB" is Patrol Bomber, and the 'Black Cat' variants used in the Pacific, especially during the Guadalcanal Campaign were used to great effect in harassing Japanese naval and land targets at night. The A variant (as opposed to the PBY-5) is the amphibious version with landing gear. Looking on Scalemates the moulds date back to 1993 and have also been released by Revell and Wolfpack over the years. The Academy instructions don't seem the clearest so I maybe referring to the Revell ones online as I go along! Sprue shots, etc. once we get underway - I've peeked in the box and there's a large amount of black plastic (not sure how well I'll be able to directly spray black on black, might need an intermediate colour primer). Other than the base kit, I have some Eduard Masks (will be useful for the gunner pods), PE and Kits-world aftermarket decals (some interesting nose art and the stars and bars are in grey, rather than the kit supplied white ones). I may fish around in my parts and see if I can find some crew figures too. May be nearly 30 years old now, but it's the best Catalina in 1/72. I completed one last year, in Atlantic Scheme. I had painted mine silver, many years previously - which covered the black plastic. Definite tailsitter, I put a stand under mine for photos. Got to agree that the instructions weren't very clear, but I'd already built Airfix as a Black Cat, so built mine a bit differently. I read a book about Black Cats and Guadalcanal. On night missions, the gunner would throw empty beer bottles out of the blister. These whistled just like a bombs as they descended, increasing stress levels for the Japanese. And a Catalina could carry loads of bottles and just 4 bombs. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 22 minutes ago, theplasticsurgeon said: I read a book about Black Cats and Guadalcanal Is it called "Black Cat Diary"? I have a copy of that and it is a very good book and shows the pain that these brave guys caused the Japanese to good effect. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplasticsurgeon Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 1 hour ago, modelling minion said: Is it called "Black Cat Diary"? I have a copy of that and it is a very good book and shows the pain that these brave guys caused the Japanese to good effect. Sounds like it. Was 30ish years ago, borrowed from a colleague. Searching Amazon just finds 2022 diaries with black kittens on the cover. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scargsy Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 So I'd been planning to start this today but only managed to get some work done on the Matchbox GB Humber as I needed to do some DIY painting the living room (happy wife, happy life). I did however unbox it and got some sprue shots... The sprues are contained in 3 poly bags (2 sprues per bag) - this is the largest and only just fits in the box at a diagonal angle (i.e. not fully flat) so I hope it hasn't warped, I chopped off the sub-sprue on the left before putting it back into the box. This was bagged with the clear parts (in a separate bag). Here's the clear parts and two more sprues (I like to keep the clear parts bagged until I need them to stop me damaging them) but they seem fairly good (not amazing but will more than do)... The final bag contained the frankly massive wing parts, note this is an A3 cutting mat for scale... Parts seem nicely moulded with lots of detail on them, interior OOB maybe a little lacklustre. Here's a shot of the kit decals and instructions, as mentioned the instructions could be better - just 6 steps (by throwing lots of things in a single step), in a black and white folded paper pamphlet... Here's all the aftermarket bits... I managed to dig out some WWII pilot figures, I'll need to see if they will fit. Thanks for the heads up guys on it tail sitting, etc. I'm planning on doing it wheels up, as I like to for most of my builds - the instructions do have some concessions towards this although don't show any info for that option with the front wheel well. I'm not sure if I'll do the wing tip floats up or down yet. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scargsy Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 Links for the various instructions (more for my reference): Academy: https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/6/7/0/231670-29-instructions.pdf Revell boxing: https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/6/8/7/1119687-27-instructions.pdf Eduard PE: https://www.eduard.com/out/media/72242.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Those instructions are certainly of their time The kit parts look to be nice though and the aftermarket goodies will add more detail and more fun to your project no doubt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scargsy Posted January 29, 2022 Author Share Posted January 29, 2022 So it's off the start blocks (or moorings maybe more appropriate)... First thing to do was fit the front well doors in a closed position - the parts do fit very nicely (which is a blessing) I added some plasticard on the inside to help reinforce the join - nothing worse than crushing them in at a later date! The centre wing section halves seemed quite flimsy and easy to warp with lots of empty space inside. I'm probably going to mount this on the ceiling once finished so was concerned that this part could be under a fair amount of stress so added some 1mm plasticard strips to help reinforce them. Fairly round and ready cutting on the strips but no one will see it once finished... The halves were then joined and the other wing ends added - this kit has a serious wing span! I then added the wing tip folding floats - I decided to do them in the stowed / upright position so the wing-span is even longer! There is little detail in the area where the wing tips fold up and the PE kit didn't appear to contain any extra detail there. Talking of the PE kit I've decided not to use it - I want a fast build and I'm not sure it will add much. The cockpit floor piece in the kit has a hole in the middle, I presume the top of the wheel well is supposed to simulate the lowered floor here (since the door bottom is below the level the seats are mounted at). My plasticard reinforcement of the doors would get in the way of mounting it now, and even then there would have been gaps between the two floors. In a flash of inspiration I decided to repurpose the wheel well - I cut the sides down, squared it all off and mounted it upside down onto the bottom of the cockpit. OK it's not the nicest piece of plastic - there's some nasty ejector pin marks in it, but it should at least nicely block any odd bits of light shining in. I also started making up the side wells - I was wondering how I'd manage to pad out the wheels to an appropriate depth but then looking at the Revell instructions they show that the upright from the gear can be repurposed (not mentioned in the Academy instructions) so I decided to do that - though the hole and pin need a bit of fettling. I also fitted the small doors just above the wheel mounting points - which form part of the gear. As before I added some small slips of plasticard behind them to help get them in securely and aligned. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 Good progress and smart solutions to the potential problems this kit contains 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scargsy Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 So a bit of progress. After building up the wings I fitted what I think are the air intakes on the underside of the engines, however I'd not drilled the locator holes for them and after fitting the engines I wasn't happy so removed them - I'll need to tidy up and reattach a little further forward I think. The sparse interior got a quick blast of interior chromate green and the 'goldfish bowl' gun pods were added. Thank goodness for the Eduard mask kit, would have been a pain to mask otherwise. The sparse interior also continues to the cockpit - there is a small instrument panel with decal, I attached that to the opposite half of the fuselage as it was easier to attach there. There is also a small bar with the steering yokes that attaches on the pegs seen in the cockpit. I attached the two fuselage halves then placed the steering yoke/bar in - was a bit fiddly as you can't clearly see both tiny pegs at the same time, so trying to get it lined up was a pain. The two halves weren't the greatest fit and annoyingly I've had to sand away quite a bit of the lovely surface detail down/near the seams. Luckily the small bow gun pod still rotates, since I'll need to pain the rear side and remove the masking there! The circular plate with the guns, the Eduard instructions would have me masking around the outside and then use liquid mask for the centre - but since it's effectively all masked I'll keep it off till the end (I just need to remember to put a bit of foam or something into the opening when painting! 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 Glad to see this one continuing to take shape. Are you planning to reinstate any of the lost detail around the seams or leave as is? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desert falcon Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 Beginning to look a lot like a Catalina 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scargsy Posted February 10, 2022 Author Share Posted February 10, 2022 18 hours ago, Col. said: Glad to see this one continuing to take shape. Are you planning to reinstate any of the lost detail around the seams or leave as is? Probably leave it, hopefully I haven't sanded it to death and something is still there! I don't have any riveting tools! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 On 2/7/2022 at 10:56 PM, Scargsy said: The sparse interior I once tried to scratchbuild a full Catalina interior but gave it up when I realised it would all be unnoticed. I think it makes sense to concentrate on the outside with all the possible weatherings. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scargsy Posted February 11, 2022 Author Share Posted February 11, 2022 On 10/02/2022 at 13:21, Bertie Psmith said: I once tried to scratchbuild a full Catalina interior but gave it up when I realised it would all be unnoticed. I think it makes sense to concentrate on the outside with all the possible weatherings. I looked at some online reference photos from museums and even the the photo-etch does a woeful job of representing just how complex the interior is for those side gunner pods, not something I'd like to try and do - especially in 1/72! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted February 11, 2022 Share Posted February 11, 2022 29 minutes ago, Scargsy said: I looked at some online reference photos from museums and even the the photo-etch does a woeful job of representing just how complex the interior is for those side gunner pods, not something I'd like to try and do - especially in 1/72! I don't do 72 so it must have been a 1/48 one, if there ever was such a thing? Maybe my memory is playing tricks? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted February 11, 2022 Share Posted February 11, 2022 4 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said: I don't do 72 so it must have been a 1/48 one, if there ever was such a thing? Maybe my memory is playing tricks? 1/48 Monogram PBY-5 and 5A, My finished RAAF Black cat is sitting in storage with the wings separate. The darn thing is so big I have no place to display it. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/monogram-5609-consolidated-pby-5-catalina--152874 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scargsy Posted February 13, 2022 Author Share Posted February 13, 2022 All the wings on... A little blast of interior green over the clear parts and the smaller antenna, pitot tubes, other greebles and masking on... Might need a small bit of filling on the wing joins then off to paint! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted February 13, 2022 Share Posted February 13, 2022 Looking good to me James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 Looks fantastic! Look at that wing chord! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scargsy Posted February 21, 2022 Author Share Posted February 21, 2022 So in order to cut the number of paint coats I decided I'd go with a single 'one-shot' of primer/paint - Mr Surfacer 1500 Black mixed with Mr Surfacer 1000 Grey (to lighten slightly) and Self-Levelling Thinners (4:1:5 ratio). May have been a tad too light in hindsight but I hoped that the later treatments might darken it... After that had dried I gave it a coat of Microscale Gloss, thinned with IPA and brushed on. Then on with the thankfully few decals, the Kitsworld decals seem nice and thin, but don't seem to have overly conformed to the detail with Microsol - though maybe I just needed to add more? Once the decals were on, I added another coat of gloss over the decals, then once dry used most of a rattle can of Tamiya Flat Clear coating this huge thing! After that I added an oil wash of Abteilung 'Starship Filth' thinned with Odourless thinners - annoyingly it wasn't as dark as I would have liked, I should have used a pure black wash - though the only things I had on hand were acrylic based (which wouldn't have a long enough drying time for the huge size) or Tamiya panel liner - which I didn't fancy using the whole bottle on a single model! The lower sides of the 'goldfish bowls' have a few marks (I think some of the Tamiya Extra Thin I riskily used to attach them has ridden up the paint masks. I noticed after I'd taken the photos I'd forgotten to remove the masks over the tiny windows rear of the wheels! The wheels - I used the technique on Britmodeller of using thinners first on the tyre part then adding some paint to allow it to 'flow' to the line. In this case I used so Vallejo Air Dunkelgrau, though it still didn't offset well against the hub colour so I added a satin varnish to the wheel hubs to try and get a bit more contrast. The wheels themselves seem a little too far recessed on the stalks (I reckon on the real aircraft they should be closer to flush to improve aerodynamics). The bombs got a couple of coats of Vallejo Air Olive Drab brush painted over the primer. Anyhow I think that'll do for me, another one to add to the 'finished' pile, time to make some space for a couple of MiGs! 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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