1/72nd. PBM-5A Martin Mariner Seaplane

To mustang1989,

Thank you for your encourageing words!  I'll be priming the Mariner later today.

Toshi

Yes!!!!!!!!!!! That kit is now starting to look like a plane! I love this part..............hell I like all the parts!!! Good going Toshi!

yup thats correct, PIMA did the restoration and the Smithsonian Painted it for them.

Its going to be a pretty looong term loan though :)

To Shawn M.,

I happened to read more of the last existing Mariner and found out that it's on a temporary loan via the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.  Thanks for the read and reply.

Toshi

looking god Toshi!

Wilco is correct, the PIMA Mariner is the ONLY one left :(

To roger_wilco,

Thank you, I too have heard about the Mariner in Arizona.  Thank you for the read and reply.

Toshi

Toshi,

That bird is looking really good! Shaping up nice and it's a rather large aircraft.From what I recall the only surviving Mariner is at the Pima Air Museum in Arizona.

Douglas

To GMorrison,

Thank you, I will definitely be working on the seems for the next several days prior to the aircraft being primed.  I want to point out that I really appreciate your wisdom and that of the many forum members of this thread for their knowledge and general critiques.  Yes, I love the Tamiya paint stand.  Thank you for the read and reply.  

Toshi

Yup, looks like a Mariner!

Nice work and mind those seams on top. We all learned the hard way that paint doesn't fill gaps.

You are definitely getting your moneys worth out of that stand.

Here is a update on the Mariner.  So far, the wings and tail have been assembled and attached to the main body of the aircraft.  I have a few more touch ups prior to the priming of this seaplane.

To STX440,

Yes, I have yet to encounter any fit issues.  When I first saw the Mariner kit, I simply brushed it aside and went for the Revell/Monogram kits.  It holds some nostalgic memories for me yet, the issues that occur like parts not fitting right, or huge gaps are mind boggling.  

The only issue was made by myself, I did not use enough glue to keep the wheel wells in.  So when they fell out, I had to open up the whole kit in half and I went ahead by utilizing CA to do the job.

I won't be purchasing any PE or any aftermarket products.  This will be a OOB build, I want to thank you for the read and reply!

Toshi

To my fellow forum members,

         I just spent most of my weekend on the PBM-5A Martin Mariner.  When I originally purchased this kit, it was as if I was going into a new territory.  I've never worked on a modern re-tooling product before.  I grew up in an era of which Revell and Monogram were the main staples.  So to see for the first time the non-raised lines on the aircraft was a new thing for me.  

It was also a shock to see every single piece of the aircraft put together without worrying of a gap in the seams.  This I found true from the cockpit to the fuselage as I'm sure it will continue this way.  What a relief and a breath of  fresh air this was.  As for the instructions, I think Minicraft has done well in this arena, especially choosing an unusual aircraft for it's subject.  In reality you see nothing but P-51 and F4U products in abundance, so this was a bold statement that Minicraft has made.  So far I liked everything thus far.  Here is a most recent update of my build.

You're very welcome, my friend!

To Devil Dawg,

I'm humbled that you enjoy my building of WWII aircraft, especially this kit, PBM-5A Mariner.  Thank you so much for the vote of confide, this means a lot to me.

Toshi

Toshi, you're doing great!! Just keep at it, my friend, and keep gaining that experience. I like what I'm seeing from you.

Oh, and by the way - I regularly visit my local Hobby Lobby with my 40%-off coupon, too! Been doing it for years. I'm glad they haven't figured out how much money they're losing when I walk in to buy a model!!

To my fellow forum members,

The following photos are of the cockpit of the PBM-5A Mariner. I had some extra PE leftover from my Revell/Monogram P-61 Black Widow. So far, I was able to use the extra instrument panel of the Widow and transfer that PE to the Mariners instrument panel, once the PE was centered, (I had to center the PE as the Widow had only one pilot as oppose to the Mariner having a pilot and a co-pilot) I was confident enough to do a little more experimenting.

Some of the PE gauges and switches were easily transferred, I then started to cut the surrounding PE into little strips and use those strips as seat belts for the Mariner. Absorbing some of the real life Mariners cockpit from photos, I then replicated that to the Mariners interior as close as possible. What will be left will go into the other compartments itself. This is where my "The Bug" PE bender came in handy.

For those purists, I will apologize for taking some artistic liberties and tried to make the Mariners cockpit feel really busy with tight and cramped quarters. I felt that this replicated a real life wartime aircraft, and yet, not to make it too busy but to make things very efficient. I also still have copper wire left from my previous builds, I am going to add the wires to represent electrical lines. Other than this junction, this next step will be a make or break scenario for Minicrafts PBM-5A. What I'm talking about is the fit and finish of the main body of the aircraft. Am I going to be spending a day adding putty to the imperfections all the while sanding and sanding the Mariner? So far the fit and fininsh for the cockpit was next to flawless. Until my next progress, here is what was completed on Friday and Saturday. Thank you in advance to the members of FSM forum, for their knowledge and assistance in this and other past builds.

I'll see if I can find the article.  Thank you for the information.

Toshi

To Devil Dawg

Thank you, if you have a Hobby Lobby by you, get it from there.  You can get a 40% discount via net.  Then just take your smart phone and show them the four digit code.  Thank you for the read and reply.

Toshi

A great story of survival and endurance is the crash and rescue of Mariner George 1 in 1946 during Operation Highjump.

The Revell Pine Island kit comes with a nice Mariner.

Good Luck with your Mariner, Mr. Toshi! I have been looking to buy this kit, and now that I've seen the pictures of your's, I do believe that I will! I hope that your's comes out well.

To Shawn,

That is absolutely some serious dedication.  What's nice about this scale model kit is that you've put so much time in research, it's very fulfilling.  Thank you for sharing your journey!

Toshi

Its been 12-14 years of hunting the internet, book stores and contacting folks.

Its also been a fascinating journey into history.

To aggieman,

Thanks for the tip and heads up.  I'm sorry that the PBM turned out that way.  I'll be purchasing metal landing gears for this build.  Thanks for the read and reply.

Toshi

To Shawn M.,

Wow, that must have taken a long time in gathering that much information on the PBM!  What discipline.

Thank you for the read and reply,

Toshi

Yes it is Mr. Buckeye, it's seems to be a very fun build.  I also noticed how the fit and finish are flawless.  Thank you for the read and reply.