The Officially Shameless PBY/Halloween '09 GB

tlivancso wrote:

Hello all, I posted this earlier in the thread but I am not sure anyone saw it but Frank and John. I put a site together that has over a 1,000 photos of PBYs that were sent to me by a friend of mine who is a research librarian at the Pensacola Naval Air Museum. The site URL is: http://www.mechanicalrenaissance.com/Albums/catalina_pby_album_2/index.htm hth Mike: Great photos I was there last xmas on vacation. Cheers, Thom

Welcome to the GB Nick! The first page has been updated and you are listed! Very ambitious build you have ready to go! Can't wait to see some WIP photos! Great bunch included here!

Thom! Sorry if I missed those pics first time around! Apologies! Great pics! Thank You!

For your additional help your flight rank has been suitably adjusted....(see the front page)

Alex.....I'll look around about the RAAF colors, but Nick may be able to help!

As some may know.....I have photo hosting troubles. Aaron can access my account and do what I'm not able to. Trying to iron it out. Thanks Aaron!

We now have 27 Members of this GB!

Thank You!

Look what showed up in the mail today... Only $22.99 at Tower Hobbie , they are listed under Monogram for the manufacture... I almost committed model suicide by waiting so late to check the mail. It is almost time for the Wife to be home.

Lets see some building going on here to motivate me to crack the seal on this kit.

That was the kit Daywalker and me pre-ordered last spring! I believe our price was the same on pre-order.....at least I hope it was!

Those are some great pictures, Thom.  What an awesome reference.  Thanks! Does anyone have any idea what color the interior of an RAAF Catalina is?  ZC?  Interior Green? RAF Interior Green?  Something else?    I've been looking, but I can't find anything definitive.

Alex,

I'm afraid I cant give you any definitive answer on the interior colour question. Most likely the interior was the same zinc chromate that was applied at the factory. As to the actual shade of this colour, that's something of an unknown, see:

www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/01/stuff_eng_interior_colours_us.htm

I mixed up a greeny-yellow that I thought looked ok. That's about all you can do. While we're on the subject of colours - your next question will be about the main wheel well colours. Same thing applies. From the info I can gather, the colour was usually a dark grey or black on US aircraft, but that it seems that RAAF aircraft were zinc chromate in the wheel wells.

I have to qualify the comments above. They are not definitive! The problem is a destinct lack of colour pics of RAAF aircraft. So, you'll just haave to apply an educated guess and not get to stressed about it!

What colour scheme are you considering for your machine?

Let me know if i can be any further help, I have a few references for RAAF PBYs, and stay tuned for some in-progress pics...

Nick

Hi Nick,

Thanks for your help.  I figured it would be a factory job unless the RAAF had something else as a standard interior paint.

No kidding about the lack of colour pics of RAAF birds.  I really don't have ANY good references for RAAF Catalinas.  Can you recommend any books or websites or anything?

I've got an OLD Kookaburra book that shows 3 B&W pictures of 'The Dabster' code OX-D of No.43 Squadron in a very bizarre paint job.  Night overall with Dark Ocean Blue and Extra Dark Sea Grey camouflage on the wing uppers.  EVERYTHING on this bird is faded and chipped.  The book references page 122 of RAAF Camouflage & Markings, Volume I for a camouflage scheme, but I've never been able to track it down.  As for wheel wells, this one is a -5, not a -5A, so that's one less thing to worry about.  All in all, this should be a very cool build. 

Cheers,
Alex

Thanks Nam and Aaron for the welcome. And Thom for the pics link - fantastic!

So here are my first WIP shots. A bit heavy on the dry-brushing Sunnas, I hear you say. You're right to bring that up, and let that be a lesson regarding modelling in low light conditions to you all! 

The True Details pit, just quietly, is probably a bit of a waste of time. The side panels are nice but not visible when the fuselage is put together. I used the seats and fitted them with Eduard belts. The instrument panel is eduard over the kit part and the bits in the nose are Eduard also. As for accuracy of these parts (to my intended RAAF ASR bird) I have no idea, but they probably wont be visible anyway!

I have since fitted the resin TD gun ring into the front turret and started to pile in the nose weight. Whoa - what they said was true - this crate needs A LOT of nose weight! I have put bits of roofing lead under the pilots seats and under the bomb amier's position, but still dont have enough. I was eyeing off the large area behind the cockpit bulkhead, but think it would be visible through the canopy. So today I will be finding new and creative ways to fit big mobs of lead into my model!

And one other thing while I think of it - when assembling the main gear wells; the bottom of the retraction strut connects to the tab on the upper A arm. This bit in the instructions was a bit ambiguous and I mistakenly glued the bottom of the retraction strut in a slightly different spot. Hope that makes sense.

Oh - and Nam - my name for the front page is Sunnas, not Summa, cheers mate!

Alex,

Have a look at this for inspiration:

www.hyperscale.com/2008/features/pb2b232bm_1.htm

It's a P2B2 but wears the standard RAAF black cat scheme. More often than not these birds were very heavily worn and chipped. A note on RAAF black cats - I cant find any evidence of 5As in the all-over black. Only 5s and P2B2s. There only black 5As were birds with the undercarriage removed and the wheel wells blanked over. These look the same as 5s but without the window where the wheel well would be. I know this doesnt necessarily relate to you but someone might find it relevant... maybe...!

References. Hmmm. The RAAF camo/markings book is available from Hylands Books in Melbourne:

http://www.hylandsbookshop.com.au/

But it is expensive, around $100AUD from memory (although you'll have a pretty good exchange rate against the USD, it must be said!)

Another great reference is Stewart Wilson's Catalina in Australian Service:

http://www.notebookpub.com/books/bookcatalina.html

...which at $18.50AUD is very reasonable.

Good luck, and let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

Fabulous beginning Nick!

Yes, it is a handicap having a closed canopy on the PBY.....that is why your photos justify your work! You will always have a record.

Nice work! The AM parts are well done, (though I judge only by eye and not IPMS!)

As you move along, be sure to keep us updated. And thanks for being helpful to the others here!

BVD

Nam,

Picked up my kit today.  She is the Revell Germany PBY-5 Catalina IIA #VA708 from RAF Coastal Command 209 Sqn.  She's the plane that spotted the Bismarck.

Nam, Nick and Alex,  thanks I just wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to use the information and spread my AMS (Advance Modelers Syndrom).

Nick: The interior pics look great, thanks for sharing them.

Cheers,

Thom

Mike- Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing them!

Sean- Glad to see you here!  Now how about some WIP pics?

Sunnas- Stunning work thus far!  Your interior work is the dog's bollocks.

Great start Nick!!!! Well done mate!!!!! and aboard!!!!!!

Mike- Thank you very much for the link!!!

I just went through from pg 1 and did not see this build mentioned

http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Flugzeuge/Gaeste/Wolf_Catalina.html

Sorry you will have to copy and paste, I have not figured out the linky for this site.

Front page is updated.....Buddy got his kit!

Sean....yes someone posted that earlier.....too awesome to believe! But you have helped out others that may have missed it!

I recommend that everyone hit that site.....breathtaking!

On the recent re-issue Revell kit:

Be extra careful when assmbling the wing. Dry fit carefully! It is a BIG assembly and has some warp. I don't suggest sanding off the locator pins as you may need them....but some light sanding of the upper panels around the pin socket areas seemed to help.

It is not a quick and easy assembly.

namrednef wrote:

On the recent re-issue Revell kit: Be extra careful when assmbling the wing. Dry fit carefully! It is a BIG assembly and has some warp. I don't suggest sanding off the locator pins as you may need them....but some light sanding of the upper panels around the pin socket areas seemed to help. It is not a quick and easy assembly.

Why do you think I build 1/72? The problems are much smaller.

sfcmac wrote:

1/72? Way too many subjects for my mind to comprehend!  Nam PM inbound ! Why I dunno just following the bandwagon!

Aaron,

Not only more subjects, but kit storage is a whoooole lot easier and you can put more kits in the same space-unless you're building 1/72 scale subs that is.  Nam, I'd send a PM too, but the bandwagon went left and I missed the turn.

lewbud wrote:

sfcmac wrote: 1/72? Way too many subjects for my mind to comprehend!  Nam PM inbound ! Why I dunno just following the bandwagon! Aaron, Not only more subjects, but kit storage is a whoooole lot easier and you can put more kits in the same space-unless you're building 1/72 scale subs that is.  Nam, I'd send a PM too, but the bandwagon went left and I missed the turn.

Just as well Buddy! I read no better in 1/72 than I can build in it!

Daywalker wrote:

Nam- Thanks for the head's up on the wing assy!  I am keeping notes on all of this so I can use it when I get to play with mine.  Hopefully soon!

I have more Daywalker and All.... The 25" (minus outriggers) wing is together and in very good, if not perfect shape. Pics taken.....try to get them up thru me or Aaron.

I got the engine mounts lined up and worked outward with the top section. This worked well. But where everything meets in the middle.......PITA.

BIG hunk of plastic as an assembly!

G'day All

Back again with another update. I have mated the fuselage halves and completed the wing assembly, minus outriggers. Still havent decided what to do with them yet. Am tending toward the wheels down pontoons down option.

First a comparison between the Quickboost engines and kit parts. The improvement is fairly comprehensive, and from memory they're not that expensive. Worthwhile addition I reckon.

Next you can see the seams are very nicely matched, with little filler necessary. This kit is really well engineered.

The only problem I had was between the blisters, but this was my fault, not the kit's - I was a bit heavy on the clamps and didnt see the misalignment. Bugger!

The wing went together really painlessly for such a massive bit of plastic (as BVD has already pointed out) and somehow I ended up with these damn gaps on each side of the upper main wing. They are really annoying and I dont know what I'm going to do with them yet.

Finally - this is about 80% of the lead in the model! Have I mentioned how much of a tail-sitter this crate is?! Crossing my fingers the undercarriage is up to it. I will attatch wheels with epoxy and brass pins and hope for the best!

Thanks for looking.

Nick

Daywalker wrote:

Nick- You are really zipping along with this build!  That's a lot of lead, any idea of the total weight?

's Nick! You have more time than me!

Very nice looking work!

\The LG on this kit are very strong.....should be okay with the weight. Anxious to see how your PBY sits.....I may have to drop some more weight in through the nose turret!

Your patience seems to have paid off glueing the wing and fuse! I took it very slowly. AND I have the same exact gap in the wing.

Also.....toughest part of fuse was between the blisters for me, too!

Thanks Frank and BVD and everyone else who's commented.

Yes, I'm working on the Cat everyday. I work on oil and gas projects at the moment and am between projects for now. So lots of time to model! As for the total weight - I knew someone would ask that, and I dont have an answer! I started by folding up the sheet of plumbers lead and fitting it in gaps inder the cockpit assy - but that wasnt near enough - it was really the big half circle sinker in the pic that finally tipped the balance (no pun intended!).

BVD - great to hear that you had exactly the same issues as me!! I'm particularly relieved that you ended up with the same wing gaps! That's not very nice is it?! I'm sure you know what I mean...

I am staying at the family home in country Victoria, not too far from a place called Lake Boga, which during the war was the home of the RAAF's No.1 Flying Boat Repair Depot. This was where most of the heavy maintenance was carried out on the RAAF's (wonderfully eclectic) flying boat fleet of PBYs, Do-24s and Empire S23s. Regular work was also done on USN Martin Mariners and PBYs based on this side of the Pacific.

Today Lake Boga is a speck of a place on a salt plain, a community of perhaps 200 people. Australia is in the grips of a long and devestating drought, and the Lake has completely dried up - quite a surreal sight. All that is left of 1 FBRD is a  a generator building and a couple of concrete bunkers - one of which houses the modest Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum. And so this is the intended home of my cat. After I've built it and admired it for a while, I'll donate it to the museum, as the best they have are some very poorly made Airfix 1/72 jobs hanging from the ceiling.

So that's my story!

Thanks for the bit of history Nick! VERY interesting!

My large gap in the PBY wing is on the port side. Starboard side is a tiny gap, but trying to make them match would mean the engine mounts would have been way out of whack. The starboard side will need just a tiny bit of attention. I'm hoping gap-filling CA will handle the port side. 

Nam,

I realize by now you've probably fixed the wing gap problem, but have you thought about using strip styrene to fill the gap?  Probably still need to use some sort of filler afterwards but not as much. 

Hi All! Been way too busy with visiting relatives and the blasted Weekend GB!

Buddy.....Great to hear about the start!

I actually DID realize that a styrene filler would be best. I stretched some sprue and will use that. Just too busy with the other stuff to address it now! Good to know that had I not thought of it, someone would have reminded me!