**** DONE: 1/48 Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina Commonwealth GB.

[Vic Balshaw]

Thanks Bill.

Look what Postman Pat delivered today, my lovely lights all the way from the USA and only ordered on 30 Dec. Real express service and post free.



These little fellows are 3mm wide and come in a variety of colours in normal light, fast flash or normal flash. Each light has a small dropping resistor that keeps the voltage down so they can be used individually or in groups leading from the one wire connected to a 9 volt battery. These ones are also supplied with 14 inch cable on each lamp. I also got a couple of battery connections with built in switch.

As for work on the Cat, here are a couple of progress updates shots


The APU and yes Bill (Night Fighter Nut) it is an old capacitor probably stolen from a PC Board I found laying around.


The bulkhead between the side blister gunners and the forward end of the aircraft, showing the scratch built ammunition canisters and stowage racks.


This little fellow is the anchor winch which sits inside the anchor locker (it will be open). One would think that they could have fitted a mechanical one and not leave it to the poor crew members to haul is on board.


Last up the main radio cabinet which has huge wires poking out the top just like Frankenstein. Hopefully this one will stay static during lightning storms.......................

 

[T Bolt]

Wonderful work Vic!!!

 

[N4521U]

What the???????????????????

you-da-man

 

[Wayne Little]

Fantastic Vic......real impressed mate!

 

[rochie]

i'm amazed Vic, looks absolutely brilliant

 

[Airframes]

Bl**dy marvellous! Great stuff Vic, and I'm still trying to work out what you made the anchor winch cable drum from - looks familiar. Maybe there was a power winch also, but with a manual 'over-ride'?

 

[vikingBerserker]

NICE!!!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Bl**dy marvellous! Great stuff Vic, and I'm still trying to work out what you made the anchor winch cable drum from - looks familiar. Maybe there was a power winch also, but with a manual 'over-ride'?

Three bits of old kit parts, three snippets of Evergreen, one oddment of 28 gauge wire, a few dab's of CA, a lot of

and a lot of 'F*#$!ng' swear words............

 

[Airframes]

Sounds about average then! Realised what it reminded me of - an airbrush nozzle!

 

[Crimea_River]

This just keeps on getting better!

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

I think Wayne may have some serious competition. Excellent work Vic.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Many thanks Andy and Aaron. We are plodding on and in between detailing and touching up I am still finding little bits that need some improvement like the lack of ammunition boxes on the two 50mm blister guns and no handles to aim them by, am also making up some small pouches that are according to the Squadron Signal Walkaround are scattered all about the aircraft. Hope to get most of this out of the way tomorrow before starting to stow some of these bits within the fuselage. May have some more pics tomorrow.

 

[Crimea_River]

Looking forward to them!

 

[Lucky13]

May have some more pics tomorrow.

May have some more pics tomorrow? What do you mean, may have some..??? You either have or don't.....geeesh!



Looking forward to them old chap, carry on!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Sorry folks, but the 'may' has turned into a 'haven't'...

...work progressing but need to sort out where the lighting wire is going before I start installing all the furniture.........................maybe

tomorrow.

 

[Lucky13]

Eeerrr......hmmmmm......what's the words I'm looking for here...hmmmm....aaaah!

TOLD YOU SO!

Looking forward to the pics old fruit!

 

[javlin]

Will be waiting........

 

[Airframes]

Even better - photos with their own lighting !

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

May have some more pics tomorrow? What do you mean, may have some..??? You either have or don't.....geeesh!



Looking forward to them old chap, carry on!

Eeerrr......hmmmmm......what's the words I'm looking for here...hmmmm....aaaah!

TOLD YOU SO!

Looking forward to the pics old fruit!

Vic, I do have a rather large peg mallet I will let you borrow if you like.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Vic, I do have a rather large peg mallet I will let you borrow if you like.

I could well be taking you up on that offer Aaron particularly if I get to the UK later this year as planned and by chance meet up with the pesky fellow.............. ............ No offence Jan old chap, you know we all love ya..............
Thankyou gentlemen and 'Jester Jan'

for your interest.

Again I've been putting finishing touches to the internal components and now have many of them fitted in place, but only one bulkhead as I'm still toying with the light wiring. Next up I'll start on the wings, engines and wing lighting which has to be done before the aircraft hull can be zipped up.

Following are some peeks at the interior fittings.

Looking at the port side these two shots show the navigators compartment, note the little light in the top of each picture.

Next we have a peek at the cockpit with the bomb aimers nose position from varying angles and his instrument panel. The cockpit instrument panel will be fitted at a later date.

The instrument panel

Changing to the starboard side we have a couple of shots from the radio compartment.

Here is the tool box on the left side which was often used as the dining table with the two water tanks on the side wall behind, a bulkhead will fit between this and the radio compartment. Moving right we have the APU and the a couple of bunks for crew sleeping, there is also another bunk opposite on the port side. The bulkhead door leads into the blister gun compartment.

In these two pictures we have the blister gun mountings and the on board toilet, complete with toilet paper. The rearward door leads to the .303 step gun.