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

[Lucky13]

AWESOME!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Should this help you Vic?

Thanks JC this is just fantastic stuff and has solved yet one more dilemma, namely the wheel size for the beaching bogies, I now have a comparison and will be hopefully more accurate with the ones I have to make and with the detail of the legs Many thanks again my friend, you've made my day.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Nice find JC!

 

[LDSModeller]

Hi Vic

Look forward to your build, RNZAF flew Cats
also in the PTO, so will be interested in
how you build your "Plane"8)

Eventually most/all RNZAF PBY5's.PB2B-1's
had the 'eyeball bow turret. I know RAAF PBY's eventually
ended up with them too (don't know if all did), any idea
if your model did?

Regards

Alan

 

[javlin]

I come in here and there is no damn pics!!but a bunch of chatter about a maybe Pic of some damn plane??what is it going to be?a Spit?a KI-45? or a G-Bee racer?I think the Wisers is starting to work if we had a one-finger salute I give it to the lot of ya.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

I come in here and there is no damn pics!!but a bunch of chatter about a maybe Pic of some damn plane??what is it going to be?a Spit?a KI-45? or a G-Bee racer?I think the Wisers is starting to work if we had a one-finger salute I give it to the lot of ya.

Patience my friend, patience, having to collect my thoughts first and am still in the planning stage looking for somewhere to put the finished bird...........................but keep watching for it won't be long now......

 

[Wildcat]

My information also tells me that there was also a single .303 gun in central position after the step which could be unique to the Aussie modifications. I can't for the life of me work out where this is . Have you any idea?

I reckon I've read that somewhere too Vic. I've been looking though my books but so far have turned up nothing. I'll keep looking..

 

[Vic Balshaw]

I have the answer Andy, it's a 303 MG that was placed between the rear fuselage gun blisters so that either of the rear gunners could use it, it was mounted to fire downward through a waterproof trapdoor in the hull of the flying boat just aft of the small step at the base of the hull. How useful it was could be open to conjecture and as for putting it in this build, I think not................at the moment.

 

[J-Christophe]

Well, boys, you are talking about the 'tunnel gun', aren't you?
It was part of the gunnery from the early version, fitting all the PBYs.

Best regards.
J-Christophe.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Once again JC you have come up trumps, many thanks my friend for all the reference material. I must also say what a magnificent part of France you live in, I was lucky enough to visit your region a couple of years back, staying in a little cottage in La Teulière, Gagnac-sur-Cère for a few days. Very beautiful country.

My thanks again.

 

[Wildcat]

Excellent!

 

[Airframes]

Excellent info JC.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

OK folks, the big Cat is out and after all the marvellous reference input from you folks out there, we have made a start'

These are the two main wheel bay holes that have to be filled in and sealed, scribed and riveted.

I'm also removing the mooring cable and will replace it with something a little more real looking and hopefully floppy. Not sure at this stage, but am thinking of half beaching the Cat.

The two wheel bays traced onto a piece of green styrene 1mm thick, which is about the thickness of the model hull.

One hole plugged and glued with just a little bit of filler needed. You will note that I have braced the patch with a couple of strips of styrene, it helped to position and secure the patch which has a quite a curve on it.

 

[Florence]

Big holes to fill there. What did you cut the tracing out with?

 

[Wildcat]

Nice work Vic

 

[Lucky13]

Looks like a great start mate!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Thanks Andy and Jan

Big holes to fill there. What did you cut the tracing out with?

I have a small pair of tin shears David, these I used to cut close to the outline and then filed the card down to the outline marking, testing for fit as I went. Once I had a good fit and taking the bend into account, I stuck it down using a bit of accelerator. I also managed to stick my fingers to the hull and have left while prising them off.

 

[Florence]

Cutting styrene accurately is something I am still learning to do. Thanks Vic.

 

[Crimea_River]

Nice work Vic.

 

[J-Christophe]

Hello Vic and Group,

Worth erasing that awful hawser from the bow!
Here is a view of what it looks like, in its right place.