Consolidated PBY Catalina
Daniel Croke reviews the 1/72 Revell Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina
CONSOLIDATED PBY-5A C ATALINA
MANUFACTURER: Revell
SCALE: 1/72
KIT TYPE: Injection moulded plastic
KIT NUMBER: 03902
DECAL OPTIONS: 2T
he Consolidated PBY
Catalina was one of the
greatest lying boats,
but it did not amaze with its
speed, maneuverability or
sleek looks, instead it ofered
the ability to roam the ocean
for long periods of time and
served as an excellent platform
for anti-submarine warfare,
maritime patrol, search and
rescue. Ultimately, over 3,000
were built in the US, Canada
and Soviet Union and some
of these remained in military
service until the 1980s.
This kit is the PBY-5A and
is a Revell boxed version of the
Academy kit. The box carries
the ‘New’ labelling which is
partly correct as it is new to
Revell. Inside the box are seven
light grey sprues and one clear
separated into bags. Engraved
panels and rivets are presentand relatively restrained.
Academy’s original release was
noted for some dimensional
problems such as nacelles
being too small, this law is
still present in this boxing.
The instructions are the latest
Revell style of colour drawings.
All paint call outs are for Revell
only. The decals are for two US
Navy aircraft, one World War
II leet example and one post
war US Navy reserve. Neither
option particularly inspiredme, and I already had a set
of Starighter decals which
included a US Navy PBY-5A of
Admiral John S. McCain used
at Guadalcanal in 1942. I also
obtained the Ammo by Mig
US Navy World War II paint
set which will be put to use.BUILDING
Construction began with the
interior, including the landing
gear and bays which are allinstalled from the inside. Most
parts are given a coat Ammo
by Mig 221 Zinc Chromate
(part of the US Navy Set). I later
discovered the main gear and
bays should have been painted
the exterior colour. The interior
includes representation of
most of the main parts. The
inside is the enhanced with
various Revell acrylics. All the
big parts are glued together
as per the instructions and
then I decide that keeping the54 SEPTEMBER 2019 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
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