CANicoll

Found this website which has some nice pictures of a RAAF PBY 6A - but close enough on the details for my build. Definitely shows the pinched 'waist' aft the gun blisters which I hope the resin tail will also show off. Consolidated PBY Catalina - Destination's Journey (destinationsjourney.com)

Hi folks, The Voodoo is getting ready for paint and realized I don't have the proper colors for the three-color SEA camo. I have the greens as MRP 101 Dark Green and MRP 102 Green, but the 'Tan' I have is the 'Sand/Tan' MRP 396 which looks way too light to my eye. I see SB has a Sand MRP 395 which seems to look closer. Any suggestions or ideas on the 'right' colors for three-color SEA scheme? This is my test for when I get to the 1/32 Phantom which I will do in SEA camo as well. I also see that there is a Green/Brown/Tan 3 color camo scheme. Not sure about that one. Thanks in advance! Chris

I agree, wow! Beautiful build and the linen effect is amazing. Your cockpit detail is really something. But your sharing of your incredibly detailed build logs is beyond wonderful - thank you for sharing your information and skills!! And the vignette is terrific and really adds to the story. THANK YOU for showing how you did the base! That has always represented a huge challenge for me and I am grateful you are sharing your tips. Chris

Peter - Just Beautiful! What a great aircraft and subject and you did wonders with a terrific, but difficult kit. Shame about the radio hatch and not being able to see the detail inside but that Quinta placard on the door is excellent. And you are really a master with the MRP paints. I know, they go on so nicely, but as we've discussed, they only reward excellent prep which is your forte. There is just something about the AVG planes that really grabs the attention. Maybe the biggest complement is all the people here who are saying that maybe they want to try the kit now they have seen yours! FWIW, I have a full set of the Molotow Blackliners I'll send you to try out if you want. Check them out and send them back when you are done. .05, .1, .2 and .4mm. Black, not Chrome so not sure if you will find a use for them. I also have the 2mm Chrome pen and the 2mm Liquid masking marker but can't remember how I used them years ago - probably on the oleos. Must not have made a big impression?

I think the Quinta stuff is better than the Eduard color PE but I have not seen in-person their LOOK/SPACE lines yet but the reviews I've read point to Quinta for better quality but Eduard for lower price. I did use the Quinta bits in the SU-92 I built and was very impressed with it. YOUR 'pit looks amazing! Whatever is used still has to be applied correctly and yours looks great. That fading on the engine cowling in something else. I may have to look back at Quinta for a future build. What surprises me is that they don't have a set for the 'New' Revell 1/32 P-51D. Lots for Tamiya, Airfix and Eduard esp in 1/48 scale. Hmmm....

One of my favorite aircrafts after building one in 1/72 and realizing all of the detail and the unique shapes involved. Plus, I do like the Tri-color scheme. Your build looks amazing Ernie! The MRP Paints are terrific but they are so thin they show every wart and imperfection under them - which in your case is showcasing how beautiful your build really is. LOVE the flaps. Somehow I missed it - did you drill out the kit flaps or did you go the PE route? Hmm, 1/32 for props, 1/48 for jets. I have to admit - the occasional 1/72 build is pretty nice to get something built fairly quickly. I have used a 1/72 build in preparation for a 1/32 (or even 1/48) build just to get familiar with how the plane goes together and check out the painting and detail references. What did you use to mask the canopies?

I'm not a huge watch guy, but I do have a Seiko 150m divers watch that my dad gave me in 1978 as a HS graduation present. I was disappointed it wasn't a car, which is what a lot of my friends got, but he had his reasons for that. The watch band is on backwards to make it easier to attach to what was then a dive gauge holder. In excellent condition and still works!

I've had similar lifting problems with MM in the past - long before I learned the benefits of primer. I definitely like it for interior work and where I'm not masking the exterior. I didn't have too many problems spraying it, especially once I got a new airbrush and moved on from the Aztec I was using to get started. It is really surprising how poor the TD IP looks compared to the kit IP. Off-center gauge recesses, and generally soft detail really don't show well. At least the seats are pretty good and the sidewalls should spruce up the cockpit nicely.

CMK/SH and Eduard have also had a HUGE presence at SMW in Telford, England, and agree with Hubert - they are all great folks to talk to. I've had lots of conversations with those folks and they have been patient and helpful. I do like the CMK resin (and their strengthened landing gear) and of course the Eduard bits and bobs in addition to their kits. I'm happy/upset they have re-released their P-39 kits. Happy they did it, upset my wallet is likely going to take a hit. Those are some of my favorite kits in 1/48. I'm pretty sure about 5-6 years ago I took hundreds of pictures of the SR-71 at Udvar-Hazy for the HPH folks. They were particularly interested in seeing all of the access panels around the aircraft. Gigabytes of pictures. Supposedly it is a 2023 release according to various modeling websites... It would be nearly a meter long in 1/32 scale!!

Actually, I have those, and have one in a handle right now! That's right, then you can burn off the excess CA. I...Must...use...tools...I...already...have.... LOL.

BTW, any update on Paul and rebuilding after losing his house and workshop in the fires? Nothing on his website. I seem to remember he lost everything - molds and inventory? Very sad.

I had no idea this kit even existed but I knew of the aircraft. The write up and the history is fantastic, thanks Hubert for sharing! Read every message! Your 'start' is looking good. I know of Fisher's kits, but actually have never put my hands on one. So definitely will be watching this closely! Good to see you also keep reference materials handy. I keep a folder of pictures from the internet to use as references for each build, this way I can zoom in when I need to. Keep going!!

Making a bit of progress, and the more I look at the bits in this kit, the more I am impressed with this oldie. The kit seats are actually pretty good compared to the resin seats as you can see here. It will be a shame to put a pilot into these seats and cover up all the detail! The other area where I think the kit has done really well is the instrument panel. Originally I thought the resin IP was going to be more detailed, but as you can see here, the kit IP is actually a more detailed panel. On the left side of the resin panel some of the gauges are actually off-center. Painted (gloss black) the kit IP looks even better. The resin sidewalls, however, are very detailed and fit perfectly. Attempted some preshading Decided it would be appropriate to dig out the old paints (Model Master Acryl!) to use on the old kit. I actually still have a bit of the Acryl thinner (and two and a half bottles of the Acryl cleaner). As I remembered, the paint layed down very smoothly. Coverage was pretty good, too. \ Massive ejector pin marks huh?

Scott, No worries!

Oh.. HELL ...NOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Wow, Carl, your PE work is just amazing. I would not even attempt such fine work. Wow. What do you use for your bends? And how do you get that tiny dab of CA to keep it all together? I'm in awe... Chris

Not much of an update at it took a long time to get the True Details seats separated from their pretty big pour blocks. Finally took out the Dremel tool. Cockpit is coming together but next up is painting the cockpit, as well as the interior (after getting the resin sidewalls installed). Got the sidewalls, IP and an overhead panel separated from their pour blocks which was pretty easy. The seats fit into the kit frames pretty well. They definitely have more detail than the kit seats - which I should have ground off or just used the kit seats since I'll be putting pilots into the seats. Hmm, thinking as I'm typing this. I should have thought about this a lot earlier! It's a start!

Thanks Jeff, kinda looking forward to the surgery, just hope I don't screw it up! The resin bits look really good.

Scott - Oh, that is a GREAT idea on the decals. The kit has definitely been taken care of so I'm hoping I have a similar experience to yours on the decals. I have the tail for the PBY-6A conversion from Belcher if you are interested? Belcher Bits no. 7, set BB-07 with the two-piece hollow tail. Let me know if you want it.

Hi Mike and Happy New Year neighbor! Mine is the early version with the solid tail (one piece) but I've started to hollow it out. It will take a lot of time, and in the end not sure it will make a lot of difference. Let me know how yours works out. Peter suggested a water-rescue scene which is really appealing and certainly deals with the tail-sitting issue.

Thanks Peter! Also for the display suggestion. I'm thinking about how to do that!

Hey Peter, Not really sure how to display this big beast. I LOVE the idea of the Cat in the water with a downed pilot in a liferaft paddling up to the Cat. I'm just not sure I know how to do it!

Thanks John! I haven't had to deal with Flash in a LONG TIME!

While the Catalina stuff was drying, made a bit of progress with the Voodoo. You can tell I'm really not into jets as I had to pry open the wing halves to insert the jet intakes. Oops... Plus, you really can't see the intake fans. Oh well. Cockpit was mostly painted by hand and it is amazing how poorly the various parts fit - especially the seats which I'll finish fitting after I see how they look in the fuselage. The nose gear bay is a puzzle which took a bit of fitting and refitting to try and get the geometry right. Still not quite there, but close enough I think. I forgot how well Model Master Metalizer sprays and looks. The photo doesn't quite catch the colors. Not sure why I bothered with this as you really cannot see the intake fans down the intakes! After having to pry the wing tops off to slide the intakes in... In my defense, that part of the instructions is on the OTHER side of the instruction sheet! Next up, the fuselage camo. The bottoms have been sprayed with a USAF Light Gray. Oh yeah, I need to go dip the canopies!! And off to the Catalina...

Just to continue the flow: I'm in with the venerable (and HUGE) Monogram ProModeler PBY-5A Catalina and some resin bits (new tail, cockpit details). Going to go with the 'in-flight' option which will be interesting as the kit comes with four crew - two pilots and two waist gunners. Will be doing some first-time surgery to graft on the new tail. Seriously considering drilling out the tail to try and lighten it at least a little. Have saw, will travel...

Whoa!!!