Aussie Jeff Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 I purchased this kit recently on a whim from Ebay and I might come to regret it - 😳.  /media/tinymce_upload/c44d2c9c91e9035465cc7ba2955cc7c4.jpgThe boxing is from 1991 so the kit is at least 28 years years old but the mouldings are much older at 55 years - this can be confirmed by a part bearing the date of 1964! A bit of research founf that, indeed, this kit was first released in tht year. There are a few parts missing, which I am chasing up, but don't hold much hope of obtaining so that will be a challenge in itself. The parts missing are the complete front turret gun (5 parts) an the starboard float cover. The materil the parts are made from is quite different to the current kits and there are prominant and sharp raised rivets everywhere!/media/tinymce_upload/c331ba0325432ab6d2508bd1188db98e.jpgThe decal sheet is very simple but unfortunately also out of register so if I get this thing together I'll probably order an aftermarket set./media/tinymce_upload/2145698f2a3ca10152099ba0138a9468.jpgThe instructions make the current crop of kits look so far advanced and the painting guide is quite crude by comparison./media/tinymce_upload/36da1f03edd8c1cc97bf44c5c4a04eb4.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/d02296336600dfc109bc62200e27d8d8.jpgI'm thinking this will be a long-term build, my go to when I feel in the right mood as I reckon if I took it seriously it would do my head in, so stay tuned. If anyone has tried this sort of thing before I'd like to hear your experiences.All I can think of at the moment is "why didn't I just buy a new, currently available kit?".Cheers, Jeff K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Jeff Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 A bit more research has uncovered that this boxing is actually from 1993 as the 1991 box didn't include the 'flying hours' detail. Still the moulda for this kit were made in 1964. I'm tinking if I can't get the parts for the front turret I'll try and fashion them from lead as I understand it needs a lot of weight in the nose to avoid it being a tail-sitter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth ONeill Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Hi mate; it may help to know that the retractable float "covers" are reflected around the pivot axis, so you can use the port one to make the flat for the starboard, and then add any detail you want using the port top surface (raised position) part for reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2B Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Have you considered emailing Airfix through the Help & Advice section for your missing parts? I know it's an old kit and not currently in the range but it was re-issued by Hornby sometime after 2010 and there was a post recently where a member got parts for 3 very old planes, so maybe it's worth a try?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jopres57 Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 This is my attempt at the Catalina, made in the nineteen eighties ( and using the wrong shade of grey for the wings). Apart from the decals I think the kit itself remained unchanged during the many years of production./media/tinymce_upload/e660e0754470f316147a1f035c3c4210.JPGIt's a great model but the main problem is that it's a chronic tail sitter. Another snag is that the main undercarriage legs are wide, thin and a bit fragile, so they won't take too much weight. A bit of a balancing act is required, or alternatively some stronger legs.My effort has worn well but the varnished white has started to acquire a distinctly yellow tint. I used humbrol enamels and varnish at the time. If anyone has found a good way of avoiding the yellowing I'd be glad to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 I've built two of these and have another in my stash.http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1312/4776356/9915355/142151915.jpghttp://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1312/4776356/9915355/141513332.jpghttp://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1312/4776356/9915355/142151902.jpgI may do something a bit different with the third one. From memory, it was a nice kit to build (I made both of them 'in flight' so avoiding the tail-sitting problem). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Jeff Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 Thanks for all the comments people, the more I read the more I'm looking forward to starting this. There appears to be a lot of 'moving' parts for this model - front turret, blister windows & gunners, main & tailplane flaps, propellers and the main wing floats (?) - has anyone bothered with all this or are they a bit fiddly/gimmicky? I also have to laugh at the 'decal' for the cockpit instrument panel - you cut out a picture from the paper instruction sheet and glue it on. Hopefully the aftermarket decals will have something better.Also, might be good news re the missing parts - the seller reckons he can find thm and is going to send them through to me. 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jopres57 Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019  There appears to be a lot of 'moving' parts for this model - front turret, blister windows & gunners, main & tailplane flaps, propellers and the main wing floats (?) - has anyone bothered with all this or are they a bit fiddly/gimmicky?  There are actually a number of posts on this subject Jeff, but they are spread about all over the Forum. General consensus of opinion seems to be that moveable parts were best left in the Sixties, although I personally think that a model plane isn't right if it has propellers that don't turn. I think most people agree though that having parts that can be glued in different positions, generally referred to as 'posable', is an important part of a good kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 The cut out IP was de rigeur before they appeared on decal sheets 😛 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Symmons Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 Hi JeffThat cockpit looks pretty dark so the paper IP might be adequite or you could scan it into a computer dicky it up a bit then print it out and use that. I did that when doing my Ju 52 float plane. As for moving parts I always considered these as play-value from the early days. I now know longer consider my models as toys so usually esque this moving parts fixing them into a posed possition, I even often glue the propellers, as if they turn someone WILL turn then (Usually me) and sooner or later they WILL break. Looking forward to your Catalina adventure and good luck. Remember we do this for fun                     John the Pom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin M Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 Are you mad ?, well why not. It might be an old kit, but what a great looking build it will be. I built one of these a while back, but haven't got around to doing another this time around. I like Ratch's method of avoiding yellowing paint work - paint it black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Earth Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 Yep - you're mad.  . . . says a fellow nut case who's working on the old Hampden kit.Have fun !Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Jeff Posted February 6, 2019 Author Share Posted February 6, 2019 Yep - you're mad.  . . . says a fellow nut case who's working on the old Hampden kit.Have fun !ChrisPhewww - glad it's just not me then. 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth ONeill Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 Well, sort of off-topic, but I've started in on Stephenson's Rocket and the Deltic Prototype (railway locomotives, early 1960s tools and once owned by Airfix, now by Dapol). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Jeff Posted February 6, 2019 Author Share Posted February 6, 2019 Well, sort of off-topic, but I've started in on Stephenson's Rocket and the Deltic Prototype (railway locomotives, early 1960s tools and once owned by Airfix, now by Dapol).Cool - what a classic the Rocket must be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Jeff Posted February 9, 2019 Author Share Posted February 9, 2019 Well I’ve started building the Catalina now as the guy I bought it off was able to find all the missing parts from another Airfix kit and they are on their way to me in the post – such a relief. The front turret is the only bit now stopping me cementing the fuselage together.I’m going to do this as the RAF Coastal Command Catalina 111A, as per jopres57 and one of Ratch’s, which has a matt white fuselage and under wing with a grey & green camouflage scheme on the top of the wing and tailplane (a bit more interesting than the all-over matt black ‘Black Cat’ scheme). I primed the two fuselage halves with grey primer before giving the outer surfaces a coat of flat white spray paint hoping this will make it easier to touch up as the build progresses rather than paint it all after assembly./media/tinymce_upload/d399ddaee8c8e9f8c61577d4c110c19e.jpgOnce this was all dry the insides were painted cockpit green and the six small clear window installed. These had to be done now as they go in from the inside. The instrument panel with tiny steering-wheel like controls and the cockpit floor/seats with pilots were glued to one fuselage half. It’s all pretty basic in there. The instrument panel was supposed to have the detail cut out from the instructions and glued on (Ratch said this was ‘de rigeur’ for a kit of this age) but I decided to paint the panel black and make my own ‘instruments’ using the point of a silver paint pen. It’s a bit rough but it’ll do – not much of it will be seen anyway./media/tinymce_upload/e1e3328e1021fd66500d94645b3a3eb4.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/6e6c209ace599bc39555c71537b06feb.jpgAlso fitted at this time were the two ‘blister window’ gunners – again something that would have been difficult later. The guns were supposed to articulate but they are so delicate they would definitely snap off after a few ‘plays’ and some of the interference fit was sloppy anyway. The blister windows will go on later. The little hole next to the port gunner is for a ladder – as I’m still deciding whether to do this as in-flight or not I’ve left it open for now./media/tinymce_upload/c158115372ec32c821e4f02587571ac3.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/ca290ad9cb043a3884a8e0ef2f7a0eed.jpgI can do a bit more on other parts while waiting for the missing parts to arrive but I have made a ballast part up out of fishing sinkers that I may use to glue the front turret glass-house to, I’ll decide when all the bits arrive. As a few people have mentioned the Catalina is a chronic tail-sitter do any of you know if 17 grams is enough ballast? There is no mention of it in the instructions./media/tinymce_upload/f445e3f64420007ba50fad6486766ea2.jpgUntil the next instalment, cheers all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFspook Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Built one of these back in mid 70s when released by MPC under the "Profile Series" label. Used the pre-war markings but kinda used wrong shades of grey. This was in the days of 19¢ bottles of pactra or testors paints that weren't matched to any specific colors. Humbrol only available at "specialist" shops and too expensive at the time for me. Did have alot of play value! Built mine with gear up, remember nose doors didn't fit well. Crew figures crude, but I always liked them; still prefer to have a crewed aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 Looking good Jeff, I'm tempted to get my third one from the stash - although I may do something left field with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Jeff Posted February 12, 2019 Author Share Posted February 12, 2019 Waiting for the missing parts to arrive in the post has made me adjust the normal build sequence for this project and I’ve been focusing on some of the more fiddly parts and painting up the clear parts framing etc. The blister windows and the cockpit canopy only have the faintest imprint of the framing which makes things difficult – I wonder if this has improved on later kits? I was able to mask the blister windows in several stages and produced a reasonable result (for me) – the cockpit canopy was a bit rougher but it will do. I have fitted the blister windows to the fuselage halves and was able to get the opening section to operate successfully!The other parts I’m really happy with are the two engine/prop assemblies. Even though I downloaded the most recent painting guide from the Airfix site there wasn’t much detail on the engines, so I looked for images of P&W Wasp engine and used those as a guide. The bronze ring on the cowling was an addition from the new painting guide and I think it really works. And they look even better dry fitted to the centre wing section. The props even spin freely when you blow on them!By the way 17 grams nose weight I nowhere near enough – try at least double that. Anyone know anything denser than lead that is readily available and not radioactive!This might turn out alright after all./media/tinymce_upload/4ee67576b83a83886f04f47a9aaee909.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/14d00959a18a28ac7a5b9bc4ec14a20f.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/7d6c2d20bf704d4d60525277f84630a0.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/dc00634a79f2df87f915aefd38cafd0c.jpgAnd Ratch, there certainly some interesting images of 'repurposed' Cats on the web! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth ONeill Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 "denser than lead and not radioactive" - depleted uranium? 😇 It's actually tricky to get, but does meet the stated spec!As for the small transparencies, there's a fair lobby (I'm one of them) who'd do those last, using either Humbrol Clearfix or Microscale Krystal Klear (depending on availability) rather than the original mouldings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Jeff Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 Well I've learnt that trying to get a nice finish in matt white is nearly impossible an ended up making a real bodge job on it - so I tried my hand at weathering. I tried re-creating that salty, gauno-encrusted look by using a variety of charcoals and ochres as washes and more white paint, dragging it vertically down the sides of the fuselage. From some angles it looks really good, from others well it looks like your five year old child has been playing with it after coming in from the garden. Oh well, it is all just an experiment and fun and games in't it?Oh, and I've solved the tail-sitting problem. Just install the included ladder to the post blister canopy - just as the maker intended!/media/tinymce_upload/627a4348a46e1beb4a413f3dc5239182.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/1e1e9ea8ec365e910a87f45cb2769b99.jpgNow to try and fit that enormous three-part wing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2B Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 Your Catalina is coming on well and looks a good job for such an old mould! Painting white using a hairy stick is not easy, gloss is even worse. I don't know which produce your using but my last major build using brushes and enamels before going modern and getting an airbrush was my Shackleton MR.2 which is a few posts down, and I had to thin my Matt white down quiet a bit and do a couple of thin coats to get an even finish without brush strokes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Jeff Posted February 21, 2019 Author Share Posted February 21, 2019 I got the central section of the parasol wing to attach with a bit of filing and scraping and fitted the four support struts. I left this overnight to cure as once fully assembled with the other wing pieces the whle assembly is nearly half a metre across!!The starboard wing section has a distinct downward bow to itbut there was little I could do about that in the end. Both outer wing sections were glued on and held in place for what seemed an eternity before I could let them go and support them as best I could wile the solvent cured. There is a bit of a list to starboard due even in the centre section which is odd as I would have thought the struts would have kept that bit level. Combined with the bowed outer wing the starboard wing tip is much closer to the ground than port.As you can see I also got those posable wing tips/floats to work which I'm rather chuffed about./media/tinymce_upload/2bcf34f208a3cbff8d55acc7f6306960.jpgI wanted to do the rigging from the tailplane to the wing tips and for this I used some 4lb smoky grey monofilament fishing line hat is 0.13mm in diameter. Scaled up this would be just under 9.5mm in real life - I have no idea if this is realistic or not but it was as fine as I could find. I attached this into th tailplane when I assembled the fusalege halves, tying a big knot so it wouldn't pull through later. Another knot was tied with the two strands a short way out from the tailplane and these were stuck togeter with supaglue forming a thicker section before they diverged to the wings - I thought this worked really well!You can see in the pic above I used small weights to keep the tension on the line while the glue set. Below you can see the rear section pretty clearly./media/tinymce_upload/2f264c029f5690f22574eb8a31743ab7.jpgNow onwards and upwards to finishing this dirty bird off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Earth Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Ah yes . . . White is the bane of every brush painter ! Two techniques I've adopted to help in this (being a fellow weilder of the hairy stick).  First, I don't use pure white. I use light aircraft grey. I find that it goes on more opaque, and it doesnt look as "shocking" white.  This is especially true for invasion stripes on 1/72 and smaler scale a/c. Second, as was mentioned, I use several coats of thinned paint.  Just . . . Keep . . . Painting . . .  Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth ONeill Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Generally, "looking good".Ref the "rigging", I think those are aerial wires, in which case they'd be 5mm (full size) at most. Your mono-filament idea is the one most people use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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