The Little World

The thought of buying legacy models is somewhat bittersweet. It always means that someone’s dreams were not fulfilled.

It can also be rendered more awkward if those dreams were started, rather than just in anticipation. I mean, of course, the kit that has been started. Fate’s led to its abandonment and if you take it up again, you are also taking up the destiny it had.

In the case of this Academy model of a PBY-5 – the well-known Black Cat version – the amount of cutting and glueing has been light, but several points of choice on the model have made, and the final result will depend upon them. As received, the landing gear wells were installed and the floats tucked up into the wing. The radome was attached to the cockpit canopy roof. There were .50’s cemented into the sponsons. All choices I should not have made, had I opened a fresh box.

So I have gone in search of a plane that fits what is in the box – and fortunately found one. Good old Harold Skaarup has a couple of photos of a Canadian-built Catalina in the UK with all the characteristics that are now baked onto the model I am building. It can sit on the apron at the flying boat base on beaching wheels and be a legitimate tail sitter.

The process of finding a prototype for whatever is in the box can be frustrating – even if it is an un-started kit. Often the makers are so specific in their kits that only one aircraft is really possible. Then you have to start boxing clever and look as far afield as you can for a mark to aim at.

At least the price for the kit was low, and the work done so far to a standard that supports further investment of time.