Building Guillow's 1:28 PBY 5/5A kit.

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Build Images, Group I

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Second group of images for previous posting.

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Next posts will be OK!

[Guest]

Hull Assembly!

I finished the prep-work on the hull-formers, and pinned down the upper and lower keels (glued from A1, A2, A3, A4, and at the after-end). After that I got the first F1 Port-side half-former glued down and braced:



Here's a close-up at the nose-end of the hull:



The second (F2) former goes on, while the first is protected from accidental bumping by me, with the aid of maple blocks!



I got as far as F5 tonight, but more pix will have to wait until tomorrow; I just looked at the time, 11:50pm here ... my, how time flys when one is having fun!

Regards, John

[Guest]

Morning John no doubt you are still asleep.

Nice progress & this must be very rewarding. This takes me back to the forties when there were no plastic models just balsa wood & the fun I had as a small boy building in balsa. The smell of that glue not sure if it is the same glue now I think it was called Balsa Cement.

With the Gillows here & another article with a Billings boat I think that I am being lured into trying one of these alternatives to plastic. Something refreshing here. But have I the patience.

Watching with interest John.

Laurie

[Guest]

OFF TOPIC: Full-Scale Model, Movie Camera Magazine!

Morning John no doubt you are still asleep.Nice progress & this must be very rewarding. This takes me back to the forties when there were no plastic models just balsa wood & the fun I had as a small boy building in balsa. The smell of that glue not sure if it is the same glue now I think it was called Balsa Cement.

With the Gillows here & another article with a Billings boat I think that I am being lured into trying one of these alternatives to plastic. Something refreshing here. But have I the patience.

Watching with interest John.

Laurie

Hi Laurie,

I remember when plastic kits were the newest thing, and my interest in models began both by a Drug Store window display of nicely finished balsa flying models by local modelers, and hanging out at the Smithsonian museum, a collection of the world's most gorgeous models (at least then, when I was young); the Drug Store also sold plastic and balsa model kits when the nearest actual hobby-shop was a 20 to 30 minute drive away.

I have a pair of WWII issue flying (rubber-powered) airplane kits, one a "BILD-A-SET Mustange No. 252" (a Joe Ott design), 30in wing span, and the other is a MODEL CRAFT Boulton Paul (Defiant), 20in wing-span, when balsa was un-available due to war-time shortage, and the parts are printed on what looks like Fir or some grade of Pine or Spruce, with hardwood stringers, and no wire for axle nor rubber-bands for the propeller (which was two printed, pre-twisted slips of yellow poplar!)

These remain un-built, for the succeeding generations.

I clicked on your icon, and saw some of your other interests; I can't resist sharing this photo of a 16mm 1939 Kodak model E with a full-scale model 200-ft magazine, made of MDF, bits of wood, and paper mache!



A project on hold for the past 50 years! MDF, Oak, Papier-mache from brown paper bags and white glue (brown bags are virtual MDF!)



Never quite complete, as I didn't want to modify the antique Kodak to provide a film slot, and I would need to build a separate housing for the camera mechanics, to make the magazine work without destroying the original condition of the Kodak!

A new housing would be an even more challenging project!

Thanks for your comments!

Regards, John

[Guest]

Coming along nicely John and thats a crazy looking Kodak!

[Guest]

Got more done, last of the Port-side hull formers in place:



Overall view with all port-side formers placed:



I added the wheel-well internals for extra robustness, though they are not needed for the PBY-5.



Bend in side-keel going aft:



Starboard Hull formers F1 - F3 clamped in place, with Port side-keel and chines installed.



Another view of the same:



A12 chine attached at lower aft end of keel; I needed to make a triangular block to provide glue surface, as I did not find any directions for properly attaching A12 at the end.



Scotty: "Cap'n Kirk! There's a huge, alien growth on the hull!"



Should be starting on the Starboard side keel and chines tomorrow.

Regards, John

[Guest]

Got the A11/A12 chines in place, and got the stringers finished for the upper area above the keel.

First stringers going in.



A little more stringering.



Close-up on notch added instead of butt-joint per plan, as it's easier to maintain correct position.



Notch-pad made-up and added to help with sharp-angle attachment.



1:18 character compares with 1:28 hull.



Should be getting to the hull bottoms over the weekend, but need to find out the "tricks" of making the sheet-balsa conform to the slight curvatures on the hull.

Regards, John

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Hi John. Looking great so far mate well done. A couple of things you can try to get your balsa to bend is completely soak the balsa for several hours until it is wet through. When wet it should bend like cardboard. Pin it on the model so that it follows the shape of the model. Let it dry out completely and then trim and attach. If the curve is a little smaller you can just wet the balsa on one side only. This will cause it to swell on one side and cause the sheet to bend like a bannana. Good luck.

Steve

[Guest]

Yes John the old PBY is really taking shape. Nice Job. You have been busy. Lovely subject as well.

Filmed a PBY, all brilliant white, in Jersey (GB) about 5 years ago both on the ground & in the air. But filming, otherwise I could have taken advantage of a free short trip.

Love to see one on the water. I think she is one of the most attractive aircraft ever built. Put her with the Fleet Royal Navy Harrier (not all the later editions through out the UK & USA they spoilt the lines).

Laurie

[Guest]

Yes John the old PBY is really taking shape. Nice Job. You have been busy. Lovely subject as well.Filmed a PBY, all brilliant white, in Jersey (GB) about 5 years ago both on the ground & in the air. But filming, otherwise I could have taken advantage of a free short trip.

Love to see one on the water. I think she is one of the most attractive aircraft ever built. Put her with the Fleet Royal Navy Harrier (not all the later editions through out the UK & USA they spoilt the lines).

Laurie

I've just received my DVD copy of Destination Tokyo; there's a nice sequence (scene-menu "Rendezvous") of a PBY-5 making a water landing, "discharging the passenger" and taxiing for a takeoff.

I wonder if any PBY-5A and up are still flying. Personally, I like the pure seaplane version, and I have been tempted at times by the earlier 4 version, but this one just has to match up with Destination Tokyo! Too bad there are no original PBY-5's surviving.

Regards, John

[Dave W]

Theres a PBY with undercarriage based at Duxford in the uk.I think its one of the later marks as it has the larger fin.Theres another one in the uk somewhere that used to belong to TV personality Hughie Green.It used to come into Southend airport where i work.Havent seen it for a few years though.It was painted in a strange yellow and green colour scheme.

[Guest]

Jersey International Air Display Photo Gallery

This is the Catalina over Jersey. Nice pictures beautiful aircraft.

Laurie

Edit. This was about 4 to 5 years ago. Unfortunate weather fog & wind spoilt the air display & it was cancelled last year.

[Guest]

Got the hull planked in; here's 3/4's:



A little closer in:



And all four hull-panels done:



More to come ... very soon!

Regards, John

[Guest]

I just could not go along with opaque windows made of printed card-stock; so I innocently made up the first window, but when I couldn't find my narrow chisel to inlet it into the engineer's place, I absent-mindedly stuck it into the "radio-room" position (it should be half-high for this position). I will have to fix that up.



The "glass" is common plastic goods-packaging, affixed to the 1/16in balsa frame with Crafter's Pick water-based adhesive (" ... adheres to Metals, Plastics, Glass & More! ... Dries clear ... ").

The other major "windows" come next ...

Regards, John