1/144 PBY-5A Black Cat

[jayveedee]

My next project I have decided to run along with my other PBY.
This is basically the same kit but molded in black plastic. I will do
it as a Black Cat from VPB-24 in the Marshall Islands in 1944, plane
number 04. It looks like I will be using the eyeball turret again but with
4 exhaust pipe stubs instead of the muffler flame dampener set up as
on my ASW PBY. ---John

[jayveedee]

I have a little work done. I was able to cut off the horizontal "hump"
on the anemic eyeball turret and will glue it and the domed gun barrel
clear part to the correct sized nose turret. No building up a hump with
Elmer's glue this time. I tried cutting it off on the other kit but got to
anxious and put too much pressure on my X-Acto knife and cracked it,
I took my time and scored it good this time.---John

[jayveedee]

I did some cockpit work. I decided to try and make the control yoke look more
realistic, even though it won't be seen too well. I cut the yokes off the posts and
added a piece of sprue between the posts then added the yokes to the cross
piece. Looks a bit more like the real deal.---John

[RayS]

The yolks look better John

I just managed to button my 1/72 build up and I had fun trying to get the cross beam to stay in place with pilots legs in the way

[jayveedee]

Looking real good RAY, liking those pilot figures!---John

[jayveedee]

I have the cockpit and machine guns added. The fuselage is now closed up.
I also added some lead weight to the nose before closing up the fuselage. I
found some pictures on line showing the machine guns pointed down and to
the rear so I positioned them that way, looks different and a bit more interesting.---John

[RayS]

Catching up there John, ALmost time for some paint. I have another Academy kit that I am tempted to start to build OOB.

[jayveedee]

Thanks Ray, how about an Aussie or NZ BlackCat? Right handsome machines!---John

[jayveedee]

The canopy and fuselage blisters are installed. I finally got the domed
eyeball piece and the horizontal piece I cut off the eyeball turret fitted
and glued to the nose turret. I still need to sand a bit to get it to fit down
in the turret well in the nose.---John

[jayveedee]

The wings and engines are assembled. I used the kit muffler-flame arrestor to make exhaust stubs.
The wing top is laid out for the antennas, now to see what I have for stretched sprue to make
then antenna and wing tip masts then make another copper loop antenna.---John