Aircraft walkaround vol.70: Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina

Subject: Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina

Location: Dreams of Flight museum, Orlando, EUA, 2013

Comments:The Consolidated PBY Catalina, also known as the Canso in Canadian service, was an American flying boat, and later an amphibious aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other nations. During World War II, PBYs were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escorts, search and rescue missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport. The PBY was the most numerous aircraft of its kind and the last active military PBYs were not retired from service until the 1980s. In 2014, nearly 80 years after its first flight, the aircraft continues to fly as a waterbomber (or airtanker) in aerial firefighting operations all over the world. The PBY was originally designed to be a patrol bomber, an aircraft with a long operational range intended to locate and attack enemy transport ships at sea in order to disrupt enemy supply lines. With a mind to a potential conflict in the Pacific Ocean, where troops would require resupply over great distances, the U.S. Navy in the 1930s invested millions of dollars in developing long-range flying boats for this purpose. Flying boats had the advantage of not requiring runways, in effect having the entire ocean available. Several different flying boats were adopted by the Navy, but the PBY was the most widely used and produced. Although slow and ungainly, Catalinas distinguished themselves in World War II. Allied forces used them successfully in a wide variety of roles for which the aircraft was never intended. They are remembered for their rescue role, in which they saved the lives of thousands of aircrew downed over water. Catalina airmen called their aircraft the "Cat" on combat missions and "Dumbo" in air-sea rescue service. (Source: Wikipedia)

Spacecraft vol.7: IRBM PGM-17 Thor

Subject:	IRBM Thor Missile in White Sands
Scale:	1/87
Manufacturer:	Glencoe models
Price	US$24,00 plus shipping
Description	Injected plastic model with  waterslide decals.
Comments	This is a new release from Glencoe models that did not receive much attention from the modelling community. It is the Thor missile with a launch pad. The original molds are from Adams Models and were released in 1958. Considering the age, they look nice inside the box. The scale is 1/87 (HO scale for the train modelers) witch is probably why most people did not get interested in the kit. A launch pad is provided and it is basically the same you will see on the Vanguard kit. The box art is the same as the Adams original release. New decals were added with more detail then modelers got in 1958. My sample came with injection problems on the fins and on one side of the fuselage (pictures). These problems were not too hard to solve and i will give a go to this one very soon. The missile is very easy to assemble. With less then 10 parts, the major problem was the small fault on the injection process. The base is more complex but fit is very good considering the fact that the molds are now almost sixty years old. Everything was painted with tamiya acrylics. The decals were wel printed but did not perform very well, I used future floor polisher to get them to stick to the model. Overall, this is a nice kit with impressive size and good detail.

Aircraft walkaround vol.69: Martin B26 Marauder

Subject: Martin B-26 Marauder

Location: Dreams of Flight museum, Orlando, EUA, 2013; USAF Museum, Dayton, Ohio, USA, 2014.

Comments:The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engined medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company from 1941 to 1945. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe. After entering service with the US Army, the aircraft received the reputation of a "Widowmaker" due to the early models' high accident rate during takeoffs and landings. The Marauder had to be flown at exact airspeeds, particularly on final runway approach and when one engine was out. The 150 mph (241 km/h) speed on short final runway approach was intimidating to pilots who were used to much slower speeds, and whenever they slowed down to speeds below what the manual stated, the aircraft would stall and crash. The B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were re-trained, and after aerodynamics modifications (an increase of wingspan and wing angle-of-incidence to give better takeoff performance, and a larger vertical stabilizer and rudder). After aerodynamic and design changes, the aircraft distinguished itself as "the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front" according to a United States Army Air Forces dispatch from 1946. The Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any USAAF bomber. A total of 5,288 were produced between February 1941 and March 1945; 522 of these were flown by the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force. By the time the United States Air Force was created as an independent service separate from the Army in 1947, all Martin B-26s had been retired from US service. TheDouglas A-26 Invader then assumed the B-26 designation — before officially returning to the earlier "A for Attack" designation in May 1966. (source: Wikipedia)