Here is a real oldie from back in the Microscale days. This one is for the PBY Catalina and the kit recommended is by Revell. Now we have the much nicer Academy kits to use, but back then, Revell was it. The sheet even includes templates so that the kit can be backdated to the earlier PBY-1 and PBY-2 versions.

There are markings for four aircraft. The pre-war versions are in overall aluminum paint with the very early ones having black lower hull and floats.

The PBY-1 is from VP-12 with blue elevator and rudder stripes with black edging. You'll have to paint those on along with the black upper cowl half and fuselage walkways.

The PBY-2 is a VP-11 aircraft. It has red for the wing stripes, lower engine cowls and the stripes on the rudder and elevators.

The PBY-5 is from VP-14 and has a black vertical rudder stripe and upper cowl half.

Finally a PBY-5A from air-sea rescue with a sea blue upper surface, white lower surface and yellow wingtip/floats, fuselage band and engine nacelle tops. The fuselage and wing tip areas have a black band.

Insignia will have to come from the spares pile or another decal sheet. The sheet does include data markings in the form of a lot of little 'v's. I've not a clue what they are for, but you get them in black and white.

The sheet also includes badges for VP-2, 5, 7, and 10. Then only ones that look like what are/were still used by Orion squadrons is the one for VP-10.

November 2006