The PBY was involved in almost every major operation in World War II, significantly contributing to the defeat of the U-Boat menace in the Atlantic (with no less than 36 lost to Catalinas) but also proving its worth in the Mediterranean and the Pacific in long-range reconnaissance (PBYs located the Bismarck at sea in 1941 and the IJN fleet at Midway in 1942), night anti-shipping ('Black Cats') and air-sea rescue (Dumbo).

The newly upgraded set (we issued a 3D printed model five years ago) offered here features more accurately scaled wing support struts and includes two different models - one full hull, "in flight" model with the stabilizing floats up and one waterline model with the floats down that simulates the aircraft as it would appear when floating in the water. While photography of these little gems is a challenge for our equipment and limited skills, check out the well proportioned model including the massive fuselage with detailed canopy, nose turret, retracted wheels, those distinctive waist gun blisters and tail assembly; the parasol wings complete with extended twin floats on the waterline model and the engine nacelles. Note that with a little patience and modeling skill, the wheels can be carefully sanded away to create a very convincing rendition of the non-amphibian PBY-5.

Although the surfaces are not perfectly smooth (3D printing is done in layers), the plastic used can be sanded and painted much the same way you would handle resin or styrene.

NOTE: While we currently maintain limited inventories of most items, some items may be "printed on demand", which usually requires 10-15 business days from order to shipment.