Consolidated PBY Catalina

By Charles Stafrace

The Catalina was flown in the most trying conditions in all theatres of war, from the Arctic by the Soviets and the US Coast Guard, to the tropics by the US Navy and RAAF. Mainly used by the US Navy and the RAF's Coastal Command for ocean patrol, it excelled in the night intruder raids carried out by the famous Black Cats in the Pacific. But perhaps its most essential role was that of the rescue at sea of downed airmen, which task Catalina crews often risked their own life to accomplish. With four pages of 1:72 scale plans, colour five-view, 36 colour profiles, ten black-and-white and twenty colour photos.