Museum-Scale PBY Catalina

Museum-Scale PBY Catalina

We love flying boats, and this impressive, 13-foot-span PBY Catalina is an exquisite replica! Designed and built by Icelandic modeler Sturla Snorrason , this 1/8-scale PBY Catalina is powered by two Quadra 35cc gas engines spinning 16 x 8 3-blade Graupner props and weighs in at 48.5 pounds. Even the retracts are scratch-built! Unfortunately this model has since crashed (see video below), but we have no doubts that Sturla is working on another scale beauty! Thanks to Dabb for taking this video and sharing it on YouTube. If you’d like to build your own PBY, Sturla offers plans, landing gear, cowl and more on his website, www.rcsturla.com.

 

Updated: July 27, 2015 — 10:09 AM

13 Comments

  1. Did he ever say what caused his plane to dip as much as it did in the final turn? Was it batteries? was it running out of fuel? Wind? It did not look like his normal turns at all. It looked like it just dipped.

  2. so sad, brave of him to show the whole wreck, at least the pilot was ejected OK!

  3. Very nice model, though there is nothing about it remarkable enough to qualify as ‘museum-scale’.

  4. What sad ending for so noble a beast!

  5. Damn . That’s got to hurt!!! Such a nice build . What a shame

  6. What brand of radio receiver was he using

  7. Where I fly, everyone has switched to 6V receiver packs.

  8. is that a T-18 thorpe in the hanger?

  9. Very sad !!! Such a beauty !! My dad flew on full size PBY’s in WWII. What brand of receivers both failed ?? The odds must be infinitesimal!!! I hope you rebuild it or build another one !!! It was too perfect to have such a tragic end !!! Happy landings on the rebuilt or replacement PBY. I’d love to see it take off and land on water too !!! I love those wing tip floats !!!

  10. aargh shame that single stump leapt up and took out such a beautiful model. Why is it always the only obstruction for miles about that does that?

  11. Hi guys,

    It was a shame crashing the PBY. I have used the same radio since she was new, JR X388 and two pcm rx from JR. There were two rx, two batteries and two switches. If one failed, I would still have control of the other.
    The antennas pointed in two different directions. so I should never lose both at the same time. The elevator and the aileron on one side should have been enough. An interruption from another transmitter is what I think happened. Possibly the magnet from the other engine caused interference. I think I will need to convert to 2.4 or buy new.
    I have started to re-build and it goes well.

  12. Buitfully designed and finished. The Catalina was instrumental in patrol and assistance missions in the Amazon region durimg the 70s briging aid to many local population in the region. I guess I will buy those palns and schematics and reproduce one in the Brazilian Airforce colors of that era.

  13. a beautiful model of a beautiful plane.
    Watched the re-build with interest – good skills! –
    One fellow knocks it as not being “remarkable” museum-quality wise.
    Rather unkind me thinks;
    – looks pretty damn tiddly to me 🙂

    Thanks for the share.

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