When Woodsy from Aussie Flight asked me to do a review on the Catalina, I was as excited as a kid in a candy store.  I had been looking for a water based aircraft, or the possibility of adding floats to one of my existing aircraft for some time, so this was right up my alley.  I am fortunate enough to live in a location where we have a rather large dam which will be ideal for this aircraft.  There are plenty of radio controlled float planes that can take off from grass, but I am sort of hoping that this one is designed specifically for the water.  I want a true water based aircraft, not an aircraft that I can land on water when I feel like it!  That may sound strange, but when you have a good fleet of differing birds, it is nice to have a few that are so unique, they stand out from the rest. 

As Promised the box arrived from Aussie Flight in perfect condition and just the look of it got me excited.  The box was huge!! With a nice pic of the goodies that it held within on the front.  The first thing was to take a parts count and make sure that everything was in the box.  This can save you a great deal of pain if you get half way through the build, only to discover on a sunday afternoon that you are missing a couple of items.  It even happens with some of the well known brands.  As luck would have it, everything I needed was in the box. 

The first thing to greet me when I opened the box was how well this thing was packaged.  I have received aircraft before where there is nothing else in the box other than the aircraft, meaning they can bounce around and get damaged. However, the packaging in this box was really good.  I have removed the wings for this pic so that you can see the way the manufacturer has created a nice enclosure that keeps the model pieces nice and snug, helping to keep the chance of damage to a minimum.  i have seen less protection in far more expensive models, so thumbs up for this little inclusion.

After doing a parts check and confirming that everything I needed was all included, it was time to do a complete inspection and make note of some initial findings.  This model is completely foam, including the wings.  It does include a balsa internal subframe and this was the first to catch my attention.  Everything is laser cut with precision, and appears in all to be quite a good setup.  There are perfectly cut servo slots, which I dry fitted a servo in perfectly - But more on that later.  I also noted that the canopy is held on by velcro, which I think, on first inspection, I will replace with magnets.  i will also discuss this further later in the review.

whilst having a good look at the internal balsa subframe, my attention was drawn to the battery slot.  It appears that the battery slot was designed for a "Stick" of Ni-Mi batteries.  As I am completely setup for Li-Po batteries, this was going to pose the first hiccup!  I would have to work out a way of mounting a Li-Po battery that or course was not going to fit in the slot provided.  Ideas immediately came to mind, but I will get there soon.

The other thing that caught my attention was the bottom of the fuse.  This part of the fuse looks very thin.  One must remember that this plane is designed to land on water, and so the need for a heavy duty fuse in not necessary.  However, it still seems a little thin to me, and the first thought was that I was going to have to strengthen that area of the aircraft.  After some contemplation I have decided that I will for now leave it as is and complete this review with the stock setup.  If after I have completed the build and am still very concerned, then I will take the necessary steps to reinforce the bottom of the fuse with glass or the like.

OK... So before I start the actual build, it is time to step back and take a look at what I am dealing with.  This plane is actually going to be quite large.  Now this is where things got a little confusing.  I have a strange suspicion that this may be the second revision of this aircraft, as the specs on the box and the specs on the instruction sheet are totally different.

The box claims the following;

Wingspan 1380mm - Length 880mm - Weight 780g

The instructions claimed;

Wingspan 1200mm - Length 780mm - Weight 650g

I will have to actually measure the fuse and wings to determine which is correct but in any case, she is not going to be something you can just throw in the back seat of the car.  The stock setup is powered by 2 brushed 370 motors with gearboxes.  I am unsure of the ratio of these, as it is not stated in the instructions.  I do have my concerns as to whether or not these motors are going to have enough power to get this bird flying nicely.  The fact that I only use Li-Po batteries, may aid in getting a little more out of the motors.

Now that I have sat back and had a good look at this creature, the next step is to start putting her together.

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2

Cheers

The Mongrel.