Corgi Aviation Archive Series Diecast Model

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina – U.S. Navy, December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor 80th Anniversary

1:72 Scale.  Length: 10.75”.  Wingspan: 17.25"


Limited Edition

As the Japanese naval task force prepared to launch its devastating attack against multiple US military targets around the naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, their main targets may have been the huge warships moored in Battleship Row but they were acutely aware of the threat posed by another American machine. The Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats based on Oahu possessed the range to detect the Japanese ships and could alert American forces to their presence, not only undermining the effectiveness of the strike, but also placing the ships in danger of attack themselves.

With a strong force of Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters retained to protect the task force from aerial attack, pilots performing this role knew that if a Catalina strayed too close, they would only have seconds to destroy the aircraft before it could relay details of its discovery to navy headquarters where a coordinated attack could immediately be launched. As it was, a U.S. Navy Catalina did detect a Japanese raid prior to the first bomb falling, but it was a midget submarine approaching the entrance to the harbor. Immediately launching an attack on the mini sub and reporting their discovery to headquarters via a coded message, the main attack on Pearl Harbor had already started before military officials had time to plan their response.

PBY Catalina was the US Navy's designation for an American and Canadian-built flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s. The PBY could be equipped with torpedoes, bombs, depth charges, and 50 caliber machine guns. It was one of the most widely used aircraft of World War II. Catalina's served with every branch of the U.S. military and in the military forces of many other nations.


Corgi is a leading manufacturer of high quality, pre-built, die-cast model airplanes. Every model is crafted with meticulous attention to details, using specifications of the original aircraft. Corgi models are made with diecast metal and some plastic components.

This model of a PBY-5 Catalina features: