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 Author  Topic: Italeri PT Boat Conversion Set kit - A closer look
David Waples

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Waples  Posted on: May 15, 2013 - 9:01pm
Hi all,
I just received one of Italeri's PT Boat Conversion kits. I posted some information about this earlier but tonight we'll take a closer look.

I'll start with the sprues as previously posted. I'm not going to spend a lot of time here.

Sprue A: Mostly new parts from Italeri including torpedoes, lift raft/float, and radar. Also new is the armor plate for the 20mm.

 photo 5617_sprue2_zps5b241c98.jpg

Sprue B: This sprue includes parts for the 20mm Oerlikon and 40mm Bofors.

 photo 5617_sprue1_zps8058401a.jpg

Photo Etch Sprue. Here you'll find the sights for the 20mm and 40mm along with straps for the life raft / float, and Day Cabin joining brackets. More on the floats later...

PT Boat Conversion photo DSC03638_zpsd6e9533c.jpg

Okay, let's look a little closer....

Life Raft / Float:
This shows the nice detail molded into the float. Italeri did a nice job molding in the metal brackets the go around the permitter. I'm including some photos of the prototype. You'll notice that they have ropes that thread through the brackets and have some sort of knott on the ends. The photo etch straps are nicely done but I don't think they are prototype. Somebody may correct me on this but I believe the straps should come up from both sides and a rope type affair draws them tight.

PT Boat Conversion photo DSC03624_zps50f0c230.jpg

PT Crew 4 photo PT154-Treasury.jpg
 photo 68458PTBoatsandactivitiesatMTBTrainingCenterMelvill.jpg
 photo 1027253_1.jpg

Also included are some very nice additions for your float including oars and a perfect little water barrel. Italeri provides brackets for the deck as well. Very nicely done!

PT Boat Conversion photo DSC03625_zps08ca223c.jpg

Italeri provides two styles of radar masts but there are only parts to build one or the other. For example there's only one dome and hardware box for the base of the radar mast. Here is a close up of the two dome base options. Note that the bases on the sprues aren't aligned with the correct mast.

PT Boat Conversion photo DSC03626_zps9dcc9157.jpg

Here's a look at the mast. Note that the cross braces do not have the cut outs in them. If this bothers you I would recommend cutting out the cross braces and replacing them with a scratch build replacement. Also note that they modeled the ropes from the yard arms in plastic. I don't like this myself and will probably model this with scale rope. However the brackets attaching the yard arms to the mast are very nicely done. The modeler may also wish to consider adding electrical cables and mounts. They are different on different boats so look at your references. I've included an example below.

PT Boat Conversion photo DSC03627_zpsa0c1ee79.jpg

 photo PT490GeneralMacwithflag.jpg

This shot shows the radar box for the base of the mast along with the brackets for supporting the mast in the raised and lowered position. All nicely modeled by Italeri.

PT Boat Conversion photo DSC03628_zps97b07ad3.jpg

This shot shows the different box mounting styles along with pads for the Day Cabin to support the mast and brackets.

PT Boat Conversion photo DSC03629_zpsd4d4f32d.jpg

Here's a nice shot of the supplied anchor. In some examples the anchor is secured to the deck. The anchor includes the deck brackets. Often these were just left on deck but also often stored below deck.

PT Boat Conversion photo DSC03631_zps21d9ff72.jpg

Let's talk Torpedoes! Italeri did a good job listening to criticism and doing their research to improve the Mk. XIII roll off torpedo. If you look at the on-line manual for this torpedo you can see that Italeri did their homework and really improved this part. Unfortunately there is only one supplied and there are no associated roll off racks which I think was a mistake. Below these I'm showing you the parts from the 596 kit. You can definitely see the difference. This is a good example of Italeri listening to us.

PT  Boat Conversion photo DSC03632_zps8ac58dea.jpg

PT 596 Torpedoes photo DSC03636_zpsf07045f4.jpg

Here is the Mk. VIII Torpedo. Very nicely done but I'm not an expert on these. From what I can tell if you want to model a live warhead you would remove the nose ring. Beyond that I'm not sure. Check your references.

PT Boat Conversion photo DSC03633_zps9f9a0c5c.jpg

If you wish to model your boat coming out of the Elco factory this 20mm armor is a nice touch. Very nicely done and includes some nice photo etch straps for the gunner.

PT Boat Conversion photo DSC03634_zpsb02e8a8a.jpg
PT Boat Conversion photo DSC03635_zpsd6affd9e.jpg

The 40mm and 20mm are exactly the same as the kit so nothing really noteworthy here. They are very nicely done. Even if you aren't adding one of these to your boat, some of the parts will help enhance what came with the kit.

Pros:
The idea of this kit is to provide a way to modify the 109 or the 596 kit into a number of other possibilities. These boats were all different so you can't have everything you might want. My favorite parts are the Radar options, float and accessories, improved Mk. XIII torpedo, and those lovely photo etch Day Cabin connecting plates.

Cons:
I wish there was more! I would have liked to see a full set of roll off torpedoes and racks. No racks are included in this kit. Instead of another pedestal mounted 20mm, I would have preferred to see another tripod and mounting plate.

Conclusion: This is a must have if you're modifying or wanting to improve your 109 or 596 kit. You might even want a couple of them! This is a good basis for super detailing your kit as well. Highly recommended!

If you have any questions please let me know.
Dave

David Waples

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Frank Andruss

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank Andruss   Send Email To Frank Andruss Posted on: May 16, 2013 - 4:14am
Dave, thanks so much for supplying us with these wonderful photo's. I guess my only question would be when do these Kits hit the market in the US, unless they have and I wasn't paying attention.


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David Waples

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Waples  Posted on: May 16, 2013 - 5:07am
They haven't yet. Italeri's US distributor, MRC, just announced them so I suspect they will be available in a few weeks.

David Waples

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David Waples

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Waples  Posted on: May 16, 2013 - 5:13am
Just a note about the Mk. VIII torpedo. If you want to model it inside the tube it can be done easily. The torpedo is a little too large for the tube out of the box but very close. I would suggest wrapping a down with sandpaper and thinning out the tube interior. Take your time and test fit but it will work out great if you want to go that route.
Dave

David Waples

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Frank Andruss

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank Andruss   Send Email To Frank Andruss Posted on: May 16, 2013 - 9:00am
I think that MK-VIII would be great for a diorama project, showing the Base Force loading one of the torpedoes. You could have a few of the guys guiding it into the tube. That would be blast, oh STANLEY!!!!!!


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David Waples

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of David Waples  Posted on: May 16, 2013 - 6:53pm
I heard back from MRC today that it will be released before the end of the month. So it should start showing up by early June.
Dave

David Waples

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  Jerry Beasley

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jerry Beasley  Posted on: May 31, 2013 - 10:38am
Amazon is listing the conversion kit for $26.80 DELIVERED in the US. Their dealer shipping it is shown as Buy 4 Less UK but all the transaction goes through Amazon. I ordered it late last night and had a SHIPPED notice when I checked my email this morning - it will take up to 2 weeks to deliver but several of the US dealers I have spoken with are estimating $36 plus shipping, so this is a heck of a bargain. Let the parts trading begin.

Jerry Beasley

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TheBridge

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of TheBridge  Posted on: Jun 2, 2013 - 7:30pm
Such a great model kit! Someone loves their PTs!


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Rock1947a

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Rock1947a  Posted on: Jun 20, 2013 - 10:10am
In stock today at www.spruebros.com
$33.99 + shipping
http://store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/ita5617.htm
Regards,
Pete

P.S. I have no affiliatiion with Spruebros. Just a satisfied customer.


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Pat Hutchens

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Pat Hutchens  Posted on: Jun 20, 2013 - 11:04am
Thanks for the heads-up, Pete. Jumped on it right after I saw your post. With Sprue Bros. outstanding service, I'll probably have it Monday at the latest.
Dick will probably have to come up with a "Trading Post" forum once these things hit the hands of all us PT kit fans!

Pat


Total Posts: 36 | Joined: Nov 24, 2012 - 6:03am | IP Logged

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