The PT Boat Forum
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» Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
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» Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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» Topic: PBR 2
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Call me crazy, and I guess you might just be correct. Over the years I have collected some nice hand sewn patches for the Brown Water Navy and the PBR's of Viet Nam. A few weeks ago I decided that maybe it was time to have Stan model some other boats, so I decided to do some British MTB's, but at the top of my list would be the PBR-2. I have checked out one model kit at 1/35th scale by Tamiya which looks to be a very good build. At that scale, I could add whatever I needed, although I am not sure if any one makes figures for the PBR . Have any of you guys ever built one of these neat fast boats? Don't get me wrong guys, once I purchase that new PT-109 Model, anything could happen, but I would love to have Stan do a real nice boat in a Diorama mode, and use my patches to make a nice display..............



Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Nov 14, 2012 - 6:41am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am



I have built the Tamiya 1/35 PBR and it is a great kit. It is a fun build and doesn't take up as much soace as the Italeri PT's.

SteveS156

Posted By: SteveS156 | Posted on: Nov 14, 2012 - 8:36am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



Hi Frank
Yeh I've built it a few years ago. It come's with a set of crew figure's.
It's a nice little kit.
Dragon also make a LSSC but that's OOP it comes up sometimes on Ebay.

Shaun[:-cheers-:]

s.symonds

Posted By: muddyfields | Posted on: Nov 14, 2012 - 8:40am
Total Posts: 96 | Joined: Mar 1, 2007 - 7:09am



Thanks guys, when I get the chance I might just purchase that Kit for Stan, oh no, I forgot to tell Stan.



Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Nov 14, 2012 - 9:07am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am



It's a nice kit and being Tamiya it's also an easy build. The included crew figures are a nice touch too.

Just don't make Stan radio control it and he might build it for you.

Some do radio control this boat though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcgEROc6vFs

Cheers from Peter

"Give me a faster PT boat for I'd like to get out of harm's way!"

Posted By: PeterTareBuilder | Posted on: Nov 14, 2012 - 9:45am
Total Posts: 494 | Joined: Jun 24, 2008 - 5:59pm



I just remembered that Stan had built a Scratch built PBR for a customer several years back. I need to see if he has any photo's. I really do love those little PBR BOATS. I mean 30 feet of fighting boat, just like the PT's..............



Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Nov 14, 2012 - 11:31am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am



He did not scratch build the PBR. He built the Tamiya kit for me in the late 1990s.



Posted By: TGConnelly | Posted on: Nov 14, 2012 - 11:43am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



He did scratch build a 5 foot PBR for a customer, which I saw at the Gun/Knife Show. In fact it was then sold to a man from Long Island. I will post photo's of her, providing Stan still has them.



Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Nov 14, 2012 - 2:13pm
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am



I don't remember him doing that one. The EAGLE yes. The NORMANDY yes .................



Posted By: TGConnelly | Posted on: Nov 14, 2012 - 2:33pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



Built the Tamiya "Pibber" when it came out many years ago. The kit is very nice with some good figures and equipment included.

I had it mounted on a pre-made greenish brown diorama base that was clear acrylic and plastic. It had a huge wake and looked very nice. I don't remember who came out with it but if the same company came out with one for the Italeri 1/35 PT Boats, I would buy one in a heart beat.



Mike Witous

Semper Fidelis

Temecula Valley Model Club
Haud Sceptum Haud Sentio Haud Forsit

http://www.meetup.com/TemValModClub/


Posted By: Gunner Mike | Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 - 10:39pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



Thanks Mike. I ordered the PBR-2 Kit yesterday, and will look to have my friend Stan Pienkowski build it for me. I have not decided yet if I want it to be built as a Diorama, or not. I will need to check out colors for the boat, which from what I can tell was a dark shade of green.



Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Nov 21, 2012 - 1:35am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am



A good friend of mine I worked with in the late 1970's and early 1980's was an engineman on a PBR in Vietnam during the "Vietnamazation" period in which the Americans turned over their equipment to the South Vietnamese.

He did not see much heavy combat, but did come under fire from the shoreline several times during his year tour.

He told me of standing to in the middle of a river once, while he and an Army Ranger the boat was ferrying sat a few feet apart on the gunnel, dangling their toes in the water. He said they heard a "bloop" sound from the shoreline, and then saw what looked like a "white baseball" streaking towards them. He and the Ranger flipped backwards into the boat and the "white baseball," which was the warhead of a B-40 rocket, hit right between them, punching all the way through the fiberglass boat and exploding in the river on the other side!

He also related how his PBR would fire it's .50-cals -- the twins in the low turret on the foredeck and the pipe-mounted one on the stern -- at villages they took fire from, and how the tracer rounds would hit the built-up, concrete-hard mud banks and bounce up into the air.

Once, after a party at his house when everyone else had gone, we sat in his backyard drinking beer, and he tearfully told me that I was the only one of any of his family, friends or aquaintances who had ever asked him about or cared what he had done in Vietnam.

I really wanted to have the Tamiya PBR model made for him, but he had married a much younger -- and quite fierce -- woman, who also did not want to hear a word about his experiences in Vietnam. I was afraid if I presented him with the model his wife would refuse to display it, or destroy it in one of her rages, so I never did.



Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: Nov 21, 2012 - 5:22am
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am



Drew, thanks so much for this heart warming story. Just to be appreciated is something all veterans want, and it is a shame his own Wife was not open to his experiences. Over the years I have had no less than 5 PT BOATS made for Veterans, just to give them to these guys that have meant so much to me over the years. Tear's of joy always followed these gifts, and it has always meant a great deal for me to so this. Sad to say, of those 5 Veterans I gave the boats to, only one is left. This is something we should remember on this board. It is one thing to have an open discussion on the the placement of weapons, or colors of the boats, but our PT BOAT VETS are fast heading towards their final patrol. I often wonder why a discussion on the boats will gather 50 hits, when I only see half a dozen hits for the passing of a PT BOAT VET. Trust me I am not being critical, just stating a fact. I think the PBR'S were a fantastic group of guys, that were right in the thick of the fighting and in just as close combat as the PT's were. Although not as heavily armed as the PT BOATS, they could turn on a dime, operate in 2 feet of water, and put out some pretty intense fire from the guns they did have. I love that twin 50 mount on the bow, now that's the position I would have liked on that type of boat.



Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Nov 21, 2012 - 5:58am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am



Never built the kit, but I aquired a grouping of items from a TF117 veteran.
1. Black beret, saigonn makers mark with hand workeed TF117 Flash
2. PBR pin for dress uniforms
3. 100 or more color slides
4. MACV pay card
5. Ensign flown on his PBR

My favorites are two of the slides, one shows a hole through the bows of his PBR from an RPG that didn't explode and the other is of a montanyard holding a BAR which is about 2" taller than him.

I think he was in country around '68-'69.

We need to remember all our vets and say thank you!

Bill

Stop with all the negative waves Moriarity!

Posted By: wclracer64 | Posted on: Dec 30, 2012 - 1:23pm
Total Posts: 16 | Joined: Dec 7, 2012 - 3:47pm



Frank, I'd like to send you a couple pics of my diorama with the PBR kit that I did in '92, not long after the kit came out.
Please e-mail me at hutch157@yahoo.com, as I can't seem to access yours, and I'll get them to you.

Cheers,

Pat



Posted By: Pat Hutchens | Posted on: Dec 31, 2012 - 8:07pm
Total Posts: 36 | Joined: Nov 24, 2012 - 6:03am



Just for contrast, here's the PBR MK1.

[IMaGe]http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/alross2/mk11.jpg[/IMaGe][IMaGe]http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/alross2/mk12.jpg[/IMaGe][/IMaGe]
[IMaGe]http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i204/alross2/mk13-1.jpg[/IMaGe]
These had a modification of the MK17 mount in the forward turret.

Al



Posted By: alross2 | Posted on: Jan 1, 2013 - 1:22pm
Total Posts: 993 | Joined: Oct 30, 2006 - 8:19pm



Thanks Al, those would be helpful if I ever wanted to do a larger scale PBR.



Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Jan 1, 2013 - 2:08pm
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am