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ť Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
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ť Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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ť Topic: First look - New late-war Revell PT Boat kit
http://www.ptboatforum.com/cgi-bin/MB2/netboardr.cgi?cid=101&fid=102&tid=4894

It was nice of Amazon to have this new kit on sale, 1/72 scale Revell late-model PT boat. So far, it looks pretty accurate. The only down side so far is that it only has decals for PT-579 or 588, so I'll have to find separate decals for PT-362 of RON 25. Here are some photos:

Posted By: CJ Skamarakas | Posted on: Jan 11, 2020 - 2:31pm
Total Posts: 20 | Joined: May 24, 2019 - 8:31am

Revell stepped up to the plate nicely with this and their 109 kit. Speaking of which, the 109 kit would be a better base for the 362. The major change being that after the 367 the forward turret was moved back and both turrets were angled forward 3 degrees and had a cove added to their bases. A clip from the PT 103-196 and 314-367 Outboard Profile drawing from Dick Washichek's collection on top, PT 372-383 on bottom:

I notice that the 109 drawing doesn't show the fixed glass window on the day cabin forward, it shows them all the same.

Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Jan 12, 2020 - 4:04am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am

One of the few inaccurate things on the movie boats in "PT 109" were those cutout "coves" on the twin-.50 turret tubs (at least the forward ones, as I remember).

Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: Jan 12, 2020 - 8:21am
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am

The running light looks to have been moved forward on the 372 drawing. More to check into...

Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Jan 12, 2020 - 2:12pm
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am

Thanks for the tip. Yes, on the new kit the turret tubs are moved back and angled. So I'll have to order the new Revell PT-109 kit and take parts from both to build the PT-352 (not 362, sorry about the typo earlier). At least I'll have lots of spare parts.

Posted By: CJ Skamarakas | Posted on: Jan 13, 2020 - 8:30am
Total Posts: 20 | Joined: May 24, 2019 - 8:31am

Sounds like a good plan CJ. I don't know how nitpicky you want to be but a few things would be different on the 352 from either the 109 or 579 boats like the engine hatch. This is what the drawings (thanks Dick) show for the hatch, looks like the main difference is the hatchway / scoop being wider on the 565-624 boats. A little surgery could fix it up if it bothered you (depending on how Revell did the hatch). This drawing is for the 314-367 (and other) boats:

The 565-624 drawing:

Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Jan 13, 2020 - 11:03am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am

Yep, to do that boat it would help to have both kits. Then you can decide if you want to build it early or late war. With tubes or without. With 20mm Oerlikon or 40mm Bofors. Only one photo of this boat that I know of. Hopefully you have more! Even though it's in horrible shape it gives us some clues about late or end of war configuration.

1) 40mm Bofors and associated ammo rack. Note the ammo rack is different than the Revell kit. It would be an easy scratch build though.
2) The engine hatch has the correct location of the engine room vents but the kit has those boxes they sit on. Not on the 352 boat so you may want to consider removing those boxes and using the 109 kit vents.
3) Note that the spray shields aft of the Day Cabin are not associated with this configuration.
4) The late model Revell kit has a radar but it's the wrong one. Your boat should have the SO-2 radar. Note that there are two varieties of radar dome. One has a curved bottom and the other is flat. Your's would have the curved bottom. Luis (a.k.a. Panzers vs. Tanks II on Shapeways, or Holden8702 on Facebook) has this radar and mast available. If you go through him, contact him on his Facebook page and have him print it on his printer (not Shapeways). You'll get a better quality print and at a lower cost.
5) The port cockpit shielding and instrument panel cover is more like the Revell 579 kit. You would just need to adjust/modify the starboard side of the cockpit.
6) The armor behind the cockpit on your boat did not exist. It's an open cockpit.
7) Note that that circular antenna on the Revell 579 kit sits in the middle of the cockpit cover on your boat.
8) Your boat would have the circular horn mounted on the starboard side as it is with the 579 kit.
9) I don't know if your boat has that crazy wind deflector like on the 362 boat, but Luis has done this in 1/35 scale and larger on Shapeways. I'm not sure if he can do it in 1/72 though. You would have to ask him. there is one on Shapeways.

If you want to do a fresh from the factory version of this boat with tubes and 20mm, there is a nice photo of the 362 boat which should be pretty much the same.

I hope that gives you some ideas for your boat. Best of luck. It looks like a great subject piece.

[image]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49380105253_097abdc2b0_o.png[/image]

David Waples

Posted By: David Waples | Posted on: Jan 13, 2020 - 11:17am
Total Posts: 1679 | Joined: Jan 2, 2007 - 9:55pm

*jeff watches cj run screaming from the forum* Heh, nice work David great examples of the differences.

Some factory stock boats of a like design as the 352 at a commissioning:

A closeup, the cowl vents did have the water separation boxes, you can see one on the 360:

Some details of the bridge cover and wind deflector on PT 356:

The uncropped photo:

I had this one of the 352 but it's not very useful for details:

Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Jan 13, 2020 - 1:49pm
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am

All great advice, thanks! And this is doable. A few years ago, I would have been faced with trying to modify the old 1960s Revell PT-109 kit. That would have been a nightmare. Now, the two new Revell kits get me 90-95% there for modeling the late-war PT-352.

Posted By: CJ Skamarakas | Posted on: Jan 13, 2020 - 4:51pm
Total Posts: 20 | Joined: May 24, 2019 - 8:31am

It sounds like you enjoy going the extra mile to get the details right CJ, that's something that many here really appreciate. Please let us know if you need any help!

Here's a really small detail that changed a few times on the boats, the deck vents. This is what PT's 314-367, 372-383, and 546-563 used, later boats were similar but sat on an oval box. I don't know what the late model Revell comes with. Please forgive me if I'm going overboard, I tend to do that:

Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Jan 15, 2020 - 6:02am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am