PT 105 by mog - FINISHED - Dumas - 1:30 scale

[mog]

I00% agree about painting over the mahogany or any wood for that matter. It hurts even more so for a guy who’s building style is to never paint over wood. Now the However pain First the PVC was not going to happen. Yes I could and probably should have went for a cheaper wood.   not being a big fan of balsa except for filler blocks, or general building needs.  Plus, I just did not trust balsa strips to hold up under the shaping bends needed. Many will say I’m wrong it works just fine, and I’m sure it does, just not my choice to work with. I have worked allot with mahogany and walnut kind of the safe zone factor.   I have seen others use strip planking for the PT hull and it looks really good. In this case I went for the solid sheets for two reasons, One the PTs were hulled with solid sheets, (not that I’m one of the historical correct always guys) nothing wrong with that, just not me.  2 the nature of the hulls  shape straight flat sides between the sheer & chine, I did not want to risk some of the thin strips moving out line, be it weather effects on wood, or the builders miss alignment, and the plank lines would have to be filled in anyway.   Long story short I made the call on what worked best for me however, I will say the solid sheets went easier than expected. Like I have said here before we all build for the builder,  tackling builds in different ways, helps spread ideas, and better knowledge of the craft. Any just my spin

[mog]

First coat of the filler sealing mix, first time I’ve done this, Last pic is after the first sanding & light recoat and more sanding.  Pleased with the early results, will lightly spot fill a few  minor irregulates. Then give final sand.  Not an expert on this but I think the a few coats of primer should fill in the very minor flaws.    

[mtaylor]

Hull is looking good.  

[mog]

Several coats of primer on the hull, getting there

. the blue is a reflection 

[mog]

 

Waiting for more deck planking, So did some starter work on the bridge and chart house, very early stages of prep.

[GrandpaPhil]

Looking good!

[mog]

Deck planking, ready to be shaped and roughed in

[mtdoramike]

Are you going to fiber glass the hull? Or are you building strictly a display piece? The reason I'm asking is, usually the hull is fiber glassed with cloth and resin before it gets painted with either primer or paint. I have tried laying cloth and epoxy on painted hulls and it just doesn't seem to hold as well then if it's done on the bare wood surface. The rule of thumb for me when it comes to imperfections in the bottom of the hull is, the heavier the fiber glass cloth, the less any imperfections will show, the thinner the cloth, the more they will stand out.

 

Your build is turning out beautifully, I love the deck planking.

 

mike

[mog]

Building for display, I have several coats of primer already on,  but I'm still seeing a few to many imperfections. I think I  will do some more spot filling before  I add the spray rail to the hull, and prime some more. 

[mtdoramike]

I actually prefer a few imperfections myself, it makes it look hand built versus factory built. I get a kick out of builders who build a model to perfection only to distress it and give it that old and weathered appearance. I asked a fellow modeler, who was above my skill set at the time and a known perfectionist why he would spend an so much time and effort on a build only to weather it to the point that it almost looks like a ghost ship, who will know the difference in the end? He simply replied "I will". Now that was a true craftsman and someone I strive to emulate on every build I do, but some how I always feel that I have fallen short. But he pointed out to me that this is the same way he feels after every build as well. It goes to show how even expert modelers if there is such a thing is not 100% satisfied with their builds in the end either.

 

Your doing a fantastic job on her.  

[RickyGene]

Looking good, you have done a most excellent job.  I do however wish to ask some questions.  Have you ever seen a all Plywood/Armor Plate built PT Boat.  You trying to achieve that glass smooth look is not necessary.  Remember, just as you have done, the hull was made of wood frame with Marine Ply covering.  2nd, why the individual plank decking.  As best as I can remember, this again was made of Ply sheets/armor.  I am not saying it is wrong, but I have never seen a Higgins w/a planked deck!

 

[RickyGene]

[mog]

 Your right Higgins 70, 77 footers 1940-41 did not have planked decks, but the early Elco 80 footers  June July 1942 were double planked fore & aft.  mainly the early squadrons RONs 3-5 , however later 1942 boats were built  with sheet decks, with a few of the older boats being relayed with sold sheet.  

great  picture A British MTB by Vospers correct.

At the end of the day I’m not a must follow all the historical plans to the letter guy, it’s not how I build. Of course, I will never butcher a ship, with some wild off the wall additions. Building a ship right following the plans  is important, in this case I kind of like the look of the deck planks  

The picture is a Elco 80’ being built notice the deck planking

[mog]

Working on the rough mock-up of the bridge and chart house. The filler block will be shaped at 45 deg angles to hold the control panel and  bridge Armor plating

[Jim Lad]

Just catching up.  She's coming along very nicely.

 

John

[popeye the sailor]

catching up with your progress.....liking what I see     one thing to keep in mind though........no ......or very low gloss with regards to the paint.  they were not known to be shiny.   are you painting the deck sheer?  I haven't seen too many with a bare wood deck sheer.......most were gray.......and I do recall some {pacific fleet} that were olive drab {faded}.  wait a day or two before sanding the hull,  to give the paint time to fully cure.  you'll see where the low spots are.  you used bondo.........now if you had used resin,  applied with a brush,  it would have settled down to a smooth finish as it dried.   sanding would have been a lot easier for you......that job couldn't have been easy.  you came out with a nice hull though,  and that's what counts.  don't be too critical over a few dings.......these boats did some rough service at times,  depending where they were stationed.  these boats were like aqua army tanks.......they went anywhere  

[mog]

As you know I don't paint my rigged ships. So have made a few 1st time  hull painting errors,  made life harder for myself,( used allot of sand paper)  however  learning from it, the primer used is matt,  my shop lights make it look more glossy than it is., but it still shines some ?? When its time to apply the  finish colors they will be very flat I hope, the Dumas guys suggested  dull coat as the last thing will tone it all down.  Still working on a final color,  I have learned the PTs had many different shades of green, gray and even some type of blue mix. The PT experts at pt103.com tell me this came from the crews  voting on the shades along with using what ever they could get there hands on made for many non-reg  colour schemes.      PT men were well known for there independent ways and scrounging skills.  As far as the deck goes, true  almost all were painted over, however I do like the look of a natural deck,  its always good to add a bit of your self to a build, without taking to much away from the boat.  

[mtdoramike]

Amen brother, the ONLY time I build strictly authentic is when I build for a client who wants it historically accurate. But when I build for myself, I experiment and do what I like and don't give two hoots and a darn who likes it or not. But you do have folks that are strictly purist who believe in building only historically accurate representations of a subject and to those I say great for you and if that is the case then build your own the way you want it built. You build is coming along beautifully Mog, I especially like the wooden deck, it gives the PT a bit of class for sure. If I build one, I'm going with the planked deck also, I love the look of it.  

 

mike 

[mog]

Heat shaping the wet gunwales to deck edges. , deck after the process.  

[popeye the sailor]

I was hoping you were going to do this..........it looks great!    not to mention that there is an overhang around the sheer...love the way the deck looks.  I hope I'm not coming off like a purist......anyone that has seen my build,  know that I'm not bashful about climbing out of the box   absolutely.........it's what you want.  seal coat on....that's gonna be a good looking deck!

 

I'm kicking myself right now for not following up on that kit I saw    likely gone by now

Edited November 27, 2019 by popeye the sailor

[mog]

 Have decided to do most of the superstructure work following plans from pt103.com. The Dumas kit is very good, but I wanted more out of the build than just the basic follow the instruction book allowed. I  will kit bash, scratch build and try to create  as far as my skill level will take me.    Reworked the basic shell of the pilothouse to lay the groundwork for putting more detail into it..  I did not like the way the center frame was working out, So it was time for the saw and hope plan. Being new to working with a kit that is mainly  for RC , I cutout the center frame following the book, Its  good to build the superstructure on it if your planning to remove it to get to the RC stuff, but not so great to build on for static.   The small planked bit is the aft 20mm platform area.  This section  is even with the deck . where the  next 2 sections floor base set slightly above the deck, cutting it and reworking was the only way to get it to fit the way I wanted.  My thinking is  I will be doing allot of  hope this works fabricating down the road.  

[Jim Lad]

Just catching up.  She's certainly looking good!

 

John

[popeye the sailor]

how much detail is put in the finished model,  is up to the modeler..........whether it's R/C or static.  I've seem some R/C models that are so ornate,  that I'd be scared to put in the water........they have to be made,  so access to the inner workings is easy and trouble free.  since your going static with this project...some modifications will have to be made.   it's not that hard really to go out of the box........most of my projects are not kit builds.  you'll see what you need to do.......I have no doubt that you'll not have much trouble coming up with solutions.  you've done very well so far.   

[mog]

The reworking of the pilot house is on going  added some more detail,  the parts of the control panel are very fragile so it will be worked on the side. allot more to do here so  still not ready to assumable.  Started on the day room cabin , cut & shaped the Aft turret area, early days. Solved the problem of the center frame that I needlessly removed, the test fit  is looking ok, when it fits right will seal it down.  primed the base of the 20mm Oerlikon,  to test fit.    

[mog]

roughing out the spray shields with primer to bring out the areas that need work  

[mtdoramike]

I'm loving that wood deck, she's looking beautiful!

[mog]

Starting to work on the grad rails   1/16 brass rod, eyebolts and thin plastic, very much trial & error here,  rough cut  triangle  for the stations  base,  plastic should be easer to shape. cut and bend the eyebolts to hold the rails.  anyway this is the plan, as with all plans it sure looks good on paper.    put in the starboard 50 Cal ammo locker,   Day cabin finished the framing and worked the windows , frames & rain guards. not really following a pattern,  detailing as I go along one step at a time. 

[mog]

using the day cabin to trial my attempt at making  the grad rails  in this section they pretty  are  straight  forward,  several of the other rails have different end pieces  which  I have to  figure out how to make, all in all I think its a good start,  time and practice will tell.

[Javlin]

Nice build thus far looked like some light ribbon Sapele for the hull sheathing Kevin

[mog]

made the torpedo tube training crank,   ready for primer.  still working on my brass bending/shaping skills, but I think they turned out  ok