Merit 1:48 Early-Elco-80-foot PT boat Build

 

I've read reviews on this kit. It looks to be a great build.

I do have to point one mistake in the instructions in Step 10. But, to preface it, Stan determined it would be safer to build and attach items like the cockpit/charthouse structure and the Day Cabin, rather than making the turrets and machine guns. He was fearful that those items might have been broken or have pieces go missing. Frankly, I agree/agreed with him. Besides, it seems to be more ‘logical’ to put the cockpit/charthouse and Day Cabin structures on to the deck/hull earlier in the building process. In Step 10, the page(s) with the instructions on how to build the cockpit/charthouse structure, one of the pieces to be glued on top of the instrument panel is labeled F-12, it should be labeled E-12.

PTConsultingNHR

n Step 10, the page(s) with the instructions on how to build the cockpit/charthouse structure, one of the pieces to be glued on top of the instrument panel is labeled F-12, it should be labeled E-12.

We are talking about the Merit 1/48 scale boat, right?

My instructions do not show either part number anywhere in Step 10.

My intructions show in Step 7, parts E-12 as pieces of ammo boxes for the forward cannon. Step 21 shows part F-12 going on the bottom of the rear cannon.

Maybe, I have another version.

I think you're doing their late-war Elco, ... this build is of their early-ELCO 80-footer.

Today - Stan did work on the charthouse/cockpit - he installed the windshield and the hand rails and the two running lights and the compass which was located on the roof of the charthouse. The hand rails, lights and compass were all very small pieces. It became clear to me that one would need to take great care with these pieces due to their small size. If not - the carpet monster would be well fed! One thing that I noticed while watching Stan using the instructions relating to the cockpit/charthouse structure, ... they call for parts from different trees ... wouldn't it be easier, more logical and efficient to have all those pieces on one tree and not on different ones? Here are the photos from today: Tim

Today - Stan did work on the charthouse/cockpit - he installed the windshield and the hand rails and the two running lights and the compass which was located on the roof of the charthouse.  The hand rails, lights and compass were all very small pieces.  It became clear to me that one would need to take great care with these pieces due to their small size.  If not - the carpet monster would be well fed!  One thing that I noticed while watching Stan using the instructions relating to the cockpit/charthouse structure, ... they call for parts from different trees ... wouldn't it be easier, more logical and efficient to have all those pieces on one tree and not on different ones?

 

Here are the photos from today:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tim

Really coming along guys.

Tim,
I am curious as to why the clear parts are being installed before painting? Also, it looks like it is going to be tuff getting paint to some of those nooks and crannies, being built up the way it is. 

Hi Jim ... 

 

I dunno, sir.  That's what the instructions said to do.  And, if you look at the instructions?  With the ports which are in the charthouse and day cabin - you can't get them in after you glue the charthouse/cockpit and day cabin to the deck.

 

Don't worry none, sir!  Stan will paint this bad boy without any problem.

 

Tim

 

Tim,
I am curious as to why the clear parts are being installed before painting? Also, it looks like it is going to be tuff getting paint to some of those nooks and crannies, being built up the way it is. 

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Week four started with Stan making the two tubs for the two turrets.  These pieces required just needed a minimum of filler in their seams, but I think that was Stan’s wanting the model to be perfect than there being an actual need for filler.  That said, where the forward turret butts up against the charthouse/cockpit structure does need some filler because of gapping.  The 191 had its life-ring, which Merit positions on the port-side bulkhead of the cockpit, on the back of the Day Room structure.  Stan repositioned it on the model as well.

He also put on the step and its bracing, which went under the starboard side bulkhead of the charthouse, which is made out of Photo-Etched brass, which amazed me.  Stan finished this week’s session by putting the horn, and its Photo-Etched brass holder, the handrails which are located on the roof of the Day Room as well as the handrail which is located on the port-side bulkhead of the cockpit and one of the spray-shields which are attached to the Day Room structure.  

 

Here are four photos from today:

 

 

 

 

 

Tim

 

There is something which I would like to add here regarding the forward twin .50-caliber machine gun turret. In the couple of photos that I had seen of the 191, I noticed that the starboard forward turret did not have the depression-rails which one normally sees on that turret. I asked her former skipper about it. He told me, in a letter, that it was done to allow that gunner to be allowed to fire at targets on the boat’s port-side, directly over the heads over the guys’ heads in the cockpit. Mr. Clarke commented that he trusted the gunner and was never worried about being hit.

Went over to Stan's. No pics though, the camera's batteries were/are dead ... He put a vent on the day room roof, the cranks for the tubes (un-needed - but looks better with them, put on the boat hook, the two mooring cleats on the aft deck, the two ready-service lockers aft of the day room, the heater box (un-needed, but looks better with it) and put on the late-war engine-room hatch. Good headway. I'll be away from 6/28 to 7/8, so - nothing will be done until mid-July, ...

We are in Week 5 of the build.  We (Stan) worked on the roll-off racks for the Mark XIII torpedoes. Merit sent me what I would need for them from their Late-war Elco kit.  I've got to say that, even though these racks are kits/mini-kits in themselves, from what I watched Stan do while making them, but it seemed that they were a little overly complicated (too many pieces)... I think the side "legs" of them could have been molded in one piece and not the multi-parts which Merit had/has.  Here are a copy of photos:

Got a lot done on it today, piddling little details stuff. Looking more and more like the 191 in the photo. The torpedo racks (from another kit) are on, the hatches are on, the cleats are on and the toe-rails, and the anchor is on ... Next week, we start adding the late-war additions to it as well as putting the base color on the hull of the camouflage scheme. Here are two photos of the torpedoes being tested in the racks on the port side to verify the correct location of the racks and one of the racks on the starboard side, sans torpedoes. Tim

This week, Stan put on the depth charge racks and glued the depth charges together, but didn’t glue them on the racks, he’ll paint the hull first and then, put the depth charges, guns and torpedoes on. He put the SO-Radar mast on as well. The radar mast and the depth charges and their racks are from SHAPEWAYS. The green colored rings you see glued on the deck are from a REVELL 1:72 PT-109 kit, these are being used as the bases for the 37mm and one of the 20mm guns. The 191 did not have those two guns on the circular-shaped bases normally seen on PTs for some reason, in the photos being used as references show the guns mounted on the deck just on the tripod mounts. Tim

Looks great, Tim!  Got me thinking that this would be a great platform for detailing the interior if one were so inclined.

Also, what are the rectangular louver-looking depressions on the deck? 

really coming along. I just picked up this kit myself, too bad there no after market stuff for this kit. lots of space here to add details

freem

Also, what are the rectangular louver-looking depressions on the deck? 

Deadlights

Thanks, BIGJIM, ... Yes, they're deadlights ..................

No photos this week, but Stan installed the prop shafts, struts and rudders, masked the hull and put the first coat of Copperoyd bottom paint on. I like it. If you use the AK paint set with a Merit PT kit, just a word of caution ... the bronze (for the propellers) paint will not adhere to the plastic. Stan feels that you might need to prime them first before using the bronze paint. He then used a bronze paint, normally used for model trains, on the props.

This week was spent masking the bottom of the hull to cover the AK INTERACTIVE Copperoyd while Stan painted the topside with one of the Greens for the Measure 31/5P scheme. To me, it appears that it'll take a couple of coats inasmuch it doesn't seem to cover that well. Here's something that I never knew; Stan told me me that you need to apply the lighter shade first and then, the darker one. He said that if you were to apply the darker shade first, it'd bleed through the lighter shade. Tim

Yesterday, I went to Stan's. He marked out the camouflage scheme and painted some of it. He also started to build the 40mm, M3 Bofors (without the back railing as per my 'instructions' to him) ... I brought my camera with me, but for some reason, none of the photos came out that well.

Stan finished the 40mm today. Although, he needs to replace the PE gunsights for it which were lost and also not included. He also hand-painted the scheme, just to get its "shapes" on the hull, he'll airbrush the second/last coat on later and feather the edges as well. I am thinking he'll need to lighten-up the lighter green. But, that's me. I COULD be wrong. I really like the build. Tim

Stan finished the Bofors 40mm for my PT-191, he also sprayed Green 3 on to the hull today – and painted the 3-D printed .30-caliber “stinger” but that photo didn’t come out that clear. Stan also painted the warheads of the Mark XIII torpedoes. Here are some photos: Tim

A little update on my Merit 1:48 early-war Elco as PT-191: Stan made a little more progress on my 191. He glued the .30-cal "Stinger" on the deck. He glued it too forward though. I'll email him later and ask him to move it back and glue one leg of it to the torpedo rack ... he glued the 40mm on as well. He also glued the 3D printed mufflers on with the kit's dampener cables. They look good. Here's a photo of the .30-cal. Tim

Went to Stan’s today, … my PT-191 is nearing completion. I (and Stan) estimate that “we” have one more week and then, it’ll be done. Today, he glued the 37mm M4, from SHAPEWAYS onto the foredeck, modified two 20mms from Merit’s late-war Elco kit to represent the two 20mm guns that the 191 had her foredeck in 1944-45. Also, he created the twin .50 that the 191 had just forward of her starboard forward torpedo … The last time I was there (three weeks ago) he glued the depth charges that I got from SHAPEWAYS where the 191 had them over the transom, and he also glued the 40mm (also from Merit’s late-war Elco) into the place. Also, he put on the mufflers that I got from SHAPEWAYS on and mated them with the control arms and dampeners from the Merit early-Elco 80-footer kit. Another thing he glued on was the SO-Type radar from SHAPEWAYS. An interesting side-note, it did not come with a cradle for when the mast was folded down, but luckily, Tony Chin sent one in with the extra ready service lockers, the 40mm and the two 20mms and the Mark XIII torpedoes from the late-war Elco. Before those of you inflicted with AMS get all bent out of shape and tell me the 191 probably didn’t have the heater installed, and I know that she didn’t have the spray shield behind the heater … The model looked uncomplete without those two items, so, I chose early on to have Stan put them on ... also … the 191 seemed to have had a field installed box structure on the outside of her portside cockpit bulkhead, I chose to have Stan not do one, but I might email him and ask him to make one. I realize that – in the photos – AK INTERACTIVE’s Copperoyd bottom paint looks too red … but in person, it does have that muddy-reddish color like the real paint. Here are some photos … Tim

Looks like you are doing a very nice Job on her.....Cheers Mark