PT-109

Interesting that they selected the V-12's as the cars with the V-12's were discontinued after 1939. Was someone trying to liquidate inventory?

Andy

Hippy-Ed

Check out this link from Battleship Cove

http://www.battleshipcove.org/pt-museum-history.htm

Hippy-Ed wrote:

It is to my understanding there were 3 of them & one was turned sideways in the engine compartment?

Not sideways, but reversed from the other two.  I'm at work and can't confirm the exact configuration, but I think the port & starboard engines were 'direct drive' with their back-ends (i.e.the drive end) toward the stern.   The center engine was oriented with its drive end forward.  The power went through a V-drive to change the direction.   In the case of heavy maintenance on the P/S engines which would necessitate their removal - the center engine would need to be removed first.

afulcher wrote:

... then all you have to do is find an old car model kit(s) with a straight eight. With some photos you could convert it to marine use. ...

Except the engines on 80-foot Elcos were Packard V-12s -- not straight 8s

The Chun book has some photos of the engines

The PT Boat.org plans include exhaust piping and other engine room details

Like I said previously - the available aftermarket engines are not DIRECT replacements.  I'd start with a 1:72 scale resin Packard aircraft engine and scratch-build the marine engine differences.   Use that as a master to make copies

How big do you want your model? If you said 1/24 Or 1/25 (40" long model) then all you have to do is find an old car model kit(s) with a straight eight. With some photos you could convert it to marine use. I would post on the scale auto magazine forum for help in locating the car. There is bound to be someone there who could point you in the right direction. Good luck.

Andy

Hippy-Ed

You can also get copies of the plans for PT-109-everything from hull lines to interior compartment arrengements- from the Floating Drydock. They've even got plans for all the weapons that were mounted on PT's during the war!

I am presently reading a book titled "Devil Boats" by William B. Breuer published in 1987. There is a photo of PT-66 in camo which I thought was interesting  since all the PT's I have seen were of one color. The photo is from the National Archives.

Just thought I would pass this on in case anyone would like to do a conversion.

Andy

Hi Ed,

As Ed Grune noted previously, the 109 boat was in a homebrew green that later became known as "Tropical Green". We have it matched and available in our Colourcoats enamels, item US 29. We have no minimum order on paints, and we ship worldwide.

You may also be able to find interior details in "Allied Coastal Forces, V.2" by Al Ross and John Lambers (I haven't check my copy lately).

With regard to the bow-mounted 37mm, I believe it was lashed to coconut logs on the forecastle.

Cheers,

John Snyder, White Ensign Models, http://WhiteEnsignModels.com

Online resources are a bit slim for the kind of internal detail which you desire

PT Boats.org does list copies of the original ELCO blueprints in their catalog.   http://www.ptboats.org/pdfs/BP-List.pdf

They are exactly what you will need - but will tend to get expensive.

Some of these have been reproduced in smaller format in Victor Chun's book 'American PT Boats in WWII' .   They are smaller, and all the information you may need are not there.  The popular-press books do not cover the kind of internal details you seek.

BTW -- the aftermarket resin Packard engines sold for aircraft models are not directly applicable for those used on PT boats.

You must really see the White Ensign photoetched detail set for the PT-109.  Many of the clunky details from the Revell kit are replaced with this kit.   They also make a mor accurate 37mm anti-tank gun which the PT-109 carried at the time of her loss.   Much better than the Hasegawa gun which has been used by may others previously.

Colors - basically semigloss white interior and a locally brewed MTB green over a Copperoid bottom.  White Ensign makes the correct green.  Copperoid was a redish/orange   primer-like color

I know this has been debated back and forth on the forums ad nauseum ... as far as the outer hull, the concensus was "green" ... then you get into what SHADE of green ...

I was going to say do a search for PT-109 and color and just look in the Ships forum, but with our new and improved forums, I have no clue how to do that, nor do I have days to try and figure it out. But the answer to your question is in there ... somewhere ...