Upgunning the 1/72 Revell PT 109

by Richard Eaton

Introduction

This month I got back to a pet project I've contemplated for some time. I am a big fan of MTBs and had ordered some H-R Products 1/72 metal guns from 'The Floating Drydock'. The idea was to bring the standard PT 109 kit up to late war configurations. Toward the end of hostilities, the PT boats were equipped with radar and a slew of really neat weapons. How does a 40mm Bofors and a pair of 5 inch rocket launchers grab you? Read on.

PT Boat or Gun Ship?

"The Americans have a new weapon - a monster that roars, flaps its wings, and fires torpedoes in all directions" (From a captured Japanese war diary describing the "Devil Boats")

Throughout the war the ELCO 80' boats were periodically updated and reconfigured for the missions they were called upon to perform. The boats actually took on more of a gunboat configuration, rather then their traditional torpedo role, because of the nature of wartime tactics in the Pacific. Many PT boats were given the tasks of harassing and controlling the enemy left behind on islands that were skipped over by the advancing allied forces. The PT boats became 'Barge Busters' with their relentless attacks on enemy barges and boats used to supply and ferry the enemy from island to island. They were also called upon to support troop landings and rescues.

Their crews were made up of anywhere from 12-18 (or more) enlisted men and two or three officers. The actual number depended upon the number of guns and torpedoes that the boat carried and to some degree, the manpower available. Boats were equipped with a variety of fire power and included two twin .50 caliber machine gun turrets as standard.

PT boat armament was an ever changing condition on PT boats throughout the war. Here is a listing of various weapon systems found on PT boats:

• Lewis, .30 cal machine guns
• Browning, .50 cal machine guns
• Oerlikon, 20mm cannon
• Bofors, 40mm cannon
• M3 & M9 - 37mm rapid fire cannons
• Thunderbolt System, 4 - 20mm guns in turret mount (Oh man! Don't get me started)
• Mark VII & VIII Torpedoes, (long - tube discharged)
• Mark XIII Torpedoes (short - roll-off rack)
• 300 & 600 lb. depth charges
• 8 tube-rocket launcher for 5" rockets
• Hedgehog rocket launchers
• Deck mounted mortars

One can see that scratch and conversion projects abound for the Old Elco 80 footer!

The Model

I won't write much on building the old Revell kit as there are readily available articles on how to build and improve on it. It has fairly good detail, little flash for its era, and provides a good base for detail and modification. I built it OOB, used H-R Products parts, and a few basic techniques add even more fire power to this already dangerous boat.

Starting with an assembled boat, my first step was cutting out the existing details where the new parts were to be added. I dremeled out the 20mm rear gun mount and life raft mountings in the bow. I used .010 Evergreen sheet to cover holes and provide mounting plates. I planned to add the following toys to the boat.

• A single 40mm Mk.3 Bofors mount to the rear.

• Mk.50 5 inch rocket tubes to the sides.

• Single 20mm Oerlikon gun to the bow.

• Single 37mm M9 rapid fire cannon to the bow.

• Upgrade electronics including an early radar fitting.

Let's see, that on top of the pair of twin fifties and MK XVIII torpedo tubes. Yep, that ought do it!

H-R Products make excellent cast metal fittings and guns for ships. The 20mm Oerlikon gun and Mk.4 mount had a bit of flash and mold imperfections to them. Careful filing and sanding cleaned them right up. The scale and detail leave the original Revell part in the dust. I had a couple of guns so I used a spare ammo can as a ready up in the model. The guns were unshielded on PT boats so I did not use that part.

The H-R Products single 40mm Mk.3 Bofors was a nice little kit in itself. It consisted of a base, gun mount, gun, sights, shell chutes, seats, and control cranks. I just cleaned up the parts a tad and put it together with CA using my references. Once assembled, I added scratched rear railings out of brass wire. The final assembly was pleasing and spot on scale wise.

The Mk.50 rocket launchers were a scratch item that took a bit more planning. I had to have them though. I used brass tubing cut to length with a Dremel tool. Once filed and sanded I assembled the eight tube launchers with CA and added mounting hardware out of stretched sprue and various hardware from the old parts bin. I fixed them in firing position rather than make them swing in to the loading/storage position.

Next up was that crazy looking M9 37mm rapid firing cannon. Hummmm, time to scratch again! I used one of the H-R 20mm bases and cut down a 20mm gun to form the base of the cannon. I used stretched sprue and a left over barrel to form the cannon and recoil systems. Brass wire and mesh made up the strange looking ammo basket on top. No kidding that's the way it looked! This was originally the nose gun of the Bell P-39 Aircobra and was adapted for PT use primarily for fighting barges. That's one 37mm the Navy did not have to 'borrow' from the Army!

The last item I added was a mid-war radar system used in commander's boats. I reshaped the drop tank from a 1/72 Zero for the canvas cover and scratched a mount. A converted ammo box formed the base electronics. I also added additional aerials for the mid war radio systems.

I then modified and placed a few miscellaneous boxes from the parts bin for ammo containers in the various firing positions and the conversion was complete. A minor upgrade in fire power wouldn't you say?

I re-sprayed the assembled kit with forest green and dry brushed heavily to give it that sun worn look. The guns were painted with Testor's burnt metal. I finished the gun barrels with Testor's steel to make them stand out from all that green. A decal upgrade to late war numbers rounded out the boat.

Conclusion

I recommend the basic Revell PT 109 kit to children of all ages. It builds up to an impressive model and includes a nice little history lesson. I must have built this 10 times over the years starting at around age eight. More experienced modelers could go to town detailing and scratching parts on this one as I have done. You don't have to stop where I did! Now let's see. . . a 20mm Thunderbolt system and hedgehogs on the bow. Next time!

Sources

• PT Boats - Knights of the Sea

• http://www.geocities.org/Pentagon/4017/page-001.html

• US Small Combatants by Norman Friedman, Naval Institute Press 1987