Dave's PT Boat - Build Log

**bpgeygolpher** · #1 04-27-2018, 11:57 AM

I was looking for something to build for my Grandson for his 6th birthday and decided to give this a try after reading the thread about it's development.

To be completely honest I need to tell you that the model has been completed and shipped to my Grandson. So any comments or suggestions, while appreciated, will not be adopted by me but could prove usefull to someone else building this model later.

I did enjoy building this model. There were some challenges but nothing insurmountable. I need to thank Dave for his help throughout the build. At times I'm sure he must have said to himself, "Of all the models in the world, why did he have to pick mine?" However, he was always there to support and encourage me.

I had tried a few other ship models in the past and was never quite satisfied with the way the hulls turned out but Dave's design left the hull nice and smooth without the dips and ridges my previous efforts resulted in.

Here's the cover page. The model is available at ecardmodels.com

Paul

**bpgeygolpher** · #2 04-27-2018, 12:13 PM

First up is the hull frame. This is quite sturdy, I actually think it could be stood on, if someone wanted to.

The false deck is attached to the frame.

The hull skin is put together. An important note about the skin. If you will notice, there is a major mistake here. For whatever reason, I managed to place the propellor shaft pass-throughs on the outside of the skin instead of the inside as they should be. I did not realize my mistake until I was installing the propellor shafts, after the skin had been attached to the frame. At that point I could have carefully cut them free and tried to re-attach them where they belong as Dave suggested. However, because this model was being built for a 6 year old, I decided he would never know the difference. Besides, at his age the model had a life expectancy of about 15 minutes after he received it, so it remained as I built it.

Paul

**bpgeygolpher** · #3 04-27-2018, 12:19 PM

The hull skin is glued to the frame then trimmed.

**bpgeygolpher** · #4 04-27-2018, 12:23 PM

The deck is then assembled and attached to the false deck.

I don't understand the difference in colors for the deck panels. They are from different pages but were printed at the same time with the same settings. Maybe it is caused by the grain in the paper? Whatever, it is not noticable on the completed model.

**Don Boose** · #5 04-27-2018, 01:04 PM

Excellent step-by-step images.

Looks good so far.

Don

**airdave** · #6 04-27-2018, 01:08 PM

If I may interrupt the flow of your thread for a moment...

First...can't say just how much I am pleased to see a build report like this.
Made my day.
Thanks.
Always nice to see some feedback, especially positive.

No, I did not question your choice in models...it was obvious you knew what you were doing..
And its part of my "job" to make sure you get any help you need.

Its a great build report so far.
In fact, it will be very helpful to anyone building this model.

Glad to see you had fun. I hope your Grandson enjoys it in the bathtub! lol

Paper/printing colour...
Yes, sometimes just the rotation of paper sheet can change the printed finish.
Its also possible for a print head to get slightly clogged, or ink flow changes because a cartridge is emptying, etc...and the result is the slightest difference in colour like this.

Okay...back to you.

**bpgeygolpher** · #7 04-27-2018, 01:52 PM

Next is the railings and the splashguard strips followed by the mufflers. The props and rudders went on after that along with any other below the deck stuff. Time to move to the deck components.

**bpgeygolpher** · #8 04-28-2018, 12:33 PM

Deck structures are next.

I did laminate the roofs of the structures just because I could and it made me feel good.

The vent tubes were an issue for me trying to attach the hoods. After a few unsuccessfull attempts I gave up and built the tubes using dowels.

**MichaelS** · #9 04-28-2018, 12:53 PM

Great looking PT! Looking forward to the rest.

**bpgeygolpher** · #10 04-28-2018, 01:00 PM

The turret railings were by far the biggest problem for me. I tried making them out of wire, soldering the joints, using CA glue, and epoxy and the results were abysmal. Dave suggested using laminated paper as he did. I then remembered I had seen someone use plastic rod for railings on another build. I ordered some 1mm polystyrene rods and went about constructing the rails.

The first issue was to get the rail parts to retain the correct diameter. I decided it would require 2 horizontal rails for each turret approximately 1/4" larger in diameter than the turrets. I placed duct tape over a medicine bottle to prevent the plastic cement from sticking to the bottle. The four pieces of rod were wound around the bottle and glued with plastic cement where each rod crossed itself. After ensuring the glue was completely dry I placed the bottle with the rods attached into a coffee mug filled with heated water and let it set for 30 miinutes. Nice round rail pieces.