Info on camo for PT boats (note that all PT boats were some sort of camo, most solid colors, some with multi-color patterns):

http://www.ptboatworld.com/PT_Boat_Info/PT-Camouflage.html

Lew

Plus see photos

Did they also change the PT deck colours depending on which part of the world they were deployed

Sorry I missed referring to the link in earlier posts and I meant 1:32

Been an interesting discussion, the wealth of knowledge in this club is amazing as is the quality of models.

On YouTube Battle Stations: PT Boats
(War History Documentary)

Military Learning
It shows boats coming out of the factory in camouflage

Note: The boats used in conjunction with the MTB of Britain, the PT boats had stars on their decks.

An interesting video is the Packard V-12 PT Boat Engine series by Les Sharp
Another of his videos is, The Plywood Derby: The Birth of the PT boat

PT Boat 658 Deck and Boathouse Museum Tour Walk

Camo and paint for PT boats.assas

Not many of the PT boats had camo.

Colors changed during the war.

Not all of the U.S. PT boats were identical, even those in the same class (there was a good variety of classes and sub-classes, not just 77, 78, and 80 foot boats by three builders).

The best way to maintain accuracy is to research the particular PT boat you want to build. There is a lot of info out there on PT boats in general, but for particular PT boats some are well documented while others have little to no info.

Lew

Hi Ron,
You have to scroll down a bit to find the Shapeways link.
ToraDog posted it 2 days ago.
Cheers, Doug😎

www.shapeways.com links in there to a lot of figurines whether navy from different nations or just use the search facility. I simply put in 'sailor'. Over 40 pages of figurines.

Mirangi - No link provided!

For 1/35 crew see the Shapeways link below. An awesome range of products.

Thanks guys

1/32 crew vs 1/35 marginal difference between them.

Wish I could get 1.32 crew members for my PTF-3

Saw this camouflage pattern for s WWII PT probably in the Pacific theatre.

I also agree with the type of weathering you mentioned that a PT could exhibit. Salt water creates havoc to painted surfaces. Also, the sun baked decks and fixtures, certainly the surfaces painted should be washed-out. Could be a good challenge for someone who is good at weathering their models.

My son sent me a link regarding “Getting the Sea Gray Right” a couple years ago. I posted it on the site a 5 years ago.

Here it is:

Many of us have struggled with paint issues with our projects over the last several months (years?) you may get a chuckle out of this.

The photo below is taken from a recent Today’s Defense article showing these problems to be industry wide. The U.S. Navy warship is painted with the newest paint from various manufacturers that all “meet the spec”. The traditional “haze gray” is variously being described as “dim gray, light gray, tannish gray, pinkish-gray, and green-gray”. Although the new paint is extremely weather resistant and environmentally friendly, it does not seem to hold its colour well.

Clearly, we are not the only ones having colour challenges! My son sent me this message the other day about the U.S. Navy’s “Sea Gray”...


Ron

My boats are all drones... don't need no stinkin' crew members...😂😂😂

I can't relocate the link right now but a few says ago I stumbled upon a 1-hour YouTube video about the manufacturing of PT boats

Prior to that I was unaware that they were virtually 100% wood construction



Found the link, edited it in, just above here

Appreciate the comments. My thought was minor damage, rough handling against wharfs, staining from polluted water ( fueling jetties), shrapnel splinters, towing damage, smoke stains from motors, guns or use of the smoke generator, etc.

I’m pretty sure the uniforms would also be less than pristine.!!!

I agree that these boats were their homes and they would be proud of them, hence repairs and repainting, minor colour of different paints would probably be lost in camouflage patterns.

Thanks again

flaxbybuck, et al.

There are some 1/12 scale "action" figures out there as well. Some of them are not too far off as to looking scale. If worse comes to worse, carve something out of wood. The open cockpit boats with no figures is totally ridiculous. Some have stiffed legged Barbie's or animals which makes it worse. Without them one could at leas claim "it's a runaway boat".

I even have one boat that has 1/12 scale storm troopers in it and modified the boats to look Star Wars - ish.

I have boats in 1/12, 1/18, 1/20, 1/35, and 1/40 scales and they >>ALL

My crew

Lew, I couldn't agree more about the need for figures on model boats. We have a number of club members who seem to think it fine to sail open runabout boats with no one at the helm ( or wheel). To my mind it looks absurd. I like to have figures and animals on my boats, and where possible animate them to give some semblance of reality. Mind you, it is not easy to obtain sensibly priced figures at all scales, particularly 1:12. And before anyone chimes in about dolls house figures, Dr Who figures and others which are 1:12, just try and find modern figures that reflect current fashions. It's like trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack.😐

Many PT boats suffered damage to various extents. This could be caused by anything from bullet holes to being hit by large projectiles.

I went through a lot of research when building my PT61 as converted to a gunboat. Before that conversion, the PT61 was hit by a Japanese 4.5 inch round and suffered major damage.

PT boats served in the European theater, north Pacific, but mostly in the western Pacific. (My focus.) For the most part the crews home was the boat. It seems that repairs were done quickly (if repairable) and well maintained, including paint.

As for the figures, this is a point that I feel strong about. Many model boats are missing crews especially where the boat could not operate without them in position such as an open bridge.

I have a lot of crew members on my 1/20 scale PT61 - photos on my web site: www.lewsmodelboats.org

Lew

I have to agree with Ron on this one. Most battle damaged PTs, that survived their damage, were not in a condition to run safely.
Crew at stations is very doable. This site has many PT figures in a variety of scales. NOT cheap, but worth the price in the long run.
https://www.shapeways.com/shops/panzer-vs-tanks-2

PT boats with battle damage you say? 🤔 Seeing how these were made of plywood sheeting and canvas you might see some patching of holes and odd paint matching, or windows cracked, much more and battle damage would be a sunken vessel.