"1/48 PT Boat" Topic

Who makes them?

Not 100% sure.

Try Revell.

In that scale, you may need to look under R/C boats to find them.

Bluejacket scale models makes the PT 109 in that scale. About $270 USD for the wood kit.
link

Ouch.

I imagine you should be able to get a plastic kit for about $100 USD or less.

Check e-Bay.

To my knowledge no one does a plastic 1/48 PT, MTB, etc.

Glencoe does a US Coast Guard rescue boat in 1/48.

Monogram did a 1/48 PBR years ago as part of a "Rambo" kit. It pops up on Ebay occasionally.

Lots of choice in 1/72, of course, from many manufacturers, and Lindberg does a nice 1/32 PT-109.

If anyone knows of a 1/48 PT boat plastic or resin model kit, I'd like to know, too.

If you're looking for a wargaming boat, you're not likely to find any scale model companies who offer a waterline model. After I finished my RN Vosper torpedo boat I planned to build the USN PT boat in 1/56th scale – but haven't found time. I have a number of line drawings that can be scaled to whatever size you want – then build it from scratch. PM me and I'll email you the plans I have…

John

Apparently if you are willing to make one out of a fiberglass, or wooden hull, you can get them:

link

I'm surprised they aren't more readily available in this scale, but people seem to be going for the 1/32nd and 1/35th scale, as well as the really large 1/20th – 1/24th scales.

Italieri makes a late model PT in 1:35, and will be releasing a late model S-boote also, same scale.

Wow, an S-boote in 1/35 is going to be *huge*.

That's not the half of it.

Imagine the HMG range at that scale, not to mention the range for the torpedoes to be launched from, at a Japanese Destroyer no less.

We're gonna' need a bigger gametable!

Hah!

My thoughts for combat with PT Boats is the night time engagement with guns of Japanese landing craft and barges. I had not thought of launching torpedoes at barges. It could be interesting with the early war torpedo tendency to cirle around to come back at the attacker. I am also hearing about Japanese "airboats". Any idea what they are or what they were used for?

Torpedoes would be useless against the barges used by the Japanese due to their shallow draft (even the much larger MFPs and AFPs of the Germans were too shallow for torpedoes). The weapons of choice were the gaggle of HMGs and auto cannons that the PTs mounted in ever insreasing numbers. Another thing to consider is land forces. The Japanese routed their barges close in to shore (the better to conceal them against the jungle that often came right down to the water's edge) and would often have land units with heavy weapons in place to engage any nosy PT, especially at the landing place for the barges.

Just when you thought no one would make a 1/48 scale PT Boat:

YouTube link