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This is my conversion of the Italeri 1/35 PT Boat kit to PT 109. The model is meant to represent her as she was on the famous night of August 1-2, 1943, prior to being rammed and cut in two by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri.
Built straight from the box, the Italeri kit depicts PT 596, a very late production 80' Elco boat. PT 109, on the other hand, was one of the earliest 80' boats built, and though the early and late boats share the same hull, running gear and basic layout above the deck line, there are actually a large amount of detail differences between the two.
Apart from the hull, propellers and shafts, rudders, and mufflers, the only parts from the kit that could be used unmodified were the smoke generator, 50 cal machine guns and mounts, and some deck fittings such as cleats and bitts. Everything else had to be either modified from the kit parts or built from scratch.
The four torpedo tubes required the major scratchbuilding effort as each one contains over 200 individual pieces. I was able to expedite the process somewhat by making a master of the breech, which has some rather complex webbed bracing, and casting copies in resin. Other scratchbuilt parts were the foredeck vents, depth charges and racks, early type mast, new engine room companionway and 20mm cannon base, sight and shoulder brackets.
There are also modifications to the charthouse-bridge area, including relocating the 50 cal machine gun mount forward and modified windshield and spray shields and a new instrument panel. The day cabin and engine room hatch area were also reworked.
I also used some of the Eduard PE set for PT 596 as well as their 1/35 50 cal ammo belts for the gun turrets. Unfortunately, the very nice PE deadlight frames provided with the kit could not be used as they were the later 3-bar type, so I had to scratchbuild the earlier 2-bar type from plastic strips. The 37mm anti-tank gun is a very nice 1/35 resin kit by Trakz.
While recognizing that building a truly accurate replica of PT 109 on the night she was sunk is not possible due to the lack of documentation, what I have tried to do is build a model that is at least consistent with the few photos and descriptions of PT 109 that are available.
What I did not attempt was any major weathering or depiction of any of the repairs and/or damage that PT 109 was known to have undergone. I'm just not very good at those techniques and I'm sure the model depicts the boat as much cleaner and less "beat up" than she actually was. My main references for the basic PT 103 boat were the plans and manual from the 1/48 Bluejacket kit, Allied Coastal Forces, and, in varying degrees, most of the other well-known books and publications on the subject.
