Topic: PCF (Patrol Craft Fast) Vietnam Swift boat build (Read 76197 times)

red181 · « **Reply #100 on:** May 22, 2015, 09:27:16 pm »

Hi Sub, I'm a member of St Helens, I was working last weekend so could not go, and was gutted to see your PCF was in the water.

Well last week I had paint mixed, and put into rattle cans, not the cheapest way to do it but picked the colour from paint samples. Its supposed to be matt, but isn't that matt! and I just can't settle on the colour, it just looks too green! Its more like the colour you would paint a Bentley back in the Le Mans days, really undecided, carry on, or get a lighter green. Every image on the web seems to be a different shade of green

Good news with this build is I don't have to be fussy, so all the dents dings and paint imperfections don't matter!

Opinions welcome please!

red181 · « **Reply #101 on:** May 22, 2015, 10:02:45 pm »

yep, too green

That £25 down the drain!

Ron Rees · « **Reply #102 on:** May 23, 2015, 07:35:08 pm »

Hi Guys,
I did a Foam, brushless Swift PCF for Model Boats Mag recently and have several modellers building from the plans that e.mail me for hints and tips. One guy from the USA, who sadly passed away a few weeks ago was on the actual boats and he was really helpful with info. Regarding the paint colours he told me that those boats were put through hell and looked atrocious after 6 months of patrol. They were apparently only painted properly once at the factory and the crews in Vietnam would steal paint, any colour they could, to cover up the bright aluminium. So they all, according to him were a mixed mismatch of colours, scrapes and patches.

So If you plan to make it look just like a well worn one, your green colour would serve as a base before you start the weathering. Humbrol dark green earth is a pretty good colour but I wouldn't cover all the base coat with it, patches, stains , mud and vegetation rubbing against it as well as wear and tear gives you carte- blanche to make it look really shXXXtty! just like the real ones........Hope this helps.
Ron.

red181 · « **Reply #103 on:** May 23, 2015, 10:06:40 pm »

Thanks for that Ron, I have looked at dark green earth, its a bit too brown for me, but led me to a humbrol paint chart, and the green grass looks good, I need to find an aerosol to match. Plasticote appears to have vanished from b&q, homebase etc, which only leaves Halfords, unless I go the mixing route again.

Its rubbed down again, ready for the next colour. The aluminium undercoat failed, as I rubbed down, I went straight to primer, so maybe the suggestion of dry brushing will work. Not that keep on the Vaseline route, it will be very messy to clean off

Paul

Sub driver · « **Reply #104 on:** May 23, 2015, 11:21:56 pm »

Hi Red.
Tamiya olive drab XF 62 Acrylic is the colour you are after for the riverine colour scheme.

But as always its up to you the builder to choose
regards sub.

red181 · « **Reply #105 on:** May 24, 2015, 09:09:38 pm »

Thanks Sub! The heads up on the colour was just what I needed to get back on track. I went to Halfords, and nearly bought a couple of rattle cans In some random car colour, but popped into hobbycraft next door first. Got some thinner for acrylic paint, some decent detail brushes, but was really struggling with the humbrol aerosols, £5 for 150ml was steep, thinking I would need 6 for the complete boat, so ended up thinking lets give my little airbrush a chance, at less than £2 a pot for acrylic water based paint, it was worth a punt, so got two humbrol aqua olive drab pots.

Now I'm not that good at airbrushing, but here are the results, I'm well chuffed, and only used 1 pot for all the hull decks etc, so the whole boat will only have cost less than a fiver, ignoring all the money I previously wasted. I love the colour, and the matt finish, it will look real good when detailed and weathered

red181 · « **Reply #106 on:** May 24, 2015, 09:32:18 pm »

I have finally settled on the boat I am modelling, well at least the number! It has a nice "human" story, as below

"PCF 98, HIGH&DRY after entering the rice paddy. PCF 98, about to be refloated in the new channel dug by TF 117 forces.

3 April 1969 --- These pictures are definitely worth a thousand words ... and here is the story behind the pictures!
While on patrol in the Mekong on Good Friday, 3 April 1969, at about 0500, my boat spotted a radar blip which appeared to be in the water about 150 yards off the starboard bow. We accelerated to 'attack' only to discover that the higher then normal tide had over-run the riverbank and our radar took the tree line, about 500 yards inland, to be the end of the river! We hit the mud at full speed and literally slid inland about 75 feet. As it turned out, the 'blip' was a random tree in the middle of a partially submerged rice patty.

My crew consoled me, claiming that when the tide came back in we would just float back off, that is until I verified it was a full high tide at the time we went inland. We were ankle deep in water all around the boat, which was listing to port on the "V" bottom.

As the sun rose, the tide went out and there we were, HIGH and DRY! Fortunately, the repair ship USS Phoenix AG 172, was on station in the river about 1 click downstream. I radioed for assistance and a small mike boat was dispatched with several enlisted men, who made disparaging remarks as they approached. I was taken back to the Phoenix and escorted to the CO's stateroom, he was busy shaving and when I told my story he just shook his head in disbelief. He promised to help and when I returned to my boat I found my crew had commandeered several shovels from the peasants, who had came to work in the rice patty, and were now busily attempting to dig us out!

I sent a 100 word "FLASH Message," in code, to SEPIA, trying not sound like a complete idiot for what I had done. The CO of the Phoenix was great - he coordinated with the Army and had one of the Riverine boats, that was equipped with high pressure water pumps, intended to wash away bunkers, travel overnight to our location and it dug a channel behind us. When the tide came back in, we were pulled off. Fortunately, there was no significant damage to our boat. The Phoenix laundered our uniforms, feed us Easter Sunday Dinner and we then returned to Cat Lo, after having been aground for about 36 hours, during which time we spent one very nervous night with local RUFF PUFF's, who stood watch around us in that muddy rice paddy.

Douglas Scott Martin, OinC, PCF 98"

Also a commended crew member

COMMANDER
UNITED STATES NAVAL FORCES
VIETNAM

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the SILVER STAR MEDAL to

BOATSWAINMATE SEAMAN JAMES H. AKERS
UNITED STATES NAVY

for service as set forth in the following:

CITATION

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the Viet Cong while serving as twin fifty-caliber machine gunner of a Swift Boat (PCF-98) attached to Coastal Squadron ONE in the Mekong Delta, Republic of Vietnam. On 12 May 1968, Seaman Akers' Swift Boat, in company with PCF-102, pursued an evading enemy waterborne craft into the Bo De River, an area of known and intense enemy activity. As they closed upon the enemy craft, both Swift Boats came under intense 57 mm recoilless and automatic weapons fire from both densely jungled riverbanks, and PCF-98 was immediately hit by two recoilless rifle and numerous small arms rounds. While aggressively returning fire at the enemy, Seaman Akers' position was hit by an exploding recoilless rifle round, jamming one of the twin fifty-caliber machine guns, tearing off his right shoulder and inflicting numerous and serious wounds to his stomach, back and legs. Ignoring the agonizing pain of his wounds, and the continuous loss of blood, Seaman Akers refused to leave his battle station. He cleared the remaining gun, and directed devastating fire on to the enemy firing positions until an explosion knocked him unconscious to the deck below. Seaman Akers lead the assault with his superbly accurate fire, permitting the combined firepower of the Swifts to locate and silence the enemy. Seaman Aker's selfless heroism, bold initiative and extraordinary determination, combined to save his shipmates and his craft from certain destruction. He was that day a masterful gunner and a heroic figure. His actions reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

For the President

E.R. Zumwalt, Jr.
Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy
Commander U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam

All details taken from here, it took a while to read about every boat

http://swiftboats.net/

Sub driver · « **Reply #107 on:** May 24, 2015, 10:03:17 pm »

Hi Red.
Much better now its the right colour.

..just another heads up...when you varnish it use matt varnish you will find that it will darken in colour to give that olive colour and not so green as is now...i personally use Humbrol clear cote sprayed with the airbrush goes on a treat after thinning with Humbrol thinners.
Regards Sub.

Tug Hercules Fireman · « **Reply #108 on:** May 24, 2015, 10:51:04 pm »

Red,

Greetings.

If you do clear coat, could you then repost the pictures?

I have been trying to imitate / match an off-colour of the Olive Drab. The Tamiya Olive Drab XF 62 Acrylic is close for me, but if the clear coat darkens it a smidge, it will be perfect, so would be anxious to see your finished hull.

Sub.; Do you use Humbrol clear cote or the Humbrol matt clear cote ?? Do you have a picture of a Hull that you have sprayed with both the Tamiya Olive Drab XF 62 Acrylic and the Humbrol clear cote, that You could post ??

As a side story; When I ask the "old timers" what colour my particular Tug was (pre- WW II), they all reply "Well You know, it was a 'Cow $h!t Brown' colour." They all say the same thing, unfortunately no manufacturer makes that colour. (Unfortunately, no colour photos from that era exist, of my Tug.)

Thank You.

Tug Hercules
Fireman Rick

Sub driver · « **Reply #109 on:** May 24, 2015, 11:05:05 pm »

Hi i will post a pic of mine on here shortly so you can see the difference in colour before and after varnishing. It clear cote MATT i used.
Sub

red181 · « **Reply #110 on:** May 24, 2015, 11:12:36 pm »

I have never used the airbrush for such a big area, when varnishing, I wonder if it will cause a problem as the airbrush will only cover a small area at a time, so I have to go over it again and again to lose the stripe effect , not sure if the varnish will go patchy?

Sub driver · « **Reply #111 on:** May 25, 2015, 10:54:27 am »

Hi
the paint didnt go stripey as you overlapped each cote and sprayed it up in layers...same for the varnish have the nozzle set on a wide dispersal area...but if not sure paint a test piece on some scrap card and then try and varnish that...as always its up to the builders preference if not confident test..test..test..and practice makes perfect until you get the hang of it but the paint will at some stage need sealing.....but its up to yourself
sub.

Sandy · « **Reply #112 on:** May 25, 2015, 01:27:08 pm »

Hi,

Sorry I didn't catch this thread earlier.

Swift boats, or any of the MRF ships/boats, weren't Olive Drab but USMC Green.

You can see in the photo of PCF98 that it is a much more green colour than Olive Drab.

For interest, US Marine Corps green is FS24052 and Olive Drab is FS34087 (as was, now FS34084).

FS24052

http://www.colorserver.net/showcolor.asp?fs=24052

FS34084

http://www.colorserver.net/showcolor.asp?fs=34084

HTH

Sub driver · « **Reply #113 on:** May 25, 2015, 06:18:44 pm »

Hi.
Check out

www.swiftboats.net/extras/boat_specifications.htm

the colour scheme for riverine use does not mention USMC green but just Dull green and black.
Most boats appear closest to Olive Drabb than green even the pics Red posted appear Olive drabb not US MC green and most other colour pics tend to support this ....but who really knows.
Regards sub

red181 · « **Reply #114 on:** May 25, 2015, 09:36:17 pm »

bit late now Sandy!! where have you been?

Anyway, its not changing now, and by the time its weathered and beaten up it will look very different. If you look at the two pics of 98, the last one looks grey, I think these boats where a cobbled up mess when it comes to the colour after some service, at least the Bentley le mans green has gone!

Paul

red181 · « **Reply #115 on:** June 01, 2015, 09:33:17 pm »

started on the "dirty up process. its good fun this, compared to having to recreate perfect paintwork on previous builds. 1st time I have tried this weather thing, so still some to do, but you get the idea. I have been using a selection of paints and things, and generally playing around with a little airbrush. The best thing so far is humbrol weathering powder, it created the "lumpy mud" in the corners etc

Sandy · « **Reply #116 on:** June 01, 2015, 10:17:59 pm »

red181 · « **Reply #117 on:** June 01, 2015, 10:33:14 pm »

now I have realised I have lost 3 of the 4 white metal engine hatch hinges

so more work, now I have to make hinges, more bits of what should be scrap pieces of brass coming to good use

red181 · « **Reply #118 on:** June 07, 2015, 11:30:52 pm »

I need ammo belts for the guns, anyone got a source for them? The ones I have are white metal, but there isn't enough, and they are rough, What scale is this boat please!

Sub driver · « **Reply #119 on:** June 07, 2015, 11:37:27 pm »

Hi.
Its 1/16 scale.

TugCowboy · « **Reply #120 on:** June 08, 2015, 08:44:26 am »

Quote from: red181 on June 07, 2015, 11:30:52 pm

I need ammo belts for the guns, anyone got a source for them? The ones I have are white metal, but there isn't enough, and they are rough, What scale is this boat please!

Could be worth getting in touch with these guys:
http://shop.afvmodeller.com/customer/product.php?productid=18109&cat=387&page=1

red181 · « **Reply #121 on:** June 08, 2015, 12:53:54 pm »

cheers chaps. come all this way and didnt know the scale

great link TC

red181 · « **Reply #122 on:** June 10, 2015, 10:12:33 pm »

search light is done, and it works, with a 5mm led installed

red181 · « **Reply #123 on:** June 10, 2015, 10:14:48 pm »

The rear gun, which is a 50 cal browning piggybacking an 81mm mortar was a real job and a half. The bits I had where in a bad way, and some bits where missing, so it took a while, but this is an important part of this boat so needed completing

red181 · « **Reply #124 on:** June 10, 2015, 10:16:40 pm »

The hardest part was the missing protection cage, this protects the operator from the recoil of the mortar, I would think it also catches the mortar shell. I made it from thin brass plate, and had to drill a lot of holes!

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Author Topic: PCF (Patrol Craft Fast) Vietnam Swift boat build (Read 76197 times)