Ed, I'm a newcomer to this forum and having just purchased thr Italeri kit I was absolutely blown away by your model. It is the finest model of an Elco 80' that I have seen! Outstanding workmanship on your part! Two questions please. 1. Could you please share with us what you used to make the radar dome? ( I was considering using the end of a plastic tube that some cigars come in). 2. Can you recommend an information source so that I could read up on the combat history of PT 495 or of the RON it was attached to? Many thanks!!!!! Rod.

Hi Rod. Thanks for the kind words.
The radome and mast were a challange. I ended up buying a 3/4" dowel and a 3/4 diameter ball. I cut the ball in half and cut the dowel to the length of the straight center section. I centered and glued the half ball to one end. I cut a thinner slice of dowel and sanded a bevel on its edge-full size diameter on the top and smaller diameter on the bottom. I centered and glued it to the bottom of the first dowel piece. The 3/4" dowel is actually slightly under sized to I wrapped the center section with thin styrene sheet and sanded and filled and sanded until it was the shape I wanted and you could not seem seams. I located the center and dtilled a small hole , vertically, from the bottom.

For the mast I started with the kit's mast and motor box. I sanded all the detail off the box and added styrene strips to match photos of the desired box. I cut the horizonal arms off ans well as the overly large "lines". Carefully cut off the eye-lets to use later.

Cut off the top of the mast to get rid of the kit's redome. Use photos to build up the legs of the mast. 495's mast was one with thicker and wider verticals than the kit. There a a few styles of SO masts so work accordingly. I build mine up with strips of styrene and tried to replicate the taper of the original on 495. I made the center shaft from brass rod and use small diameter stainless rod for the yardarm. I drilled through the sides and used one piece. I glues the eyelets to my built up mast.

The motor box on SO sets sits sideways so I made cross supports from styrene "I" beans and after glueing to the mast, glued the motor box to them.

It's amazing what paint and weathering can hide!

Hope this helps.

As for the 495's actions, you can read some of it's as well and several other Ron 33 boats in Buckely's book. I have copies of 495's action reports for Oct '44 to mid Nov '44 but have not had a chance to scan them yet.

Ed

BTW,
Don't know if you've seen this but my 495 was featured here .
PT495