So I've had Italeri's PT boat 90% done and sitting on a shelf for the past year while I decided what to do with it and figure out how to make a crew. Oh yeah, I had cut off the lower hull because I decided to put it on a base and needed a waterline model.

So now I have renewed interest sparked by Mike Benoklin build and I need some help. I build mostly armor models but I have no idea, or where to start, on how to weathering a boat.

Any help (how to, where to look, etc) would be GREAT appreciated

Steve

Hi Steve!

Weathering a boat is about the same as weathering an AFV, with one difference...sailors take very good care of their girls, mate (and I'm not talking about our better halves ), and if it doesn't move, was usually painted and re-painted to preserve longevity... as far as any heavy weathering, well, not so in most cases...battle damage can be shown, but usually, the shipmates were/are still kept busy in downtime with repairs and refinishing...

SO, with that said, a light wash to accentuate the fine lines of the boat is really all that's necessary, unless you want to show the boat in a heavily used state, such as in the throes of battle, then you can still utilize the same weathering methods as you would in armor...take a look at some of Alan McNeilly's work here in the features dept, he is a master at showing his boats in the used state, very convincing, and very well done...


How to weather your boats (Pier 51)

The Boats of Pier 51

Landing Craft Trio

Take a look around at the other ship models in the gallery, and then decide on the amount of weathering that you may want to show on your model...usually a little smut and rust in a few key spots is all that you'll need to make a convincing "in action" build...hope this helps ya out a bit, mate, good luck, and Keep Modeling!

~Gunny

Excellent! Thanks, Gunny.

Steve

PT Boats were primarily plywood construction, so you would have to limit paint chipping to metal fixtures such as gun mounts,etc. The paint would fade under the tropic sun, and depending upon the supply situation, as well as conditions in the theater of operations, might not be repainted any time soon. The mufflers on the boats had a tendency to rust and collect some grime. War time maintenance is a lot different than during peace time. Pt boat sailors were usually at the low end of the supply chain and became consummate scroungers (i.e. thieves ) and expert at improvisation. Consequently there is a lot of leeway in outfitting and maintaining a boat. Hope this helps a little, and good luck with your boat.