I have started working on two of the PT boat crew, the 20mm gunner, and a fellow holding a pair of binoculars. The fit of the parts is very good, no putty was needed for either figure. There were the usual mold lines to remove and sprue attachment points to clean up, no sweat. I decapitated both figures and I am going to use some heads from Hornet instead. The 20mm gunner needed to have a few fingers on his left hand re-scribed. I thought his life-jacket wasn't bulky enough, particularly the collar, so I built it up with some putty. I'm not a sculptor, but it was easy to do. With a little work, I think that Italeri's crewmen can stand next to the more expensive resin figures. I hope to do some painting soon and will try to post some pictures Al

Ahoy Al!

Thanks for the briefing, mate...looking forward to seeing the results!

~Gunny

You are welcome, I'm pretty computer illiterate, so I have to corner my son, and have him help me try to post some pictures soon. Al

I may have missed it, but do we have a posting of the basic figures set somewhere. I would like to see what came in the set as well as the MSRP for it

Hi Steve, there was a first look posted several weeks ago on this site. There are ten figures in the set. Each figure consists of 5 pieces, head and torso, 2 arms, 2 legs, and a helmet. I paid $15(US) + shipping for my set from Lucky model. They average about $18. They could benefit from some improving, but I think they are a good value, given the scarcity of available naval figures. Al

Hi Al,

Just recieved my Pt crew set the other day and Italerie have definitely done a great job
on the crew figures.

With a new range of heads the crew will certainly look the part for the Pt Boat.

Look forward to seeing some progress photo's on how your goin with the crew.

Cheers
Michael

Hello Michael, I agree that Italeri did a good job. There is a good deal of variation of details between each of the figures, avoiding that 'cookie cutter' look some figures have. You can mix and match parts to vary them even more, to use for any naval project. I do think that they could have put some more thought in the posing of a few of the figures though. I ill try to post some pictures as soon as I can. Al

Here's an update guys with some photo's:


Stock 50 caliber gunner


Stock 40mm gun captain with head removed


40mm gun captain with Hornet head temporarily attached


Completed 20mm gunner on the boat


Completed 20mm gunner on the boat

Photo's courtesy of my son Matt.

~Al

hi al, wow...really nice figure..i saw them over at the kit maker photos...can't help but ask you if they're made of styrene plastic or rubbery material? i've read in the article that they're soft??? i need a few of this figures. in a few months probably the'll reach the island. thanks for sharing. ed

Very nice work Al,

Now thats what brings the PT Boat to life

Ed,the figures are a soft grey plastic . Very Similar to the dragon figure colour.

Keep them photo's coming .

Thanks

Hello Ed, they are made of styrene, not that soft vinyl-like plastic.
Al

Thank you Michael, the Italeri figures do turn out nicely with a little work. Al

hi al..everyone and thanks guys..i just bought the PT Boat Crew at the local hobby store. i'll upgrade my boat in a few months. i might do some scratch building to enhance the crew like you did al..i've got alot of spare heads and hands to do the building. hopefully it will turn out nice just like yours..



i just noticed this..they misprinted 1:72 scale on the instruction sheet. nice..i'll keep this one. thanks again..everyone. ed

Hello Ed, the life jacket on the 20mm gunner looked a little flat to me, so I built it up with a little putty on the collar and on the back. It was real easy to do, and I think it improved the look of it. The only real beef I have with these figures are some of the poses. I used a Warriors figure for one of the the .50 cal gunners because he is actually holding the guns. I replaced his hands to make it a little easier on myself. I had two hands with enough length that I could drill out the gunner's sleeves and insert them for a stronger joint. I also used Warrior's Bridge Crew set. Al