Hi Julian,

Yes, missed opportunity, but I have the AA kit still in need of a home so that should work out OK for number 2 .

Cheers

Al

Alan,
Thinking about you crewing your growing Navy, I've read during the war a coverall named the 'Ursula Suit' became popular.

http://www.acontinuouslean.com/2010/01/25/the-ursula-suit/

Do you think, with a little work, a Nemrod tanker could stand in as one of these attired figures?

http://www.phpshopxml.com/blamod.shop/CID/2be61f980a13365e19e44af6b75e555f/function/itemPageDisplay/shopItemCode/ULT35018

Tom

Hi Tom,

I think you would have better luck with the para smock. The suit looks to be in two parts whilst the pixie suit is in one piece.

Another area possibly worth looking at would be some of the German U Boat Crews, might get a closer match there.

The Wee Friends Sailor in part BD might also be and easier conversion?

Talking crew, the MiniArt recent release of bear chested tankers might well prove very useful for a crew in the med!

Just my thoughts.

Al

Alan,
The reason I thought pixie suits was a pic in 'Dog Boats at War' by L Reynolds.

There's a pic near the back of the book, page 184 showing a chap posing with this one piece suit on. I'd admit that some of the pixie's pockets would have to go.

Tom

Hi Tom,

I'm thinking of using some of the MiniArt bear Chested Tankers for the Med boat!

Probably got enough cold weather crew, just need a few officers/perry officers caps.

Cheers

Al

Good luck in your search Alan.
And by the way, thanks for the message on Christmas eve. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Tom

Hi Tom,

Not at the point to start building yet, a few projects to try and get finished first. I'm enjoying Tom's build a lot of useful stuff coming up.

It's possible Rodelfe from U Models may do some new figures for the boat so I'll keep an eye out there too.

Cheers

Al

Started a bit of work on the ADV Crew. I altered the officers jacker as I couldn't find reference fore it.. This chap will be a Pertty Officer when I get him done and although he should have a collar and tie I thought a polo neck jumper would be fine on an MTB.



Cheers

Al

Alan, Neither a PO, Chief or Officer would have been likely to wear a collar and tie on an MTB unless entering or leaving a major port where a senior officer was likely to be watching. The jacket is wrong for an officer or PO/Chief PO - it would be double-breasted and in WW2 BD was more likely to be seen on a small boat anyway according to books . I have no idea what uniform is on that model............but the duffle-coated ones certainly look the part.

Hi Dave,

The original jacket had a square botton, I altered it to have rounded edges, a collar and pockets as per a Petty Officer 1st class, home waters 1944. This order of dress is shown in Osprey's The Royal Navy 1939 to 1945. This is crossed reference from the illustration on plate E and actual photograph on page 7.

I can see no reference in the book to PO/CPOs wearing double breasted jackets, which seem to have been a preserve of the officers?

Cheers

Al

My appologies Alan - the 6-button double-breasted jacket for POs and CPOs was replaced by a 4-button single-breasted jacket in 1943 due to wool shortages. It reverted to a double-breasted jacket in 1946-47. The double-breasted jacket is the type still worn today.

Hi Dave,

No problem, the original figure needs a small conversion either way. Jacket Collar, pockets and rounded bottom edges for the PO.. I had thought of making him an officer but a bit more work would be needed to make a double breasted front and as U Models have some new officers in Duffels a PO seemed a better choice. Turning the jacket neck into a polo was also a time saving exercise.

I have no idea what the original jacket was modelled on, unless it was something from WW1 or the Japaneese Navy.

War economy at work Thanks for the info.

Al

Hi folks,

A couple more pics of the ADV crew with a little more work.





Cheers

Al

Hi Al,

Here's the pilot with some sea boots and an alternative head



With his pal who I got some time back and a couple of replacement crew from wee friends.



The UM commanders in box



Compared to a few years ago the range of RN figures is slowly expanding which is great news.

Cheers

Al

I got to ask: Where are you buying all these figures from?
All the places I have looked have, zip, zilch, zero! Have you a secret suppier.
I just had a look on U-models web site and those figures you have just posted aren't even on their own web site...Or do they have a new site.

Ian M

"Here's the pilot with some sea boots and an alternative head" [Quoted text]

Hello Alan, he looks like a completely different fellow with the 'Wellies'. Quite a change in appearance for such a simple 'operation'. Al

Hi Ian,

U Models site isn't as up to-date as it should be but if you email them you should get a reply. They have a much bigger selection and there is a map of suppliers on the site too.

The Wee Friend Sailors are available through Friendship Models.

Hi Al,

we will see how he paints up. I could possibly have added in a little bit of the knee but I think he will look OK as is.

Cheers

Al

Hi folks,

Some RN WIP chaps. I also got the Italian Captain for the MAS boat.





Al

Hello Alan, Great assortment of crewmen you have there. They'll look good on the deck of a Vosper. Al

Hi Alan some great crew there will be making a start on my own little project soon so all the info from yours and Al,s builds will help a lot. Sadly it looks as though Ren Patton will not be doing any more sculpting for the Wee Freinds range as he has become more involved with other interests namely arrows and targets don,t ask me why ???
All the best for the New Year

Hi Al,

Thanks, bit more work required yet, but with 5 boats to crew I'm getting towards having a better range of figures to choose from. (no not all Vospers lol, I have another Italeri LCM 3 and LCVP I got cheap plus of course the coming X Craft)

Hi Keith,

I was talking with Ian a while back and he mentioned he might try and do some RN Sailors for the Med. I sent him a list of what I though might be useful and a bunch of reference pictures. Have to wait and see if anything new comes along.

Cheers

Alan

Hey Al, figures are looking good. Glad I don't have to crew that many boats, I think. Yup, only four for now. I dropped a suggestion to Italeri for the hopeful up coming figure/acc's set for the 109. Some at station but relaxed poses in t-shirts and bare chested. Got to get some Hornet U.S.Navy heads. They are so much better. Looking forward to some more progress on your fleet as usual. Keep up the great work, it inspires me.

Morning Bob,

There are some good figures around for the American boats. Both Royal Model and U Models have a decent selection and U Models does some nice life jackets and kit too.

With a bit of luck Italeri will do some crew for both the Vosper and 109.

Cheers

Al

Hey Al, yes, they do have some real nice figures for both sides of the pond. Unfortunately I have to go with styrene, resin is just out of my range for that many figures. I do have the Tamiya 25 pounder figures with no shirts and the new set from either Miniart or Masterbox would do fine for the upper torso's and I figure with the stash I could come up with enough to crew the P.T. boat. The life vest set I will have to P/U for the side if the engine housing, can't forget that. But, hopefully Italeri will come out with the figures they are thinking about. Have a lot of time before I build her up, collect all the armaments, acc's and figures and info. and have to finish off stuff on the bench to make room for the beast. Besides, I have to finish an old/started dio/vign before I do anything new. On one of your pic post on June 6th last year, you have a row/life boat behind some crewmen. Is that the Verlinden one or another, or did you scratch it? I know Mincraft was supposed to release one god knows when, Might be possible to graft 2 of them together to make a larger life boat? Have a dio planed but need a large life boat for it. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. bob

Hi Bob,

Yes, that's the Verlinden one. Reality in scale do a small civilian one and Verlinden do a larger one row boats waterline and sunken.

The German shirtless tankers should be useable as crew.

A bit more work on the latest batch of sea dogs.

I changed the head on the Pilot, thought the other gave him too short a neck, added a strap to the Commanders binos and gave an older U models figure an overhaul by adding new legs, sea boots and a new head.





Cheers

Al