Lindberg 1/32 PT-109 need help

i found this kit at a small town store but have no idea what to paint it as ther is no paint guid or instruction on how to paint it what if anyone can please help email me at darth56@mchsi.com[:(]

Welcome to the forum

You’re going to have to do some research - Most were grey although depending upon the time period and location a large number were green. One of the early FSM articles (can’t remember the date or issue - will see if I can dig it up tonight) was on accurizing the Lindberg PT and representing the PT-109 as it appeared the day it was rammed. Had some very good line drawings.

thanks thats what i was looking for was how to paint it just before it got rammed if u could scan the pics and info just sendt it to my email its Darth56@mchsi.com[:)]

This is something I’ve agonized over for some time and the bottom line is there is no good evidence to support what the actual color is. As the story goes while the PT’s were in Panama for trials they were painted green. There was no spec paint used. They simply mixed black and yellow because that’s what they had. Did Kennedy paint it again in the Solomon’s? Who knows. There just isn’t any record. The photos of Kennedy in the cockpit of the 109 boat seem like the color is dark, but black & white photos are deceiving.

White Ensign Models makes a paint called MTB Green. If you take black, yellow and a little white (for aging) you have something pretty close to the MTB Green paint they are marketing. And since there is no record of what this color really looked like, you wont be wrong.

I hope that helps.

Darth56

Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner - I couldn’t find the issue I was looking for, apparently it’s in storage (still have several boxes of older reference materials that haven’t been unpacked following our move and they’re all in storage). Anyhow, the FSM Index indicates you want the PT 109 article in the March/April 1984 issue of FSM. I don,t know if it’s Kalmbach policy or just magazine policy (never really seen any thing on it in FSM) but I know you can get out of print articles from Model Railroader for a small fee. Can only tell you to contact them for information on getting out of print articles. Sorry I couldn’t help you more.

Check this out, the saga of the PT-109’s color. It’s amazing how much we don’t know about WWII, probably the most researched and recorded event in human history.

http://home.att.net/~ShipModelFAQ/smf-q045.html

Important: Read the whole thing!

Now you know why my PT 105 build was and remains my project from hell! The only thing different from my last post is that White Ensign Models ended up producing the MTB Green color.

I have to admit that I about lost it at one point. Al Ross came up with the Floquil color mix for MTB Green. I recall John Snyder of White Ensign Models telling me that this was the color! Then they admitted that they didn’t have a clue and that we might as well use MTB Green that they produced since nobody knows for sure.

UGH !!! I have to admit that I was a little rude in my response to that for which I apologize. I stand by what I said in my previous post. If you mix black and yellow then add some white for lightening and scaling you get the WEM MTB Green right out of the can. So what the hell. The MTB Green from WEM is as good as anything! But if you want to have some phone what’s the harm in mixing up your own color just like the Navy did. As for me I’m gonig to use the WEM MTB green because I bought so damn much of the stuff! [:D]

Best of luck with your project! Write if you have any questions.

David Waples (a.k.a. weebles)

I meant fun… not phone.
[:-^]

Here is a good link to lots of info on PT boats
http://www.ptboats.org/

Check out Squadrons book PT Boats in Action. There are a few color plates, and a very interesting zebra stripe dazzle pattern.

Hey while we’re on the subject of PT Boats where can I get some 1/72 .50 cals cheap? I mean really really cheap? Close to free although free is good. My PT boats guns suck.

The free-est ones going are the free ones they put in the box for free! [(-D]

Other than that, I’d wager that you could probably get some .50 cals cheap from one of those sets of WWII infantry that go with the braille scale tank kits. There are whole big sets of them, and I assume they have .50 cals i them, though I don’t know how many. In the end, it might even be cheaper just to buy some resin AM .50 cals.