This is a great site. I was recently at the UDT-SEALs museum if Fort Pierce, Florida. There were about 5 or 6 dioramas of seal stuff. ex: two small rubber boats filled with seals being towed by the periscope of a sub, mekong river stuff, etc. I know Dragon (?) has kits of four seal figures, but I’m looking for a set where a rubber boat comes with it. Anyone?
I once saw a seal set with a rubber raft. But I cant name it. sorry
Don’t know what scale you’re looking for. Years ago Monogram had a kit of a swimmer delivery boat (an LCP?) that had a rubber boat as part of the kit (1/48?). DML/Dragon makes/made a kit with rubber boats as used by the Germans during WWII for combat engineering. I think Verlindin may also make a kit of the same or similar rubber boats. While not rubber boats don’t forget the Tamiya PBR and Dragon(?) STAB. All the last in 1/35 scale.
Yeah, Monogram had that neat model of a UDT LCP/R that included the CRRC that you are looking for. It was recently re-released; perhaps they will release it again soon. It was in 1:35 scale, IIRC.
FITTER out
In the absence of a kit, a Zodiac should be pretty easy to scratchbuild. If you haven’t done much scratchbuilding this would be a perfect project, simple lines and unique subject. I think I may model one myself. Some tube styrene and a couple flat sheets and some putty and VIOLA, a rubber raft!! The outboard engine wouldn’t be too hard either.
Italeri offered a 1/35 scale kit (#327) called Frogmen, which included a zodiac, outboard engine and 3 figures in wetsuits/dive gear.
Heller offered the same kit (#135) called Hommes Grenouilles, Groupe D’Intervention France.
Although I do not think either of these are still in production, you can find them from time to time on ebay.
Here is a link to a used model dealer that has an Italeri kit for sale now.
www.gasolinealleyantiques.com/kits/military.htm
R/
Matt
Got it. It is a bit smaller than 1:35 scale, but close enough. The wheel, prop, machine guns and big honkin ship’s bell are too big, and coarse (sixty’s injection technology)
NOSTALGIA Alert: The rubber boat & frogmen were good for use in the bathtub but rapidly got trashed when I got the kit again a few years back.
The boat itself makes into a nice represenation of a LCP. It needs some work to make the coxwain’s station more representative of the actual article - and some Academy .30 caliber machine guns are good replacements for the blobs in the kit. Cut some new prop blades out of Evergreen and cement them to the kit prop hub. Mine is done up in amphibious greens and brown as employed on the 4-pipe destroyers converted to APD fast attack transports.