MODELLTEICH
Swift Patrol Boat - US Navy coastal boat
Time and again I have come across projects in modeling magazines that are based on plastic kits. As my current project is making slow progress due to lack of time and I'm often on the road, I had the idea of trying my hand at such an interim project, since everything is largely prepared for such kits, it can't take long, at least that was the original idea...
During my research I came across heaps of large battleships from the two world wars. The scale of these models was a little too small for me and the narrow hull shapes also gave me cause for concern as far as stability in the water was concerned. One day, however, I came across a rather unknown Revell kit of a US coastal boat from the Vietnam era in 1/48th scale, and I knew immediately that I had found what I was looking for.
A few words about the original: In 1965, the US government awarded a contract for the development of a patrol boat whose main task would be to intercept the supply of weapons to guerrilla fighters in Vietnam's extensive network of waterways. The new class of boat was designed and delivered to the troops within a very short space of time. The boats had room for up to 7 crew members and were armed with a twin M2 machine gun and a so-called "piggyback" mortar, a combination of an M2 machine gun with a grenade launcher mounted underneath. A total of 181 units were built and delivered between 1965 and 1973
Swift Patrol Boats during their deployment in the waters of Vietnam
The Revell kit essentially consists of 3 elements: Hull, deck, and the helmstand. The first step was to cut out the deck area under the helm using a milling machine, thus creating access to the electronic components. As this was to be an interim project, I also wanted to keep the costs rather low, so I came up with the idea of looking for a toy boat to donate the drive and remote control. I decided on a donor with roughly the same dimensions as my patrol boat, so that I was on the safe side in terms of the weight of the components.
The toy boat is steered via the separate control of two counter-rotating screws, so I was able to save myself the use of rudders and a rudder servo. After a short test drive, the toy boat was dismantled and the components cannibalized. Unfortunately, the shafts turned out to be too thick and I had to get narrower shafts with appropriate screws. I used the time until delivery to assemble the superstructure
Left the donor components, right the finished painted superstructures
Once the ordered parts had arrived, the most difficult task could finally be tackled; the RC conversion of the hull. A milling machine was used to make the openings for the two shafts. The ship's shafts are somewhat steep compared to the original, but space had to be created for the two counter-rotating 26 mm ship's propellers (true-to-scale propellers would have been too expensive). Due to the inclination of the ship's shafts, the two brushed motors protrude a little beyond the hull, but will later be concealed by the superstructure. In order to save weight and in view of the already relatively tight space conditions, hose couplings were used.
Installation of the drive components
Polystyrene shaft sleeves were added to the hull to make the ship's shafts run more smoothly. After gluing and sanding, the hull was painted in two colors and labeled. The engine mount was additionally stabilized by a second transverse frame, then a first test of the floating position in the sink was carried out. This confirmed my suspicion that the model would be bow-heavy, but the problem could be solved by placing the battery further aft. For this purpose, a small holder made of polystyrene strips was glued into the hull. The deck and superstructure were then placed on the hull. To my satisfaction, the engines protruding from the hull are well concealed and can hardly be seen through the small windows.
The hull has been painted, the PCF is gradually taking shape
The hull and deck were then permanently glued together and the final small details such as the railing and cleats were added. The whole thing was then sealed with 2 to 3 coats of matt clear varnish. Once the disproportionately large propellers had been returned to their original position, the US flag could be hoisted and the crew taken on board. The Swift Patrol Boat is ready for its first mission
The completed Swift Patrol Boat on its stand
After a few test runs, it turned out that the turning radius was still very poor for a patrol boat. The problem: in the absence of a rudder, the turning radius is achieved solely by controlling a single screw, which proved to be insufficient even after various tests with trim weight. The installed speed controller was replaced with a cheap controller for tracked vehicles, now the screws turn in the opposite direction when cornering and the radius has been significantly reduced. When driving straight ahead, the Swift Patrol Boat is extremely fast, the home test basin is crossed within seconds, which is not scale speed but is great fun