Author Topic: 1/35th FSBR - Fire Support Boat, Riverine (Read 45606 times)

Old Wombat · « **Reply #100 on:** July 10, 2015, 10:48:26 AM »

Waiting for pic's to upload to PhotoBucket ............................... Waiting! ............................... Waiting! ............................... Waiting! ............................... Still waiting!

OK! Done!

You may now see how little progress has progressed.

Need to do quite a few small bits, still.

Ropes & cables for the anchors.
Gloss coat & decals.
DullKote & weathering (rust & repainted sections - which scares the willies out of me, on the fair chance I'll f-up).
Remove masking & paint final details (nav lights, dial glazing, etc.).

For those of you who know the Italeri M163, you may notice that I scratch-built "working" hydraulic pistons for the gun elevation system.

Cheers!

Thanks for watching, guys!

PS: Yep, too late. tankmodeler, but I'd already thought about those things & passed on them for the purposes of this build.

LemonJello · « **Reply #101 on:** July 10, 2015, 08:10:01 PM »

Stunning! Absolutely stunning. I keep going back over the photos and mentally kicking myself for missing little details on my boat that you included on yours.

Well, I'll just file them away for my next floaty build.

Again, Bravo Zulu on this masterpiece!

Old Wombat · « **Reply #102 on:** July 10, 2015, 09:30:24 PM »

Thanks, LJ! :)

Volkodav · « **Reply #103 on:** July 10, 2015, 10:53:42 PM »

Imagine being an insurgent opening up on that one night believing it to be a civilian craft

Kerick · « **Reply #104 on:** July 11, 2015, 10:41:45 AM »

Pity the poor low flying ac that strays too close to this boat!

jcf · « **Reply #105 on:** July 11, 2015, 11:17:35 AM »

Quote from: kerick on July 11, 2015, 10:41:45 AM

Pity the poor low flying ac that strays too close to this boat!

Only if the ac doesn't see it first.

tanktastic43 · « **Reply #106 on:** July 11, 2015, 04:04:17 PM »

Deadly!

Great build!

Well done.

tt43.

Old Wombat · « **Reply #107 on:** July 12, 2015, 11:20:42 PM »

Thanks gent's!

Progress still very slow due to p!$$-poor weather, work & family commitments.

Volkodav · « **Reply #108 on:** July 12, 2015, 11:48:32 PM »

My step daughter is down your way, she just loves it when we tell her the temperature up here, warmer in winter cooler in summer, just love the tropics.

Old Wombat · « **Reply #109 on:** July 13, 2015, 09:13:53 AM »

If I had the money &/or a job that gave me the flexibility I'd be a bi-annual Stuart Highway nomad, up in late-April before Winter really starts to bite, down in late-October before the Wet gets serious.

Volkodav · « **Reply #110 on:** July 13, 2015, 08:23:32 PM »

Quote from: Old Wombat on July 13, 2015, 09:13:53 AM

If I had the money &/or a job that gave me the flexibility I'd be a bi-annual Stuart Highway nomad, up in late-April before Winter really starts to bite, down in late-October before the Wet gets serious.

I prefer the wet to an Adelaide summer to be honest, never thought I'd say that but once I was acclimatised I found the humidity easier to handle than the stupidly hot temperatures in Adelaide from December to February.

Drop me a PM and I can ask around about opportunities up here if you like, the trouble is the cost of houses or rent can make it a very hard move to do.

Old Wombat · « **Reply #111 on:** July 15, 2015, 12:02:14 AM »

Not serious, mate, because even if I could the missus wouldn't.

PS: Weather here is cold, cold, cold & wet - which is stalling my gloss-coating.

Volkodav · « **Reply #112 on:** July 15, 2015, 06:10:52 PM »

Quote from: Old Wombat on July 15, 2015, 12:02:14 AM

Not serious, mate, because even if I could the missus wouldn't.

PS: Weather here is cold, cold, cold & wet - which is stalling my gloss-coating.

Tell me about it, it got down to 14C overnight, I almost grabbed a jumper this morning.

Old Wombat · « **Reply #113 on:** July 26, 2015, 09:34:25 AM »

Quote from: Volkodav on July 15, 2015, 06:10:52 PM

Quote from: Old Wombat on July 15, 2015, 12:02:14 AM
Not serious, mate, because even if I could the missus wouldn't.

PS: Weather here is cold, cold, cold & wet - which is stalling my gloss-coating.

Tell me about it, it got down to 14C overnight, I almost grabbed a jumper this morning.

Not sure I wanted to know that.

Well, I've been doing little bits & pieces ... & I got carried away with the rusting.

Honestly, I was just enjoying playing with the AK rust paints I bought & was enjoying being impressed with the results even my ham-fisted painting could achieve.

So, although in real life no Royal Australian Marine would dare let their vessel/vehicle get even close to this badly rusted, I'm leaving it as is.

Should be finished, finally, in about a week. Photo's then.

Cheers!

Guy

35th-scale · « **Reply #114 on:** August 02, 2015, 10:51:07 PM »

Great build....love all that firepower!

Old Wombat · « **Reply #115 on:** August 05, 2015, 01:05:54 AM »

Thanks, mate! :)

Old Wombat · « **Reply #116 on:** August 05, 2015, 01:43:59 AM »

Fire Support Boat, Riverine (FSBR) Mk.II

Length: 51 feet 8 inches (15.75m)

Beam: 15 feet 6 inches (4.72m)

Draught: 24 inches (61cm)

Displacement: 20.67 long tons (23.15 short tons / 21t)

Propulsion: 2 x 270/370 hp (201/276 kW) Cummins VT8-370-M turbocharged marine diesel engines,
each powering a Caldwell & Lacey TP12M turbine water-jet with a thrust bucket for
reverse thrust.

Speed: 22.5 knots (25.25mph / 41.85 km/h)

Complement: 10 - 12

Armament: 2 x 40mm Bofors multi-purpose autocannon in a US M-42 twin-mount turret (248 rnds)
1 x 20mm General Dynamics M168 Vulcan rotary cannon (3,000 rnds)
2 x .50 cal Browning M2HB machine guns (3600 rnds)
Assorted personal small-arms

Armour: Hull – ¼ inch mild steel plus internal reinforcing up to ¾ inch
Superstructure – 1 inch armour grade aluminium

The Fire Support Boat, Riverine, Mk.II was an Australian-built vessel designed for operations in the rivers & deltas of South East Asia utilising primary & secondary weapons acquired from US forces in Vietnam.

Operated by the Royal Australian Marines of the Joint US-Australian River Patrol (JUSARP) from 1967 until the withdrawal of Australian main force units in 1978, when they were handed over to the Republic of Viet Nam Navy (RVNN).

The FSBR’s were generally used with RAM PBR 31 Mk.II’s in operations against North Vietnamese / Viet Cong supply bases along the river. However, they often served as flank-guards for main force land operations in the Mekong Delta & River areas, & as fire-support for RAM Special Boat Service infiltration & extraction operations, & US Navy SEAL activities all along the Vietnamese coastal & riverine areas.

Only 6 of these boats were built, including the 2 Mk.I’s which were converted to Mk.II standard. As river boats the FSBR’s were quite exceptional, with a rapid acceleration & impressive agility for their size. However, they lacked sufficient crew accommodation for extended patrol operations & had generally poor ride qualities in all but the calmest seas. Despite this they were the preferred support boats for special operations teams as they were fast, heavily armed &, with their exhaust gasses exiting via the water-jet units, quiet.

Depicted is FSBR Kilo-Four (a.k.a. “The Real Thing”) as she appeared at the height of the 2nd Tết Offensive, in 1975, during short a Rest & Re-armament break. In the cockpit is the Duty NCO, Corporal Lionel “Snowy” Walters.

(Note: These are the last photo's before the cockpit roof was glued in place.)

Lidded, roofed & covered.

(Link to new SmugMug album: https://guyplachy.smugmug.com/RAM-Fire-Support-Boat-Riverine/)

Well, except for a bit of loose gear floating around, that's it!

FINISHED!

LemonJello · « **Reply #117 on:** August 05, 2015, 02:33:08 AM »

Bravo! Bravo! Encore! (insert roar of crowd and thunderous applause).

Amaze-balls. Just an all-around stunner.

Logan Hartke · « **Reply #118 on:** August 05, 2015, 02:50:21 AM »

That really looks fantastic, Wombat. I was skeptical at first of just how much this would look like a 'Nam boat given the unusual hull configuration, but it's definitely a cross between a PBR and an LVTP-5. Really well done. It fits the role and period perfectly.

Cheers,

Logan

GTX_Admin · « **Reply #119 on:** August 05, 2015, 03:44:08 AM »

Loe the detail you put into this. Great work! :) :)

Jeffry Fontaine · « **Reply #120 on:** August 05, 2015, 05:05:15 AM »

Great work Guy! Really made excellent use of all the parts to pull this off. BZ!

Old Wombat · « **Reply #121 on:** August 05, 2015, 09:09:09 AM »

Thanks guys!

After a while all you see are the flaws.

It's good to get some outside perspective - especially when it's positive!

A link to the song that inspired the name: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HImcaPDmfBY

finsrin · « **Reply #122 on:** August 05, 2015, 09:24:34 AM »

Super Duper --- Built beyond the call of duty :)

Kerick · « **Reply #123 on:** August 05, 2015, 09:25:15 AM »

Just amazing! I can see a retired Navy SEAL saying, "I wish we had one of these back then"!

Old Wombat · « **Reply #124 on:** August 05, 2015, 09:27:34 AM »

Thanks, fella's!


Swords to Plowshares GB Now Open!!

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Author Topic: 1/35th FSBR - Fire Support Boat, Riverine (Read 45606 times)