PT Dockyard

1/600 Scale Siebel Ferry

Reviewed by Bill Rutherford

David Gregory, owner of the PT Dockyard produces a wide range of 1/600 scale resin coastal forces craft including GE7, the Siebel Ferry, a twin-hulled affair, which he was kind enough to send along for review. The resin model comes in four parts, the hull and bridge, and two anti-aircraft guns (only one of which is actually needed) that are embedded in a THIN sheet of resin flash. Simple but clear instructions accompany the model and clearly describe assembly. The quality varies from OK to very good, the only flaws on any of the models being the pitting present on a few of the boats I acquired, and the unavoidable indistinctness of some of the gun barrels. These are bugaboos of almost all short-run resin miniatures. Remedy the first by putting a spot of thick cyanoacrylate glue in the pit (trying not to overflow onto the surrounding area), using accelerant to quick-cure it, and then, during the next 15 or so minutes, cleaning up the glue blob with a knife. The glue will have already hardened, but is still (for a few minutes) softer than the surrounding plastic, so clean-up is easier. Remedy the second by replacing as desired with thin wire.

I don't, unfortunately, have any references on the Siebel, but other boats in his range match reasonably well with what references I DO have in terms of dimensions, profile, etc. One's first reaction will likely be "What a lot of flash!" but don't be put off! It cleans off the model very easily - in seconds, in fact - with a knife and a bit of sand paper (remember, this is not metal you're cleaning up!) and the result is quite nice. I understand that David is (or was) negotiating with somebody to produce white metal detail parts to replace the resin guns, etc. that currently come with his boats. Illustrated are the Siebel and a Raumboot, both assembled, but not primed. Note that the barrel on the rear gun on the Raumboot has been replaced with wire.

The PT Dockyard produces (as of June 1999) some 49 vessels including several of the "standard" PT boat types, as well as a large number of craft that nobody else makes (e.g., a Scott Paine PT, a Soviet Type 1125 gunboat, and an Italian Gabbiano Corvette, to name a few). David's prices range from about $3.75 for the average PT boat, up to $17.00 for an Italian Spica escort destroyer. I was excited to see this line because SDD and Skytrex, the only other two manufacturer of 1/600 coastal forces craft I'm aware of, haven't released anything new in some time, and the PT Dockyard boats, once cleaned and painted, are at least as good as the others are in appearance and quality... It's good to see fresh blood in the water and I look forward to more good things from PT Drydock. If this area of gaming interests you, email David Gregory at gregorys7@juno.com or write to him at David Gregory, 25 Sergeant St., Sodus, NY 14551 and ask for his price list,. If your FLGS happens to carry the line, look for them there!

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