These are the first in-progress shots of the revisited riverine dio i started a few years ago. I'm using a new PBR, shown with its hatches open, and a scratch-built pair of engines, plus a view into the radio room at the front.
I've still got a pair of built PBRs from the last dio, and a warehouse, so these need a few finishing touches and they're done. Then its just jungle, groundwork and water!






Hope you like it so far... still lots to do obviously...

Plans for crews?

Hi Richard, realistic ground work effect and nature look including the wooden bridge. Nice job.
Prasert.

I have a box full of figures collected over the years, a real mix of Jaguar, HobbyFan, Verlinden and even some Bravo6. Hoping between the lot of them, I should be able to muster crews, mechanics, shore crews (there'll be a M274 Mule by the warehouse, loaded with ammo and fuel) and possibly a couple of others.
My figure painting has improved a bit so i need to to some re-painting...

Looking like it is coming together nicely. Those engines look familiar.

Ha! Yep, two Academy M113 engines indeed they are Gino... Think they are a little undersized when checked against reference drawings, so have bulked them out with scrapbox bits. (and both are a little skew still) Eventually found some reference drawings for the radio room, though not going to see alot of it under the tarp... still, I know it's there, eh? These boats are so great to build...

Looking good. Been waiting for updates on this one. Do you plan on putting any details in the radio room? That is going to be a monster of a diorama when done. Looking foward to your next updates.
Tom

The radio room has two radios and a plan shelf on the starboard side, just to the right of the bulkhead door. Looking down, and you'd be able to see two beams each side of the keel, with a triangular section of floor between the inboard ones... the rest of the room to the port side is taken up by the radar shelf (from the coxwains flat) and some storage, but not much to see, maybe some crates. Just aft of the front gun turret is a shaped bulkhead (shaped for access to the gun tub from the radio room) sectioned off with a vinyl curtain. In the centre of the radio room is the outer tube for the telescoping mast seen above deck, with all the nav lights on, and either side, two tubular supports for the cabin roof. I'm hoping to show it all. At present, there's all the bulkheads and radio stuff, tubes, storage and vinyl curtain to come. (Maybe a radio operator too, if I can squeeze him in...)

(All this info is available from brownwater.net, on the PBR CD-rom)

That sounds good can't wait to see. Are you going to put a small light in there to show the details off? Just wondering if all you are going to do that you might be able to put one of those tiny lights from model railroad stuff in there. Just an idea.
Tom.

Hi Richard. Looking good so far .. lets hope you take it the distance this time. I like the composition ... somewhat different with three boats and pier.
I find it a bit odd though, to see a brick house on stilts in/near the water. That would be very heavy, and maybe not suitable for something that would decay quickly? It might be better to build up some sort of stone face for instead?

True, Frank, but you know what it's like when you've settled on an idea...
I saw a lot of stilted buildings on busy riverways in Vietnam, some brick but mostly wood. They built them mostly on sloped banks like mine but on a combination of wooden and concrete piles. Didn't look like they'd last too long, to be honest.
I'm happy with where mine is, but might brick up between the piles directly underneath the building, and render the piles themselves to look more like concrete rather than stone... that might work.

Thanks for the input!

This is the current support arrangement (!)


I'd leave bare bricks between the pile and top part of the building, suggesting a more durable foundation. Also, some concrete 'lump' around the base of the pile...
Thanks Frank! Great idea!

Hello! DogEgg Oh! Wow! big project that very beautiful I impress very much with your project , greatness

adisak.

Very nice job. I am also currently working on a PBR dio. I want to post it ,as that would sort of force me to actually finish it. Mine is similar to yours yet quite different............Al

I don't know if it's been mentioned yet but it this the Tamiya 1/35 PBR 31 MK II???? because i also will be making a diorama of this soon and it looks great

Yes, it is the Tamiya PBR, a great kit, which I'm kind of addicted to. (I have three built and two more in boxes...)