Tamiya’s “U.S. NAVY PBR31 Mk. II “Pibber” (TAM 35150)

Hi all,

After having been away from the workbench and an absence from the forum for four months, I am slowly picking up my mojo for scale modeling again.
A couple of weeks ago a started making hours in my workplace in order to resume the work on the project I was working on back then.
I finished the model yesterday and I hope you like it!
Anyway, I'm happy to be back in the model making seat again.

The subject is Tamiya's “U.S. NAVY PBR31 Mk. II “Pibber” (TAM 35150) and I started this project as my entry in a Group Build initiated by my friend Carl Smoot (@clipper).
https://imodeler.com/groups/aircraft-modeler-building-a-ship/forum/topic/u-s-navy-pbr31-mk-ii-pibber/?topic_page=1&num=15

The PBR starred in the movie Apocalypse Now, which screenplay was loosely based on the novel “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad.

Fact: I read this book almost 50 years ago as part of my list of English books during High School and I remember it as a pretty tough book to read back then!

The kit is typical Tamiya quality with a surplus of details, including a radio cassette player, binoculars, ammunition boxes and a few bottles…

All in all I'm quite happy with the result, although figure painting proved not to be one of my skills … but, hey, from a distance it looks quite nice though.
The build is straight OOB, except from a few additions like the two antenna's and .50 shells which are all made out of stretched sprue.

As I'm currently experimenting with ChatGPT, I ask this and quite AI tool the following “Write a story about the PBR also known as Pibber”. The result is quite entertaining and seems historically correct. Anyway, for those who are interested, here it is …

The Tale of the PBR: Swift and Silent

The Patrol Boat, River, known affectionately as the “Pibber” by those who relied on her, sliced through the muddy waters of the Mekong Delta. Built for speed and agility, she was small and unassuming at first glance—40 feet of fiberglass hull equipped with twin diesel engines. But to those who served on her, the PBR was much more than a boat; she was their lifeline, their shield, and their weapon.
It was 1969, and the Vietnam War raged on. The rivers and canals of the delta were a maze of danger. The enemy hid in the dense mangroves, setting ambushes and laying mines. For Lieutenant Jack Marlow and his crew of four, the Pibber was both a tool of war and a home away from the relative safety of the larger ships.

A Mission in the Delta

The sun was setting, painting the horizon a fiery orange as Jack stood at the helm. Beside him, Petty Officer Sam Harris manned the twin .50-caliber machine guns on the forward deck, while Seaman Jim “Sparks” Kowalski monitored the radio. In the rear, two other sailors kept watch on the Mark 18 grenade launcher and the M60 machine gun mounted on the aft.
Their mission was clear: intercept a suspected Viet Cong supply convoy making its way up a narrow tributary. Intelligence had reported heavy traffic in the area, but intelligence often felt more like guesswork. Regardless, the Pibber's shallow draft allowed it to navigate places where other ships dared not venture.
As they entered the tributary, the world seemed to close in around them. Mangroves towered on both sides, their roots twisting into the murky water. Jack signaled for the engines to throttle down, and the Pibber slowed to a near-silent crawl. Every sound felt magnified—the distant call of a bird, the occasional splash of a fish.

The Ambush

“Contact!” Sparks hissed, pointing to the left bank. Through the foliage, Jack saw the unmistakable glint of a rifle barrel. Before he could react, the jungle erupted in gunfire.
“Engage!” Jack shouted, and the Pibber's crew sprang into action. The .50-cals roared to life, shredding the mangroves in a storm of firepower. The Mark 18 thumped repeatedly, lobbing grenades toward the muzzle flashes.
The enemy fire was intense, but the Pibber's low profile and speed gave them an edge. Jack threw the engines into reverse, spinning the boat in place as the crew continued to suppress the ambush.
“Mine in the water!” Harris yelled, pointing to a floating object drifting toward them. Without hesitation, Sparks swung the M60 around and riddled it with bullets, detonating it a safe distance from the boat.
The firefight lasted only minutes, but it felt like hours. As the smoke cleared, the Pibber floated amidst a scene of destruction—splintered trees, scorched earth, and silence once again.

The Aftermath

“Damage report,” Jack ordered. “Engines are fine, no hull breaches,” Harris replied, wiping sweat from his brow. “Ammo's getting low, though.”
Jack nodded. “We'll head back to base once we confirm the convoy isn't coming through here.”
They continued up the tributary cautiously, but there was no sign of the enemy convoy. Perhaps the ambush had been a decoy, or maybe their presence had scared the convoy into retreating. Either way, they had completed their mission.
As the Pibber turned back toward open waters, the crew felt a mix of exhaustion and relief. They knew the war would continue, and tomorrow might bring another mission just as dangerous. But for now, they had survived, thanks to their skills, teamwork, and the little boat they trusted with their lives.

12 additional images. Click to enlarge.