Tamiya 35150 PBR31 Mk. II 'Pibber' 1/35 Scale Plastic Model Kit

Tamiya ventured into the modeling business in 1948, with a scale wooden ship model kit. Since then, Tamiya has been striving to offer merchandise that can truly be called 'First in Quality Around the World.' Now Tamiya is offering more than 300 different products, both in the fields of precision static models and high performance radio control vehicles. These products are not only sold in Japan but also exported in vast quantities to the United States, Europe, South East Asia, and to many other parts of the world. The standard of excellence achieved by Tamiya is regarded as among the very finest in the world of model hobbies. Knowing that patrolling coastal and river waterways during a conflict in Vietnam was going to be extremely hazardous, the U. S. Navy searched for a boat design that could be quickly produced and employed. One chosen was a fiberglass-hulled pleasure craft built by Modutec Marine in Seattle Washington. The Patrol Boat, River or PBR as it was known militarily, became one of the most successful weapons systems used in Southeast Asia. It was 31 ft 11 in long ; 11 ft 7 in wide, and 9 ft 9 in high above the waterline. It displaced 8 3/4 tons loaded drawing two feet of water. its crew of four was armed with a pair of . 50 cal gun or grenade launcher mounted on a tripod in the fantail, plus a single M-60 on a pipe mount bolted to one of the amidships splinter shields. It was powered by two turbocharged Detroit Diesel 205 HP, V6 marine engines, driving a pair of Jacuzzi 14JY water jet drives. The engines were located underneath the aft decking, and the boat was steered by two movable nozzles below the water line, mounted on the rear transom. The water intakes were located on the hull bottom. It had a top speed in excess of 25 knots. Surface radar and two-way radio equipment provided communication and maneuvering safety. This finely detailed plastic model kit requires assembly and painting.